The DePaul Opera Theatre (DOT), under the direction of Harry Silverstein, will team up with British conductor Stephen Barlow to present one of the grandest and most beloved operas of them all—Bizet’s fiery “Carmen.” Opening night is March 12 at 7:30 p.m., with a successive performance on March 13 at 7:30 p.m. and a matinee on March 14 at 2 p.m., at DePaul’s Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Drive, in Chicago.

As in past years—DOT has presented opera for almost two decades—this production of “Carmen” will be sung in English and fully staged, complete with eye-catching costumes and sets. The 10 principal singers and 30 choristers are all members of DOT, which, under the stewardship of Silverstein, has become an increasingly successful training workshop for music students seeking a professional career in voice.

According to Silverstein, the decision to present “Carmen” is a relatively easy one. “This is one of the most popular operas of all time,” he said. “The music is brilliant, and the drama is spectacular. There are a number of roles that are well-suited to young singers, so all and all it is a wonderful choice for students and the public alike.”

The 46-piece ensemble, drawn from DePaul’s own Symphony Orchestra, will be led by composer/conductor Barlow. Barlow, who is in great demand as an opera and orchestra conductor — particularly throughout the United Kingdom — makes his Chicago debut with these performances. He first appeared in this country in 1990, conducting San Francisco Opera performances of Strauss’s “Capriccio” with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.

Voice majors Courtney McKeown and Ericka Schmiess alternate in the title role of the Gypsy, Carmen. McKeown, of Pittsburg, is a junior, and Schmiess, of Minneapolis, is a graduate student at DePaul’s School of Music. Both aspire to careers on the stage.

A group of 16 middle-school children complete the cast. These children, in the role of choristers in this production of “Carmen,” participate in the Community Music Division at DePaul, an after-school and weekend program of musical instruction open to adults and children.

Costumes and set designs are the creations of Holly Windingstad, a member of the theatre arts department faculty of DePaul’s Theatre School, and Scott Marr, associate scenic designer with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, respectively. Windingstad has undertaken the task of fabricating all 80 costumes called for in the opera. Both the futuristic set design and contemporary costumes are inspired by the modern steel and mesh world found in the hit movie “The Matrix.”

“Carmen,” a comic opera in four acts, was a failure when it was first premiered in 1875. (A beleaguered Bizet died the night of the 33rd performance.) It was the composer’s colleagues—Saint-Saëns, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Wagner—who first recognized the force and originality of this masterful score. Almost a decade later, the musical public came to the same conclusion, and “Carmen” was heralded as a triumph worldwide. Ever since, “Carmen” has remained one of the most frequently performed operas in the entire repertory — no other French opera ever has achieved the same status as this ever-popular classic.

Tickets for “Carmen” are on sale now at the box office of the Merle Reskin Theatre or by calling 312/922-1999. Tickets are $20 and $25 for main floor and $5 for balcony seats. Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups of 15 or more. DePaul students and employees, with identification, are entitled to two free tickets if requested and picked up at the box office the day of a performance. For more information about DePaul music events, call the DePaul School of Music: (773) 325-7260.