***This review was first published in the Asian Review of Books French literature has had an outsized influence on Italian opera. “Rigoletto,” “Manon Lescaut,” “La traviata,” “Tosca,” “L’elisir d’amore,” “La bohème” and even “Turandot” all have French antecedents. Less well appreciated is that Giacomo Puccini’s iconic “Madama Butterfly” is ultimately, if indirectly, derived from a now obscure French novel. Pierre {…}
(Photo: © Bernd Uhlig) The Opéra national de Paris will present free outdoor screenings of two Puccini operas as part of its annual Opéra d’été series. Claus Guth’s production of “La Bohème,” conducted by Gustavo Dudamel and featuring Nicole Car as Mimì, Aida Garifullina as Musetta, and Atalla Ayan as Rodolfo, opens the opera screenings in France at the Centre {…}
(Credit: Juan Carlos Blanco Olea) Barno Ismatullaeva is a rising star in the opera world. Born in Andijan, Uzbekistan, she studied at the State Conservatory in Tashkent and went on to join the Alisher Navoi Opera House in Tashkent as a permanent ensemble member shortly after graduation. In 2017, she participated in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition {…}
On April 8, Opera Colorado is set to present “Beyond the Blossom: Rethinking Madama Butterfly,” a live salon-style conversation. The event is Pay What You Wish, with tickets starting at $0, making it accessible to anyone curious to join the discussion. First performed in 1904, “Madama Butterfly” is one of the most famous operas in the world, known for its {…}
(Credit: West Bay Opera) This week, the Metropolitan Opera will conclude its run of “Madama Butterfly.” It’s been a noteworthy run with two acclaimed sopranos taking on the title role. But that’s not the end of the story. To close it all out, Toni Marie Palmertree will make her principal role debut at the Met as Cio-Cio San. The role {…}
(Credit: Evan Zimmerman) The Metropolitan Opera is in the midst of a revival of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” in the acclaimed production by Anthony Minghella. The opera has one of the most complex soprano roles in the repertory, a role that requires stamina as well as vocal agility to shift from lyrical lines to intense dramatic passages. Luckily for this revival {…}
(Photo credit: Keith Saunders) “Harrowing” might be the best word for this powerful production of “Madama Butterfly,” the first opera in Opera Australia’s (OA) 2026 Sydney summer season and, in fact, the first opera in Opera Australia’s 70th anniversary season. Admittedly, Puccini’s subject matter is disturbing, albeit clothed in seductively gorgeous music. Finally realizing that the fable-like love she ‘shared’ {…}
(Credit: Soloman Howard) The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for its production of “Madama Butterfly.” The company said that Ailyn Pérez and Toni Marie Palmertree will replace Elena Stikhina in March performances, singing the role of Cio-Cio-San. Pérez will sing the role on March 11, 14, 19, and 23, while Palmertree will sing the final performance on March {…}
Opera Australia’s 70th anniversary season will open with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” The production by Moffatt Oxenbould will be conducted by Maestro Andrea Battistoni, Paul Fitzsimon, and Erina Yashima. Multiple casts will lead the work including sopranos Guanqun Yu, Olivia Cranwell, and Vittoria Yeo as Cio Cio San alongside tenors Robert Watson and Oreste Cosimo as Pinkerton. The lead cast will be {…}
In childhood soprano Emily Michiko Jensen performed as a “super” for San Diego Opera’s production of “Madama Butterfly,” along with her sister. Now, she will star as Cio-Cio San in Opera San José’s “Madama Butterfly”, which opens on Nov. 16 and runs through the 30th. Jensen, a Japanese-American San Diego native who draws from her rich heritage as a woman {…}
Opera San José is set to present Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” The opera will be directed by Michelle Ainna Cuizon and conducted by Joseph Marcheso and will be presented at the California Theatre. The cast will feature Opera San José Artist-in-Residence Emily Michiko Jensen in the title role of Cio-Cio-San, mezzo-soprano Kayla Nanto as Suzuki, Courtney Miller as Kate Pinkerton, tenor {…}