Not opera, even though there are three opera singers. Not flamenco, even though there is a flamenco singer and a guitar. Not a concert, even though there is a symphony orchestra. And yet it is all of these things. Above all, it is Israel Galván.
This is what happens when one of the most original flamenco artists of our time takes on Georges Bizet’s Carmen, one of the world’s best-loved operas. Seville-born dancer and choreographer Israel Galván is not content simply to turn Bizet’s classic into flamenco. He takes it apart, distils the story to its essence and rebuilds it as his own Carmen jonda – a deep, direct and surprising interpretation in which opera becomes dance without sacrificing any of the power of Bizet’s music. Premièred in Seville in 2024, the production now comes to Finland for the very first time!
In this Carmen, the characters exist in two forms at once. All the magnificent arias of the original opera are here, performed by outstanding opera singers. Mezzo-soprano Niina Keitel is Carmen, tenor Timothy Richards is Don José and bass-baritone Tuomas Pursio is Escamillo – while Galván dances all three characters, allowing them to shift and merge into one another through his body.
Galván is renowned for reinventing flamenco and approaching the classics fearlessly while always listening closely to their essence. His previous interpretations have included Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Manuel de Falla’s El amor brujo. Now it is Carmen’s turn.
There is something here, too, that Bizet could hardly have imagined: Oulu’s Mieskuoro Huutajat (The Shouting Men) – a choir that does not sing a single note, but shouts, roars and turns the human voice into rhythm. For Galván, Mieskuoro Huutajat become the voice of the audience and the community, natural partners in a world where flamenco, too, lives through cries, rhythm and spontaneous response.
And this Carmen could not exist without a symphony orchestra. At its musical heart is Oulu Sinfonia, conducted by Maria Itkonen. Alongside Galván, the voice of flamenco comes from Seville-born María Marín, appearing as both cantaora and guitarist. Working across classical music, flamenco, jazz and experimental music, Marín brings to the production precisely the jondo that Galván seeks in his Carmen – flamenco in its deepest, most serious and fathomless form.
Oulu is the European Capital of Culture in 2026. Carmen is part of the Oulu2026 cultural programme and the cultural climate change.
Carmen
Thu 1 October 2026 at 6:30 pm
Fri 2 October 2026 at 6:30 pm
Sat 3 October 2026 at 3:00 pm
Oulu Music Centre, Madetoja Hall
Music Georges Bizet
Choreography Israel Galván
Technical direction and sound Pedro Leon
Lighting Valentin Donaire
Stage Manager Balbi Barra
Dramaturg Charles Chemin
Conductor Maria Itkonen
Choreography and dance Israel Galván
Cantaora, guitar María Marín
Carmen Niina Keitel
Don José Timothy Richards
Escamillo Tuomas Pursio
Mieskuoro Huutajat
Oulu Sinfonia
