Ok, there probably wasn’t a real Bohemian within 10 blocks of this amazing venue. But “La Boheme” was indeed being performed inside.

Mighty lavish surroundings for a tragic tale of starving students and prostitutes. That’s the Italians for you. That’s opera for you.

This photo was taken one week ago at Casa Puccini in the Los Frailes neighborhood, on the estate of opera-lovers John and Joy Bitner. It was during the first intermission of the performance by the local studio Operisima Mexico.

And it was the final evening of a three-date inaugural performance by the group. I wrote about it last week here.

A quick recap — the Bitners saw Operisima Mexico perform late last year and fell in love with the organization. The 22 members of the opera studio under the guidance of world-renowned opera coach Rogelio Riojas-Nolasco landed in San Miguel de Allende just over a year ago. Since then they have performed in a variety of venues in town.

The Bitners had an idea: “Why not give them a home?”

And so they did.

They have turned over this gorgeous Greek Revival performance space to the studio to use for rehearsals, performances, and fundraisers. Exclusively.

Riojas-Nolasco’s plan has always been to mount one opera per month, year-round. Casa Puccini makes that dream possible. For the studio members, this will offer a wealth of experience.

February will bring Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutte” (See details below.) which answers the age-old question “Just how fickle are women?” Not surprisingly, it takes a wage among grown men to test the fidelity of their fiancees. Their bet is with the lecherous Alfonso who is given the task of seducing the two women in a day’s time.

Meanwhile, “La Boheme” was performed with only five days’ rehearsal. The group benefitted from performing the opera last year but several of the cast members were new to their roles.

No worries.

It was a huge success and all three nights were sold out. (Keep an eye on San Miguel Live! for word on future events.)