RELEASE: Omaha Symphony performing Carmen alongside circus acrobats and dancers

Media Contact:

Mark Champion

Communications Manager

Office: 402.661.8422

mchampion@omahasymphony.org

Omaha Symphony performing Carmen alongside circus acrobats and dancers

At Cirque Carmen, performers from Troupe Vertigo will fuse elements of cirque acrobatics, classical dance, and contemporary theater while the Omaha Symphony performs Georges Bizet’s classic opera score

OMAHA, Neb., 3/1/2026 – In this astonishing stage production, the Omaha Symphony performs the classic opera score Carmen by French composer Georges Bizet as the acrobats and dancers of Troupe Vertigo embark on a thrilling adventure full of beauty, amazement, humor and technical prowess on the Holland Center stage.  

Fusing elements of cirque acrobatics, classical dance, and contemporary theater, Troupe Vertigo brings audiences on a spellbinding journey through the world of artistic movement. Consisting of world-class aerial artists, contortionists, and ballet dancers, the Los Angeles–based company was founded in 2009 by Artistic Director Aloysia Gavre, formerly of Cirque du Soleil, and Technical Director Rex Camphuis, whose background is with the fabled Pickle Family Circus.

Cirque Carmen will be presented at 7:30 PM on Saturday, March 7 and 2 PM on Sunday, March 8. Rehearsals will take place before the concert on Saturday. Media is welcome to attend with prior notice.

You can find the concert webpage here:

https://www.omahasymphony.org/concerts/cirque-carmen

To arrange coverage, contact Mark Champion via email at mchampion@omahasymphony.org or by phone at (402) 661-8422.

Performance Details:

Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Holland Performing Arts Center

Ernest Richardson, conductor

Troupe Vertigo, ensemble

Ticketing Information

Tickets for Cirque Carmen start at $26. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.omahasymphony.org or by calling Ticket Omaha at 402.345.0606. Student rush tickets are $10 and can be purchased 90 minutes before the performance. Performance dates are subject to change. In the event of performance changes or cancellations, the Omaha Symphony will email ticket holders to inform them of new dates and ticketing options. Patrons with questions may email ticketomaha@o-pa.org. The Omaha Symphony also regularly posts performance updates at omahasymphony.org, along with the Omaha Symphony’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Patrons can sign up for the latest updates at omahasymphony.org.

About the Omaha Symphony

The Omaha Symphony is a non-profit organization that annually serves over 310,000 people through more than 250 culturally enriching and entertaining mainstage concerts, music education programs, community engagement activities, and digital initiatives like Omaha Symphony Anywhere, a free online streaming platform featuring recordings of live performances, along with educational content, interviews, musician highlights, and more behind-the-scenes video content. In addition to Masterworks, Symphony Joslyn, Family, and LIVE with the Omaha Symphony concert series, the Omaha Symphony’s nationally recognized education and community engagement programs touch the lives of more than 70,000 people and over 300 schools each year. We are focused on creating a welcoming space and nurturing connections to ensure the Omaha community experiences and participates in music in a way that serves, reflects, uplifts, and entertains.

About Troupe Vertigo

Fusing together elements of cirque acrobatics, classical dance and contemporary theater, Troupe Vertigo brings audiences on a spellbinding journey through the world of artistic movement. Consisting of world-class aerial artists, contortionists, and ballet dancers, the Los Angeles based company was founded in 2009 by Artistic Director Aloysia Gavre, formerly of the internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil, and Technical Director Rex Camphuis, whose background is with the fabled Pickle Family Circus. Troupe Vertigo, whose “dizzying acts defy gravity and leave its lucky audiences in awe” (Los Angeles Times) has performed with major orchestras across North America.

Troupe Vertigo’s 2024-2025 season includes performances at Utah Symphony, Seattle Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Pacific Symphony and Buffalo Philharmonic. Notable conductors that Troupe Vertigo has performed with include Jack Everly, Jeff Tyzik, Enrico Lopez-Yañez, Stuart Chafetz, Byron Stripling, Michelle Merrill, Sarah Hicks, Daniel Meyer, Nicholas Hersh, and Norman Huynh.

Troupe Vertigo’s recent seasons have brought them to the Detroit Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Tucson Symphony, Utah Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Florida Orchestra and Vancouver Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada. The company is known for their collaborative custom thematic programs with symphony orchestras from Cirque Espana, Cirque Noir, Cirque Goes to Broadway, Cirque Goes to Hollywood, Cirque Dances featuring The Firebird to complete cirque- ballet presentation of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Cinderella.

Their unique perspective on the circus arts have led to a variety of speaking engagements including with The Center Theater Group Los Angeles, Directors Lab West, TEDx Talk and The Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival. As well in publications for the cover story of Dance Teacher Magazine {August 2016} and in the book Ordinary Acrobat.

The ensemble premiered its first offering, Big Top for a New Generation, in 2010 at the Ford Amphitheater and has gone on to present Nighthawks: A Film Noir Circus, inspired by American jazz, Edward Hopper paintings, and crime novels. In 2016, they brought Tableaux, featuring five women grappling with the constrictions of society, to life at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles. Husband and wife team, Aloysia and Rex, frequently bring their gifts and knowledge to the film and television industry, most notably with Rebel Wilson's aerial performance in Pitch Perfect 2 and with Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz in the film Water for Elephants.

Troupe Vertigo’s facility is also home to Cirque School Los Angeles, which inspires an appreciation for the circus arts for "Anybody with Any Body.” Cirque School uses training, performance, and community outreach to foster passion for the circus arts in a supportive, non-competitive environment. Encompassing over 50 weekly classes to the public, student performances, team building workshops, pre-professional intensives and television and film projects, Cirque School thrives as the premiere cirque training program in Los Angeles.