Photos: First Look at MADAMA BUTTERFLY at Lyric Opera of Chicago

Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2025/26 Season will continue with the Puccini classic Madama Butterfly, on stage March 14 – April 12, 2026. Get a first look at photos of the production here. 

One of opera’s most beloved works returns to Lyric in a bold reimagining by director Matthew Ozawa that asks: What if everything we think we know about this opera is only half the story? Ozawa’s production is grand and visually stunning while revealing new and unexplored layers of meaning.

Soprano Karah Son makes her Lyric debut in the tragic title role, joined by tenor Evan LeRoy Johnson in his Lyric debut as the dastardly Pinkerton, mezzo-soprano Nozomi Kato in her Lyric debut as the faithful Suzuki, baritone Zachary Nelson as the compassionate Sharpless, and Lyric favorite Rodell Rosel as the scheming Goro.

Conductor Domingo Hindoyan leads the Lyric Opera Orchestra through Puccini’s immortal score. An all-Japanese, all-female design team — set designer dots, costume designer Maiko Matsushima, and lighting designer Yuki Nakase Link — brings unprecedented perspective to this iconic work.

We hope audiences can join us for this groundbreaking production — where tradition meets innovation, where familiar melodies reveal new truths, and where Butterfly’s story finally gets the lens it deserves.