Emily Andrews (mezzo-soprano & flute),  David Massey & Francisco Correa (guitars)

Robin Soans and Suzanne Ahmet (actors)

Creating Carmen is more than a concert; it occupies the borders between a play and a concert. It is a fully staged, costumed and professionally lit show for three musicians and two actors. The main characters are Prosper Merimée, writer of the novella on which Bizet’s Carmen was based, and Carmen herself, as imagined by Mérimée.

Prosper Mérimée is struggling with his latest novella, when his leading character, Carmen, turns up in his study, larger than life, with a band of musicians in tow and chaos in her wake. Which one of them controls the narrative? And what happen when Carmen discovers the nasty ending Mérimée has planned for her?

The musicians of CarmenCo have collaborated with writer Clare Norburn and director Nicholas Renton to devise a fun-filled evening of fantasy, comedy, drama, and tremendous music. As well as pieces from Bizet’s ever-popular Carmen, there is Spanish and Spanish-inspired music by Boccherini, da Falla, Garcia-Lorca, Granados, Ravel and Albeniz, all arranged by the musicians for guitars and flute/voice.

“Bouts of intimacy, creativity and comedy…nearly all the best Spanish tunes I can think of.” (The Latest magazine)