After a successful debut at last year's opera festival of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Bizet's Carmen, directed by leading American theater director Francesca Zambello, will be restaged on April 9 to open Beijing's third annual opera festival.

Produced by the NCPA to run eight performances, the operatic piece, under the baton of renowned Chinese maestro Chen Zuohuang, won critical acclaim in 2010 for its engaging story, attractive singing and devoted performance.

According to NCPA, to boost its popularity, the gipsy role of Carmen will be taken by mezzo-sopranos Viktoria Vizin of Hungary and Jossie Pérez of Puerto Rico, winners of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, in alternating performances. Lauded as one of the few mezzo-sopranos enjoying international recognition, Vizin has sung Carmen in 15 versions in leading opera houses across the world such as the Metropolitan Opera House, and will sing the leading role for the 16th time at the NCPA.

Meanwhile, the hero Don José will be played by accomplished US musician and actor Brandon Jovanovich and Wei Song, one of the most well-known of contemporary Chinese dramatic tenors.

With adaptations being made to make the costumes, props and lighting for the new version's premiere more contemporaneously authentic, the third opera festival, which runs until July 9, will also stage 16 pieces produced by the NCPA in cooperation with international artists.

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