The Overland Park Orchestra, in conjunction with The Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park, is presenting a performance of Bizet's Carmen at the Aspiria Auditorium on March 4, 2023 at 3PM. Carmen is one of the most popular operas in the history of the art form and for good reason. The music of Carmen has been widely acclaimed for its brilliance of melody, harmony, atmosphere, and orchestration, and for the skill with which Bizet musically represented the emotions and suffering of his characters. Carmen is set in Seville, Spain and tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is beguiled by the wiles of the fiery gypsy Carmen. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the suave toreador Escamillo.