AZ Opera to Present MADAMA BUTTERFLY in Tucson, Phoenix This Winter

Arizona Opera kicks off 2017 with Puccini's masterpiece, Madama Butterfly, in Tucson on January 28 at 7:30 pm and January 29 at 2:00 pm in Tucson Music Hall at 260 S. Church and in Phoenix on February 3 & 4 at 7:30 pm and February 5 at 2:00 pm in Symphony Hall, 75 N. 2nd St., Phoenix.

Tickets start at $30 and are on sale at www.azopera.org or by calling 602-266-7464in Phoenix or 520-293-4336 in Tucson.

With tender duets and the most breathtaking arias of all-time, Madama Butterfly encompasses a lifetime of hope and anticipation, betrayal and despair. Set in the idyllic village of Nagasaki, Japan, an innocent geisha's love for an American naval officer leads to the ultimate heartbreak and tragedy. Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Sandra Lopez and Rena Harms will alternate in the title role of Cio-Cio-San, with tenors Daniel Montenegro and Marco Cammarota alternating as Lieutenant Pinkerton. Levi Hernandez will take the role of Sharpless, while Deborah Nansteel and Mariya Kaganskaya alternate in the role of Suzuki. Conductor Craig Kier makes his Arizona Opera debut and Stage Director Matthew Ozawa returns to direct.

Sandra Lopez made her Arizona Opera debut last season in the title role of Florencia en el Amazonas and has received international acclaim for her portrayal of the Japanese geisha.

Rena Harms will make her Arizona Opera debut when she arrives to portray Cio-Cio-San following her critically acclaimed appearance in London at English National Opera.

Throughout the month of January, Arizona Opera will host a Japanese Cultural Festival for the community to celebrate the culture and heritage of this island nation. Events include a traditional tea ceremony demonstration, taiko drumming, the meditative arts of origami, calligraphy and ikebana flower arranging and will conclude with a performance of traditional Japanese dance. The Japanese Cultural Festival is presented in collaboration with the Japanese Culture Club of Arizona and the Phoenix Art Museum Asian Arts Council.

For full schedule of events visit www.azopera.org/performances/madama-butterfly/events.

Arizona Opera 2016/17 Season opened with the 45th Anniversary Sapphire Celebration featuring Frederica von Stade, followed by the company premiere of Dvorák's Rusalka. In February, Arizona Opera will present the world premiere ofCraig Bohmler's Riders of the Purple Sage, based on the Zane Grey western novel, and the season will conclude with the delightful comedy, Cinderella, by Rossini.

Single tickets and "mini-season" ticket packages of the remaining 3 productions of are on sale now at www.azopera.org or by calling 602.266.7464 in Phoenix or 520.293.4336 in Tucson.

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