Categories: Kristen Schweizer, THE BUZZ

THE BUZZ: San Diego Opera Presents Puccini’s Madama Butterfly

by Kristen Nevarez Schweizer

March 15, 2024

Prepare to be swept away on a journey of love, sacrifice, and tragedy as the San Diego Opera brings to life Puccini‘s timeless masterpiece, Madama Butterfly this April 2024 at the San Diego Civic Theatre. This iconic work transcends language barriers and touches the depths of the human soul.

Madama Butterfly tells the tragic tale of Cio-Cio San, a Japanese geisha known as Butterfly, who falls in love with an American naval officer named Pinkerton. However, Pinkerton sees their marriage as temporary and eventually returns to America, leaving Butterfly heartbroken and pregnant. Years pass and Butterfly raises the son with faithful hope Pinkerton will love them again. When Pinkerton returns to Japan, he brings his new wife and a plan to take their boy back to America. The opera explores themes of love, betrayal, cultural clash, and the resilience of the human spirit, set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Japan. Puccini’s emotive score and poignant storytelling made “Madama Butterfly” a story that has resonated with audiences around the world since 1904.

The show stars soprano Corrine Winters and tenor Adam Smith in the lead roles, accompanied by the San Diego Symphony under the baton of Principal Conductor Maestro Yves Abel. There will be two performances: Friday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 28, at 2 p.m. Both will be sung in Italian, with English and Spanish text projected above the stage.

The San Diego Opera is also hosting “Madama Butterfly: In Discussion,” a series of open-invitation Zoom discussions moderated by Kevin Suzuki, director of the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York. These discussions, held every Thursday from March 21 to April 18, delve into the themes and cultural significance of the work. Participants representing our local Asian community will contribute to these conversations, addressing topics often associated with the opera.

Tickets for Madama Butterfly can be purchased through the San Diego Opera’s website or at the San Diego Civic Theatre box office. 

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