Opera Orlando gets its 10th Anniversary season party started with Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, October 3 at 7:30 p.m. and October 5 at 2 p.m. in Steinmetz Hall at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. In preparation for this new production, the Opera is presenting a variety of lead-up events to share more about the recontextualization of this enduring love story, as artistic director Grant Preisser is transporting audiences to 1930s Shanghai, when it was known as the “Paris of the East.” Shanghai, translating to “City on the Sea,” sits where the Yangtze River meets the Pacific Ocean and was declared a treaty port by the British in the 1840s. From that point, every country trading in Shanghai brought its own culture, with many expats choosing to reside within Shanghai’s foreign settlements. It was a city of excess and wealth living alongside abject poverty—a main theme in La Bohème.
“Shanghai in the 1930s was a bustling international city full of opportunity for anyone young and aspiring,” shares Grant Preisser. “It was a place where you could carve out the life you want, but it was also a city that could swallow you whole. This is the perfect backdrop for Puccini’s bohemians to navigate life and love, and I am excited to build this world from scratch with a fantastic production team and an incredible cast of singers.”
Sung in the original Italian, Puccini’s timeless score remains unchanged, but it will feature an all Asian-identifying principal cast, headlined by Chinese-American soprano Bizhou Chang as Mimì, tenor Yi Li as Rodolfo, baritone SeungHyeon Baek as Marcello, and 2025-26 season Studio Artist mezzo-soprano Ruoxi Bian as Musetta. Meet these artists, connect with Opera Orlando staff and patrons, and learn more about the production and the music before seeing the production on the MainStage through the Opera’s More of the MainStage series for La Bohème.
LA BOHÈME | MORE OF THE MAINSTAGE SERIES:
OPERAX: OPERAEXPERIENCE
Wednesday | September 10 at 5:30 p.m.
The Great Southern Box Co.
2105 N Orange Blossom Trail | Orlando, FL 32804
$39 per person | RSVP HERE
Happy Hour with the Opera at the Great Southern Box Co. and get a sneak peek into La Bohème. Get excited for this new production by learning more about the concept for the opera and the history of 1930s Shanghai, while enjoying songs, arias, and ensembles from La Bohème and the hit Broadway musical, Rent, sung by Opera Orlando Studio Artists and staff.
MASTERCLASS WITH THE MAESTRO
Saturday | September 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Opera Orlando Rehearsal Hall
3855 St. Valentine Way | Orlando, FL 32811
FREE EVENT | RSVP Required - RSVP HERE
Visit Opera Orlando’s new office and rehearsal space to learn more about La Bohème at this FREE masterclass where production conductor Allan R. Scott will work one-on-one with members of the Studio and Apprentice Artists programs while discussing La Bohème from a musical perspective.
SHOP HAPPY HOUR
Tuesday | September 23 at 5:30 p.m.
Opera Orlando Shop
3438 Maggie Boulevard | Orlando, FL 32811
FREE EVENT | RSVP Required - RSVP Here
Get an exclusive first look at the sets and costumes for Opera Orlando’s all-new production of La Bohème. Enjoy a glass of wine and learn more about the design and build process from the artisans who create the art seen on stage.
OPERA ON THE MAINSTAGE
La Bohème | music by Giacomo Puccini and libretto by Luigi Illica & Giuseppe Giacosa
sung in Italian with English and Spanish supertitles
Friday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 5 at 2 p.m.
Age advisory: PG
Featuring beloved arias “Si, mi chiamano Mimì…,” “Che gelida manina…,” and “Quando
m’en vo…,” La Bohème tells a story, equal parts heart-wrenching and heart-warming, that has inspired multiple generations over its 130 year existence and also served as the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical Rent. This new production places the beloved characters in 1930s Shanghai, which, with the influx of new trade routes, had become a bustling center of culture akin to New York City, London, and especially Paris, where La Bohème was originally set.
Estimated run time is two hours and fifteen minutes with one intermission. A pre-show talk, free for all ticket holders, will be held onstage 50 minutes prior to each performance. LEARN MORE.
This production is graciously supported by AdventHealth, the official health care provider and partner for Opera Orlando.
Individual tickets are on sale now and start at just $39 inclusive of all venue fees, or save big on all THREE operas “On the MainStage”—La Bohème, Silent Night, and The Merry Widow—with a season subscription, starting at just $109. Tickets available exclusively through the Dr. Phillips Center’s Bill & Mary Darden Box Office (445 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando), online at www.DrPhillipsCenter.org or by calling (407) 839-0119, ext. 0.
See YOU at the Opera!
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About Opera Orlando: Celebrating, expanding, and sharing the world’s greatest art form, the 2025-26 season marks Opera Orlando’s 10th Anniversary of producing high-quality operatic entertainment and educational programs that engage Central Florida audiences. Stay up to date with Opera Orlando’s season online at www.OperaOrlando.org, and follow and like the Opera’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok accounts to share in all the celebrations this season.
Opera Orlando
-
Gabriel Preisser General Director
- September 09, 2025
- (407) 512-1900 x3
- Send Email
