Founded in 2011, Ventanas interweaves flamenco, Sephardic and Balkan music and dance, and their own original compositions. They have released three albums (2013, 2015, 2019) and have toured extensively throughout North America, including a sold-out show at the Skirball Centre in Los Angeles in 2019. They have been nominated for four Canadian Folk Music Awards, including Best Traditional Singer and Best Ensemble. The six-piece Toronto-based world music ensemble is fronted by Jewish-Indigenous  powerhouse vocalist and dancer Tamar Ilana, and features the city’s finest world musicians. They perform in over 20 languages such as Ladino, Spanish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Hebrew, French, Romani and Arabic, drawing inspiration from today’s worldwide themes of migration and the questioning of one’s identity.

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Tamar Ilana + Ventanas

Imperial Theatre

Set in the dusty, white-hot countryside of Seville, Spain, Carmen has been a perennial favorite of opera audiences for over a century. With a seductive, atmospheric score as irresistible as Carmen herself, Bizet’s final and most celebrated opera features the iconic melodies of the “Habanera” and “Toreador Song.” It is the story of Don José, a man perpetually running from his demons, and Carmen, the free-spirited woman whose heart he will never possess.

Our all-new production returns to the original novella in which Carmen first appeared for its inspiration. This Carmen is no victim of her own freedom and independence, but a woman whose fate is sealed the day she finds herself caught in the toxic gaze of Don José - a man who abandons both the church and the military. Quick and lethal as the flash of a bullfighter’s red cape, José’s passion for Carmen soon turns to jealousy and obsession. From the first notes of its iconic overture to its jaw-dropping final scene, this is a Carmen not to be missed!

Tamar Ilana

Events

Past events

Apr 16, 2025

Tamar Ilana + Ventanas · Imperial Theatre

19 - 23 Jun, 2024

Carmen · Toronto City Opera

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