Les Arts opens its 2026-2027 season with a new production of ‘Carmen’ “vibrant and theatrical” directed by Ted Huffman

Les Arts opens its 2026-2027 season with a new production of 'Carmen', "vibrant and theatrical," directed by Ted Huffman

• Bizet's opera returns, after a 16-year absence, in this co-production with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, which premieres in Valencia.
• Michele Spotti takes over the musical direction of the work, which stars Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, one of the most seductive interpreters of Carmen.

Valencia (29.09.26). The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía opens its 2026-2027 Season this Friday, October 2, with 'Carmen', one of the most beloved works in the great repertoire, in a new production by Ted Huffman, which proposes a vibrant and theatrical contemporary reading of the myth, reflecting on the conflict between social order and individual freedom.

Jesús Iglesias Noriega, artistic director of Les Arts, presented this title to the media today in the company of the stage director, Ted Huffman, and the musical director, Michele Spotti.

Iglesias Noriega celebrated the return of Bizet's opera to the Main Hall 16 years after its last performance, in an ambitious production co-produced with the Grand Théâtre de Genève. He also highlighted the artistic and technical challenge for Valencian opera, noting that "Les Arts will be the only major theater in Spain to open its season with the world premiere of a new production."

After his sensational debut with his imaginative and frenetic 'Les mamelles de Tirésias' by Poulenc in 2019, Ted Huffman presents his fourth production for Les Arts, his first in the Main Hall. The American director has brought some of the most innovative productions of recent seasons to Valencia, most notably Monteverdi's 'L'incoronazione di Poppea', which earned Les Arts its first International Opera Award nomination for Best Production.

His meticulous acting, attention to gesture and ability to address human relationships are the main hallmarks of the New York artist who, since January of this year, has held the direction of the Aix-en-Provence Festival, unanimously recognized as the authentic barometer of new stage trends in the circuit.

In his stage design, Huffman advocates for a theatrical aesthetic that speaks to the present. Therefore, he presents 'Carmen' as “an open act of theater”: a stage that doesn't conceal its machinery, where transformations of space and costumes occur in full view of the audience to facilitate a contemporary interpretation of the work. Because, as the artist himself points out, “Carmen is a radically contemporary character.”

The American director moves away from the clichés and commonplaces traditionally associated with Prosper Mérimée's cigarette girl to create a "real and vibrant" character in a sexist and violent environment. He notes that "Carmen is a woman who shuns traditional romantic relationships, refuses to be controlled, and knows what it means and what it costs to be free."

Ted Huffman directs this production with set design by Nadja Sofie Eller, costumes by Astrid Klein, lighting by Urs Schönebaum and choreography by Pim Veulings.

Michele Spotti takes over the musical direction of 'Carmen' in his return to the pit of Les Arts. The young Milanese maestro, one of the most promising conductors in Italy, debuted in Valencia with Verdi's 'Ernani' in 2023, and then dazzled audiences with his interpretation of the French opera in Ravel's 'L'heure espagnole', which Les Arts paired with 'Gianni Schicchi' in 2025.

Since the 2023-2024 season, he has been the principal conductor of the Marseille Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the principal guest conductor of the Deutsche Oper Berlin since the current season.

Les Arts has assembled a top-tier cast, headlined by Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, one of the most captivating voices of our time, renowned for her seductive timbre, impressive range, and superb technique. The Russian mezzo-soprano, winner of the Best Young Singer award at the 2021 International Opera Awards, is a regular fixture at major opera houses, from the Metropolitan Opera in New York to La Scala in Milan, and has been one of the most sought-after singers for Carmen since her successful debut in the role in London in 2014.