Has ENO cast Katherine Jenkins as Carmen?
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This is (we think*) Justina Gringyte who will sing Carmen at English National Opera from May 20.
And here’s the unalloyed Jenkins who once talked of singing opera but never did.
At first glance, we thought ENO had finally talked her into it.
h/t: Yehuda Shapiro
* Memo from the Department of Dirty Tricks: Apparently, ENO uses models in some poster campaigns, perhaps because they are less sexy than proper opera singers and hence unlikely to offend users of the London Underground.
This (below) is the real Gringyte, the genuine article. Much more appealing than the KJ-lookalike.
Apparently she’s pregnant, so don’t expect to see her in the Ring any time soon.
The bull ring?
The operative word here is “bull”.
Jenkins is performing a condensed version of the Carmen arias at the 2016 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, which is a festival of song and dance in Jenkins’s native Wales. There are no other singers listed, just an orchestra and chorus. This isn’t even a complete concert version of the opera, just a concert of arias from Carmen. Jenkins, who does not have the voice, vocal technique, or volume to be an opera singer, will never be hired by a legitimate opera company to sing a role in a complete opera. Her fans, of course, are all excited about this festival, and think it means Jenkins has been hired to sing a role in a complete opera.