Dialogues of the Carmelites, Poulenc’s tragedy in two parts, takes place during the French Revolution and asks the question: who gets to be a martyr? Seeking to protect herself from the guillotine, young aristocrat Blanche leaves her family and trembles her way to the Carmelite convent. But as the bedridden prioress admonishes the fearful Blanche, it is nuns who protect the convent, not the other way around. Promising to embrace her new life, Blanche befriends Constance, another young nun, who’s had a nightmare that they’ll soon die together. What began as a fresh start quickly turns to tragedy as Madame Croissy dies and the revolutionaries come for the nuns. 

Conductor: Patrick Summers

Director: Francesca Zambello

Blanche: Natalya Romaniw

Madame Lidoine: Christine Goerke

Madame Croissy: Patricia Racette

Mother Marie: Jennifer Johnson Cano

Sister Constance: Lauren Snouffer

Marquis: Rod Gilfry

Chevalier: Eric Taylor