Calgary Opera is set to open its 2025-26 season with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.”

The opera will be performed on Nov. 1 & 2, 2025, at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, and will be directed by acclaimed stage director Mo Zhou and conducted by Calgary Opera’s Artistic Director Jonathan Brandani.

In a statement, Stage Director Mo Zhou said, “Set in post-WWII Nagasaki during the American-led Allied Occupation of Japan, Madama Butterfly explores survival and illusion in a time of cultural upheaval. We anchor Puccini’s lush score in a moment when personal dreams collided with intricate historical realities.”

“The challenge has been to honor the work’s emotional power while revealing its deeper human truth — to move beyond stereotype and sentimentality, and instead give voice to a woman who dares to believe, even when the dream she was sold proves false. I’m also deeply proud to collaborate with an all first-generation Japanese female design team, whose vision brings authenticity, intentional care, and emotional insight to this story.”

The opera is set to star Yasko Sato, Matthew White, Nina Yoshida Nelsen, and Phillip Addis.

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