Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados conducts first revival in nearly a decade of the company's classic Herbert Ross production (Nov 22 - Dec 14)

(Los Angeles) October 20, 2025 — LA Opera's 40th Anniversary Season continues with a revival of its beloved Herbert Ross production of La Bohème, conducted by Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados. Giacomo Puccini's heartbreaking romance will have six performances from November 22 through December 14, 2025.

In the opera classic that inspired the smash hit musicals Rent and Moulin Rouge!, six lively bohemians experience exhilarating joy and irretrievable loss among the evocative rooftops, cafés and garrets of Paris.

"La Bohème has long been a touchstone for every opera company—and for me, personally," said Christopher Koelsch, LA Opera’s President and CEO. "It remains unmatched in its ability to welcome new audiences into the art form while continuing to move those of us who’ve loved it for decades. Early in my time at LA Opera, a colleague—having caught me quietly weeping at the end of yet another performance—told me that if I ever stopped being moved by Bohème, it would be time to leave the business. Nearly 30 years later, I’m still here, and still undone by the same moment every time. Herbert Ross’s production, created for LA Opera more than three decades ago, has captivated tens of thousands not just here in Los Angeles, but around the world. Bringing it back to our stage this season feels both like a homecoming and a reaffirmation of everything that makes Puccini’s masterpiece endure."

About La Bohème
From its 1896 premiere to the present day, Puccini’s blockbuster opera has captivated generations of music lovers, its transcendent score awash in lavish Romanticism and gorgeous melodies. Rodolfo is a struggling poet reduced to burning his manuscripts to keep out the winter chill. Mimì is a fellow tenant with big dreams and a deadly illness. A chance encounter has them falling in love, but when you’re at the bottom of Parisian society, every day could be your last.

Meet the Cast
The brilliant cast features two sopranos enjoying major success after early training with LAO's Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. Janai Brugger will make her role debut as Mimì, after previous company appearances including Musetta in La Bohème   (2012 and 2016), Pamina in The Magic Flute (2013), Servilia in The Clemency of Titus (2019) and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro (2023). Erica Petrocelli will reprise the role of Musetta, which she previously performed in LAO's 2019 production of La Bohème. Her leading appearances with the company also include the title role in Matthew Aucoin's Eurydice (2020), Donna Clara in The Dwarf (2024) and Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte (2025).

The four Bohemian roommates will all be performed by singers making their first LA Opera appearances. Italian tenor Oreste Cosimo will make his U.S. debut as Rodolfo. South Korean baritone Gihoon Kim will perform the role of Marcello, Chinese bass William Guanbo Su will portray Colline, and American baritone Emmett O'Hanlon will appear as Schaunard.

Baritone Rod Gilfry, who made his professional operatic debut in the company's inaugural production of Otello    in 1986, will appear as both Benoît and Alcindoro, his respective 38th and 39th roles at LA Opera. He has the distinction of performing more leading roles with the company than any other singer, most recently appearing as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte earlier this year.

The Creative Team
This season will mark the eighth time that this classic Herbert Ross production will be seen at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. It was created for the opening of LA Opera's 1993/94 season and was most recently presented in 2016. A celebrated filmmaker, Ross directed numerous hits including Funny Lady, The Goodbye Girl, Steel Magnolias and Footloose. His first and only venture into opera, La Bohème was hailed by Variety as a "gloriously detailed new production [that] proved that Ross is capable of making the leap from film directing to opera staging."

This 2025 revival will be conducted by Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados and directed by Brenna Corner. The scenery was designed by Gerard Howland and the costumes were designed by Peter J. Hall and Jeannique Prospere. The lighting designer is Pablo Santiago. Jeremy Frank is the director of the LA Opera Chorus and Fernando Malvar-Ruiz is the artistic director of the Los Angeles Children's Chorus.

Click here to download production photos and artist headshots.

Performance Dates, Times and Address
There will be six performances of La Bohème presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, located at 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012:

• Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, November 30, 2025, at 2pm
• Thursday, December 4, 2025, at 7:30pm
• Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 7:30pm
• Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, December 14, 2025, at 2pm

Tickets
Tickets begin at $37.50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at LAOpera.org, by phone at 213.972.8001, or in person at the LA Opera box office at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012). For disability access, call 213.972.0777 or email LAOpera@LAOpera.org.

More information about the production is available at LAOpera.org/Boheme.

About LA Opera
Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity, and LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be. Through imaginative new productions, world premiere commissions, and inventive performances that preserve foundational works while making them feel fresh and compelling, LA Opera has become one of America’s most exciting and ambitious opera companies.

In addition to its mainstage performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the company explores unusual repertoire each season through the LA Opera Off Grand initiative, featuring performances in a variety of venues throughout Los Angeles. The LA Opera Connects initiative offers a robust variety of educational programming and community engagement offerings that reaches people throughout every corner of Los Angeles County. Learn more at LAOpera.org.

LA Opera Media Contact
Marlene Meraz
Director of Communications
mmeraz@laopera.org
213.972.7554

Production made possible by generous support from
Andrea and Janie Pessino
Alfred and Claude Mann Fund
Jane and Peter Hemmings Production Fund, a gift from the Flora L. Thornton Trust

Special additional support from
The Armenian Consortium
Scott Watt Family

Janai Brugger’s appearance made possible by generous support from
The Eva and Marc Stern Principal Artists Fund

LA Opera Orchestra generously underwritten by
Terri and Jerry Kohl

LA Opera is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the greater Los Angeles community.