Calgary Opera Opens Season With Reimagined MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Performances begin on November 1.
By: Stephi Wild Oct. 15, 2025
Calgary Opera will open its 2025/26 main stage season with Giacomo Puccini’s tragic masterpiece Madama Butterfly, a timeless tale of love, betrayal, and cultural collision. With performances beginning November 1, 2025, at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, this reimagined production — directed by acclaimed stage director Mo Zhou and conducted by Calgary Opera’s Artistic Director Jonathan Brandani — promises to deliver an emotionally powerful and visually stunning experience.
A Co-Production by Calgary Opera, Arizona Opera and Opera Grand Rapids, Madama Butterfly runs on November 1 and 7 at 7:30 p.m. and on November 2 at 2 p.m. with its new matinee offering this season, at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.
“Set in post-WWII Nagasaki during the American-led Allied Occupation of Japan, Madama Butterfly explores survival and illusion in a time of cultural upheaval. We anchor Puccini’s lush score in a moment when personal dreams collided with intricate historical realities,” said Stage Director Mo Zhou.
“The challenge has been to honour the work’s emotional power while revealing its deeper human truth — to move beyond stereotype and sentimentality, and instead give voice to a woman who dares to believe, even when the dream she was sold proves false. I’m also deeply proud to collaborate with an all first-generation Japanese female design team, whose vision brings authenticity, intentional care, and emotional insight to this story.”
In Madama Butterfly, a young Japanese woman falls for an American naval officer who promises more than he delivers. Director Mo Zhou reimagines Puccini’s beloved classic and her approach illustrates how classic operas can evolve for modern audiences without changing the music or words, offering a model for reimagining other controversial works. This production deepens the backbone of Puccini’s music through dramaturgy that resonates with lived experience and historical truth. “This is not a love story,” Zhou says. “It’s a story of survival, and one we must keep telling, truthfully, intentionally, and with care.”
“This is such an exciting way to open our season: it is one of the world's most popular and beloved operas, and our audiences will be in for a powerful evening of great emotions. Puccini's wonderful music is the perfect vehicle for bringing this heartbreaking story to life,” said Jonathan Brandani, Artistic Director of Calgary Opera and conductor for this production.
The production will feature the pure and unfiltered power of the human voice, with no amplification, in addition to unique percussion instruments to amplify the live score, in addition to costume and set design that emphasizes an authentic perspective.
“Every time I am confronted with this opera, I am in awe of how successfully the music brings to the fore the humanity and the complexity of the characters. This opera contains so many magical moments and I can hardly wait to bring this music to life for all of our audiences to experience its incredible power,” added Brandani.
Interactive lobby activations will also be available for audiences to enjoy, including a Japanese Calligraphy demonstration, as well as a Living Kimono Project that allows audience members to ask questions and learn more about kimonos and their significance from local representatives of the Japanese community in Calgary.
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