Port-of-Spain -- May 6, 2011 - : The Marionettes Chorale has completed casting for its landmark production of Bizet’s iconic opera, CARMEN! Set for a July premiere at Queen’s Hall, the bpTT-sponsored production is already becoming one of the most anticipated shows of the year.

“We received an overwhelming response to our unprecedented open auditions last month,” explains Marionettes Artistic & Musical Director Gretta Taylor. “The calibre of talent from artists based locally and those who have been working and studying abroad has been incredible. Too often we forget how talented and beautiful our people truly are.”

The breadth of talent at the auditions has produced two complete casts of singers, many of them multiple Championship winners at the Trinidad & Tobago Music Festival. The title role of Carmen will be performed by Candice Alcantara and Lesley Lewis-Alleyne, while Marlon De Bique and Nigel Floyd assume the role of love-sick corporal Don José. Arnold Phillip and Marvin Smith double as the bull-fighting toreador Escamillo, while the US-based Natalia Dopwell and Feryal Qudourah play the dutiful Micaëla.

The four leads are supported by a stellar cast of singers and actors: Nigel Pierre and Richard Pierre as Zuñiga; Arnold Phillip and Garfield Washington as Moralès; Jacqueline Smith and Ayrice Wilson as Frasquita; Patrice Quammie and Llettesha Sylvester as Mercédès; Kashif Dennis and Stephan Hernandez as Dancaïro; Raguel Gabriel and Errol James as Remendado; and Caroline Taylor as Lillas Pastia.

The award-winning vocalists and Marionettes chorus will be joined by an orchestra comprising both Trinidadian and British instrumentalists, fusing the best of traditional Western instruments with the steel pan. Indeed, it is the first production of Carmen to feature the island’s national instrument. This will be the second Trinidad performance for the British musicians who return to after joining the Marionettes for their 45th anniversary celebrations two years ago.

“There is a lot of excitement all round,” explains Taylor. “We had a wonderful experience with our visiting British string players in 2009. Our members learned so much from them, and they were completely stunned by the versatility of the steel pan and our musical traditions. We look forward to another cultural exchange with them, and to sharing the stage with the visiting vocalists as well.”

In addition to being the first production of CARMEN featuring the national instrument, the steel pan, CARMEN also introduces a new partnership between the Marionettes and the University of Trinidad & Tobago (UTT). The Marionettes has been working closely with accomplished vocalist and educator, Dr. Vertrelle Mickens, on various aspects of the production.

The Marionettes is also partnering once again with its sponsor of 39 years, bpTT, as well as with the Noble Douglas Dance Company Inc (NDDCI), and a decorated production team including Celia Wells, Margaret Sheppard, Randy Halfhide, Leslie Clement, Maureen Clement and Giselle Langton.

In the coming months, the Chorale also looks forward to partnering with singers and teachers who have performed in operas abroad to host master classes for members of the cast.

For more information about the production and the choir, visit the Marionettes Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/marionetteschorale  or the group's website at www.marionetteschorale.com