The first production of Kentucky Opera's 2013 season is the beloved classic, La Boheme, by Giacomo Puccini. Famous for its tragic lovers and gorgeous arias, this romantic story is well-known even to non-opera lovers. The Broadway musical, Rent, is a modern retelling of the essential plot -- the love that blooms between two creative, yet poverty-stricken artists, living the Bohemian life in 1830's Paris.
La Boheme features a dynamic young cast, including two rising stars as Mimi and Rodolfo, both making their Kentucky Opera debuts on the main stage. 
Soprano Corinne Winters as Mimi is a native of Frederick, Maryland and graduated from the prestigious Peabody Conservatory. She made her professional debut at the Metropolitan Opera in the role of Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto and has received glowing reviews in a number of recent roles, including Violetta in Wolftrap Opera Company's La Traviata. She also premiered in Rufus Wainwright’s song cycle All Days are Nights: Songs for Lulu, under the auspices of New York City Opera.
As Mimi's lover Rodolfo, lyric tenor Patrick O’Halloran comes to Kentucky having recently appeared as Edoardo in Verdi’s Un giorno di regno in his Glimmerglass Opera debut. He has participated in Kentucky Opera "run-out" performances in Owensboro, but this will be his first appearance on the main stage.
Soprano Emily Albrink returns to KO (Adina, Elixir of Love, 2010) in the supporting role of Musetta, and baritone Luis Orozco will play Marcello in his Kentucky Opera debut.
Conductor Joseph Mechavich says that in Puccini's masterpiece "there is not one note or rest that is out of place." For any budding opera fans, one could not pick a better place to start than this familiar and crowd-pleasing opera, which had its premiere in 1896. Tickets for
Friday, September 20, 2013 (8 p.m.) and Sunday, September 22 (2 p.m.) are still available from the Kentucky Center box office, starting at $34. Both performances will be held at the Brown Theatre, 315 W Broadway.
See a short sneak preview of Corinne Winters and Patrick O'Halloran in La Boheme:
Soprano Emily Albrink sings "Musetta's Waltz":
