The Kalamazoo Philharmonia closes its season with two performances of Puccini's La Bohème in collaboration with the West Michigan Opera Project, marking the fourth joint production between the two organizations. Cara Lieurance speaks with Philharmonia music director Andrew Koehler and West Michigan Opera Project performers Trent Broussard and Sarah Faasse about the production, the partnership, and what makes Puccini's 19th-century story feel so enduringly alive.
Koehler traces the collaboration back to around 2017, when he caught a West Michigan Opera Project performance during Kalamazoo's Art Hop. The two groups have since staged Carmen, Madame Butterfly, and Susanna together. "Every time we've collaborated, we've had such a tremendous experience enabling our singers to sing with a gifted orchestra and a talented conductor who understands opera," Faasse says.
Koehler describes the challenge and thrill of conducting opera, calling it a meaningful stretch beyond standard symphonic preparation. He speaks with particular excitement about sitzprobe rehearsals — the first time singers join the full orchestra. "All of a sudden there's just this coherence, this logic, once you add the vocal parts," he says, "and it's so rewarding to put it all together."
Broussard sings the role of Marcello, the perpetually broke painter, while Faasse plays the spirited Musetta. Company veteran Madelaine Lane takes on Mimi. The opera will be performed in Italian with projected English titles. Faasse also notes that 43 children from the Kalamazoo Children's Chorus join the cast for the chaotic café scene in Act II.
Koehler reflects on what makes La Bohème's modest plot so beloved: "It is the ultimate gesture of flattery — to take the smallest little bits of life that anyone can relate to" and elevate them to grand opera. Broussard echoes the sentiment, comparing the West Michigan Opera Project to an extended family: "We're friends who support one another, encourage one another, have been doing that for years."
Faasse, who founded the organization partly to give local singers the rare opportunity to learn full operatic roles, says admission reflects that mission. The Grand Rapids performance is free, and the Kalamazoo show is $7 at the door — free for Kalamazoo College students. The Grand Rapids performance will also collect donations for Family Promise, an organization supporting families in housing transition.
Performances are Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Kalamazoo, and Sunday, May 17 at 3 p.m. at Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids.
The interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
