MADAMA BUTTERFLY Begins 11/15 at Ellie Caulkins Opera House

Opera Colorado's performances of Puccini's tragic love tale Madama Butterfly opens at the Ellie Caulkins Opera house on November 15, 2014 at 7:30PM. Directed by Keturah Stickann and conducted by Opera Colorado's Artistic Advisor Ari Pelto, this production will feature soprano Xiu-ying Li (pronounced Shu-ying Li) as Cio-Cio San and Dinyar Vania as B.F. Pinkerton, along with Erica Brookhyser as Suzuki and John Hancock as Sharpless.

Giacolo Puccini's tragic tale of a beautiful young Japanese woman who is loved and betrayed by an American Naval Officer at the dawn of the 20th century; classic elegance meets a timeless work. This traditional production and stunning music will bring to life both the clash of cultures and her ultimate sacrifice.

Coming to Denver from Shanghai China, and known throughout the world for her performance as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Xiu-Ying Li has made this one of her signature roles. "Madama Butterfly is the role for me," she states. "Singing this role is more difficult than some of the other roles I feel. There is always a great challenge not only from the vocal technique but also from the character's dramatic transformation and body movement."

This production will feature traditional costumes and sets. Director Keturah Stickann has spent time in Japan studying the culture and movement. She puts extensive detail into her work to make it authentic. "Having worked in Japan and read much about Japanese life at the dawn of the 20th century, I spend a lot of time with the cast and chorus working on their physical and energetic presence," said Stickann. "While much of the cast is not Japanese, finding the right breath and gesture can go a long way to portraying the characters and story in ways that ring true for a 21st century audience, as well as pulling out the gravity of Cio-Cio San's decisions from start to finish."

This opera will be sung in Italian with English and Spanish subtitles at every seat.

Tickets at OperaColorado.org or 303.468.2030.