Award-winning producer Ellen Kent returns to Croydon in Spring 2026 with Opera International Kyiv, Ukraine presenting a stunning classical production of Bizet’s Carmen on Friday 27 February.

For the 2026 tour, Ellen Kent celebrates the Farewell Opera Tour, seeing the opera company embark on its last UK tour.

Bizet’s masterpiece, Carmen, is an evening of passion, sexual jealousy, death and unforgettable arias. Carmen is the story of the bewitching gypsy girl whose tantalising beauty lures a soldier to desertion and leads to her own murder. The opera includes some of the most evocative and best-loved melodies in opera – "The Habanera", "The Seguidilla", "The Flower Song", "The Chanson Bohème" and perhaps the best-known baritone aria of all "The Toreador’s Song". The stunning set reflects the magnificent architecture of Seville with its Roman and Moorish influences. Sung in French with English surtitles.

Ellen Kent, a stalwart in the arts industry, has been touring opera and ballet for the past 33 years. Since 1992, Ellen has created a niche market for the best of traditional opera and ballet from Eastern Europe.

She was the first producer to put out a major tour of foreign opera on the British theatre circuit and she dominated the ballet market in the UK for many years. Gaining great acclaim over her career, Ellen has produced many award-winning opera’s and has also been commended in her own right with awards including The Golden Fortune Honorary Medal from the Ukrainian president Vladimir Yushchenko for her pioneering work with the Ukrainian National Opera of Odessa, as well as a medal from the president of Moldova for the Best Contribution to the Arts in Moldova linked to her support and investment in the Chisinau National Ballet and the Chisinau National Opera.

The 2026 Farewell Opera Tour celebrates the past 33 years of touring opera, as Ellen looks forward to working on new projects in the arts.

Alike Ellen’s past UK and Ireland opera tours, Ellen has personally hand-picked and directed all three operas to create visually beautiful and moving productions.

Carmen, arriving at Fairfield Halls' Concert Hall on Wednesday 11 March 2026, is on sale now with tickets starting from just £33.00.