A candle is snuffed, two hands touch in the darkness—and the love story of a poor poet and a young seamstress flares to life, burning until it can burn no more. Since 1896, audiences across the world have felt the powerful pull of Puccini’s heart-wrenching La bohème, with its unforgettable music and irresistible band of bohemians seeking love and life and beauty in belle époque Paris.  

Houstonians are in for a transformative experience with this production, headlined by soprano Yaritza Véliz making her HGO debut in the role that has garnered her international acclaim—that of the fragile Mimì—opposite Grammy Award-winning lyric tenor Joshua Guerrero as her Rodolfo. Baritone Edward Parks, also a Grammy winner, performs the role of the painter Marcello, with Juliana Grigoryan, an electrifying new star who recently took top honors at Operalia, as his lover Musetta. Tony Award-winning director John Caird’s vision for the production brilliantly conjures the story’s bygone world with an intimate set constructed from paintings and canvases. Another Grammy winner, the celebrated conductor Karen Kamensek, debuts on the HGO podium.