  A Onstage/Offstage Romance - Life Imitates Art for the Stars of La Bohème
In a love story that is the stuff of opera itself, two young singers meet at the Philadelphia Academy of Vocal Arts and an onstage romance in Puccini’s beloved La Bohème grew into the flames of a real life passion. Fast forward a few years and our singers, now married, are preparing to reprise the roles that brought them together on the LA Opera stage. The incredibly talented husband and wife duo - Stephen Costello (Rodolfo) and Ailyn Perez (Mimi) – give us a glimpse inside their on and off stage relationship, the challenges of being on the road, and their excitement about joining us at LA Opera for La Bohème in this wonderfully engaging video.
Watch Stephen Costello and Ailyn Perez discuss life, love, and La Bohème here.
Also, in the first of a series of video blogs, tenor Ben Bliss - a member of our highly acclaimed Domingo Thornton Young Artists Program - also takes us behind the scenes as he prepares for the role of Parpignol.
Watch Ben Bliss’ first video blog installment here.
La Bohème opens on Saturday, May 12 for six performances only and great seats are still available. To learn more about La Bohème and to purchase tickets, visit LAOpera.com
 Free Family Performances of Verdi Opera Tales!
Opera always begins with a story. Verdi Opera Tales celebrates the power of story and the joy of music. Working in partnership with the County of Los Angeles Public Library, LA Opera has developed this fun, high energy show that tours to various libraries for free family performances. Written by LeRoy Villanueva and directed by Eli Villanueva, Verdi Opera Tales features four professional opera singers as the “opera pals” who perform musical moments from such Verdi opera stories as Falstaff, Simon Boccanegra, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Il Trovatore, and La Forza del Destino in celebration of the composer’s upcoming 200th birthday.
Click here for more information, including a complete list of performances.
The Opera Tales partnership between LA Opera and the County of Los Angeles Public Library was established by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, Fourth District. Generous funding for the 2012 Verdi Opera Tales program is provided by Supervisor Don Knabe and the Flora L. Thornton Foundation.
 LA Opera and The Broad Stage to Co-Produce World Premiere of Dulce Rosa
LA Opera and The Broad Stage are joining forces to co-produce the world premiere of Dulce Rosa, a new opera by composer Lee Holdridge and librettist Richard Sparks. Based on the Isabel Allende short story Una Venganza (An Act of Vengeance), Dulce Rose will be conducted by Maestro Placido Domingo and will have six performances at The Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, from May 19 through June 9, 2013.
Dulce Rosa is the inaugural presentation of LA Opera Off Grand, a new initiative developed to bring performances to a wider geographical area, increase audience diversity, and expand the range of experiences for the Company’s existing attendees. Many LA Opera Off Grand performances will be in neighborhoods that are not easily accessible to Downtown Los Angeles; others will expand the traditional opera experience by experimenting with performance spaces, creative artists new to the genre and a variety of musical styles.
Tickets range in price from $20 to $150 and will be available in The Broad Stage’s “create-your own” subscription packages beginning June 25. However, single tickets to will be available for LA Opera Subscribers beginning May 1, 2012. For ticket information, please call The Broad Stage box office at 310-434-3200 or visit TheBroadStage.com.
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