Opera company makes San Diego debut with local talent

Inside the quaint Tenth Avenue Arts Theater in downtown San Diego, music fills the air of the dark, moody building.

A new era for opera in San Diego is underway — Opera a la Carte is making its grand debut.

“We just want to introduce people perhaps who aren’t as familiar with the classical voice to our style of singing and to opera …” said the organization’s founder, Abla Lynn Hamza.

She’s excited for their inaugural production taking place this week: Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme.

“Anybody from any walk of life can enjoy it, because the story is universal. It’s about love, it’s about struggle, it’s about the realities of life and how life can be hard sometimes,” Hamza said.

It’s a classic opera that’s being told in a bold, new way.

“It’s really written for the early 1800s and it’s usually in long dresses, you know 1800s costumes, but I’ve set it in 1941 occupied Paris,” said director Angelina Réaux. “Because I think war always intensifies people’s emotions.”

The story follows four bohemians living together, whose lives change during a freezing Christmas Eve.

Réaux sees her rendition more like a play with music.

“It’s so human. It’s just filled with humanity and all of the characters, you get to know them,” Réaux said. “They’re characters that you become familiar with and you come to love and care about.”

Soren Pedersen performs as one of the bohemians in the opera, named “Marcello.”

“He’s got a lot going on. He’s got anger, he’s got love in kind of a convoluted but very authentic way for him,” Pedersen said. “He’s got a deep care and compassion for both Rodolfo and Mimi that manifests in different ways.”

Like all of the cast bringing the story to life, Pedersen has roots in San Diego.

He’s played this role before, but not in such a close-quarter and gritty setting.

“What I’m expecting is a very fun and intimate production, because everybody is right here. You can see all of our expressions, which is not something you get to do — at least for very cheap in a real opera house,” Pedersen said.

The all-women run Opera a la Carte does more than hire local talent, they aim to fill gaps in the industry.

Their mission is to ensure that the beauty of opera and classical singing is accessible and affordable for all audiences.

Pedersen said that approach is one of the ways that “opera can stay alive in the coming generations and is a necessity I would say for our artform.”

The production is for people of all ages and experience levels with opera. So those who have never seen one before can feel at ease.

It’s created for and by the San Diego community.

“There aren’t a lot of smaller companies here and there are all these talented performers. And I really wanted to give people opportunities to perform, as well as introduce people to opera who maybe don’t know that much about it,” Hamza said.

The Opera a la Carte founder has her hands full. She’s not just producing the show — she’s performing in it too, as Mimi.

“It’s been a challenge to be honest,” Hamza said, laughing. “I bit off quite a lot — you know, live and learn. Next time there are things I would do quite differently, I’ll definitely have a lot more help in the next production.”

Réaux said the production will immerse audiences when they enter the theater doors — through propaganda posters, police barriers and a World War II-era radio.

Shows kick off Thursday and run nightly through Sunday.