LA Opera Opens MADAME BUTTERFLY Tonight

LA Opera's 30th Anniversary Season continues with Giacomo Puccini's beloved Madame Butterfly, starring soprano Ana María Martínez as Cio-Cio-San.

Conducted by Music Director James Conlon, Madame Butterflywill have six performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, 90012) from tonight, March 12, through April 3, 2016.

About the Opera
A powerful love story set in early 20th-century Nagasaki, Madame Butterfly has long been one of the most cherished of all operas. An idyllic liaison between an American naval officer and a Japanese woman turns into the wrenching tragedy of an abandoned bride forced to make an excruciating decision. Puccini's richly atmospheric music expresses the heartbreak of a naive young woman who commits herself to a man unworthy of her loyalty.

The Cast
Soprano Ana María Martínez, a native of Puerto Rico, returns to LA Opera as Cio-Cio-San, her fifth leading role with the company. She last appeared in Los Angeles in 2015 as Nedda in Pagliacci. She has sung the role of Cio-Cio-San to acclaim with numerous leading opera companies around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, Munich Opera Festival, Houston Grand Opera and Washington National Opera.

The cast also features Italian tenor Stefano Secco as B.F. Pinkerton, his first appearance in Los Angeles since his 2012 debut appearance as Gabriele Adorno in Simon Boccanegra (opposite Ms. Martínez as Amelia Grimaldi). Baritone Kihun Yoon, a member of LA Opera's Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, will perform his first leading role on the company's mainstage as the sympathetic American consul Sharpless. Another company favorite, mezzo-soprano Milena Kitic, will perform the role of the faithful Suzuki, a role she also performed in 2012 in Los Angeles.

For complete casting and additional information, visit LAOpera.org/Butterfly.

The Creative Team
James Conlon conducts a production staged by Lee Blakeley, who directed LA Opera's 2013 production of Falstaff. The scenery is designed by Jean-Marc Puissant and the costumes are designed by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, both making their company debuts. The lighting designer is Rick Fisher and the chorus director is Grant Gershon. Nicola Bowie is the movement director.

Performance Dates and Times
There will be six performances of Madame Butterfly at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion:

• Saturday, March 12, 2016, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, March 20, 2016, at 2pm
• Wednesday, March 23, 2016, at 7:30pm
• Saturday, March 26, 2016, at 7:30pm
• Thursday, March 31, 2016, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, April 3, 2016, at 2pm

Tickets
Tickets are on sale now. Tickets begin at $20 and can be purchased in person at the LA Opera Box Office at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, by phone at 213.972.8001 or online at LAOpera.org. For disability access, call 213.972.0777 or email LAOpera@LAOpera.org.

Generous production support from The Blue Ribbon.

Production originally designed for and created by the Santa Fe Opera.

LA Opera is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the greater Los Angeles community.