Carmen at the Benedum, Sunday, April 5, 2020
The reservation deadline for this trip is March 27, 2020.

Set in 1830 Seville, Spain, Carmen is a roller-coaster of lust, deception and murder. Fiery gypsy Carmen, who lives her life to the fullest, can have any man she wants. But when she seduces naïve Corporal Don José, she gets more than she bargains for. Never one to settle down, the passionate Carmen gets bored with Don José and becomes involved with the glamorous, testosterone-filled bullfighter Escamillo. Left with nothing, Don José decides that if he can’t have Carmen, no one can.

The run time for this opera is 3 hours and 15 minutes with two intermissions.  The opera is sung in French but has English supertitles projected above the stage.  There is a pre-opera talk at the Benedum that begins at 1:00 p.m. If you would like to know more about this opera, you can download the opera study guide at Pittsburgh Opera.  Click on Carmen then on Details and Resources.

Members of the Retirees Association will travel by chartered bus to the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh to see Carmen.  The Pittsburgh Opera is offering the Retirees Association a substantial educational discount on tickets.  Plus, included on the bus trip will be a pre-opera talk by Byron Nelson, a retiree from the WVU English Department and the OLLI instructor for  Opera as Drama.   Byron will also offer a short critical recap on the way home. 

We will leave Morgantown from the Mountaineer Mall at 10:30 a.m. and arrive in Pittsburgh around 12 Noon. The show starts at 2:00 p.m.  There are several restaurants near the Benedum Center where you can have lunch on your own.  We should leave Pittsburgh around 5:00 p.m. and be back in Morgantown around 6:30 p.m.

For this trip, you will have a choice between two packages:

• For Orchestra seating and transportation, the cost is $70 per seat.

• For Balcony seating and transportation, the cost is $50 per seat.

Refund Policy:  Reservations for this trip are due by March 27, 2020.  On that day, we will make our commitment to the Pittsburgh Opera and to Budget Charters.  As a result, we will not be able to make any refunds after that date.   

To join us on the trip, you will need to reserve your seat(s) on the bus and then make your payment. It is a two-step process.

Reserve your seat(s):

To reserve your seat(s), click on Carmen. 

Write your check to:

WVU Foundation
On the memo line: Carmen – 2W924

Send your check to:

WVU Retirees Association
PO Box 6640
Morgantown WV 26506