Washington National Opera Presents MADAME BUTTERFLY, 5/6-21

Washington National Opera's 2016-2017 season concludes with one of the most beloved operas in the repertory, Puccini's Madame Butterfly, May 6- 21, 2017 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Featuring some of the most enduring and memorable music in all of opera, this production also features dazzling sets and costumes by Japanese American production designer Jun Kaneko, whose dramatic designs for WNO's 2014 production of The Magic Flute amazed audiences. This new- to-Washington production from Opera Omaha and San Francisco Opera is directed by Leslie Swackhamer and conducted by WNO Music Director Philippe Auguin. A special Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Performance of Madame Butterfly is presented in the Opera House on Friday, May 19, 2017, and features current singers of WNO's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program.

In Madame Butterfly, the sun rises on turn-of-the-century Nagasaki, Japan, where dashing American naval officer Pinkerton has chosen the delicate Cio-Cio-San to be his bride. A nai?ve young geisha on the verge of womanhood, the clearly smitten and fiercely loyal "Butterfly" dismisses warnings of the lieutenant's ulterior motives. When betrayal inevitably strikes and Butterfly must endure both shame and sorrow, she decides to take destiny into her own hands-leading to one of the most devastating and legendary final scenes in all of opera.

Jun Kaneko's colorful and spellbinding production of Madame Butterfly-the first opera he designed-has been seen in more than a dozen North American cities. His arresting visual vocabulary will be familiar to audiences who attended his acclaimed 2014 production of The Magic Flute. To celebrate his return to Washington, WNO is also hosting an exhibition of his sculptures in the Hall of Nations. See page 5 for more information.

Heading the cast are three extraordinary Butterflys: Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho, who has sung this signature role in opera houses from London to Paris to Berlin and beyond, makes her WNO debut with these performances; South Korean soprano Sae- Kyung Rim, who has sung the role at the esteemed Vienna State Opera and throughout Europe, makes her American debut with these performances; and Korean American soprano Yunah Lee, noted for her portrayal of Cio-Cio-San across the country, sings the role for one performance only on May 9. (Korean American soprano Hei-Kyung Hong, who was originally announced for the role of Cio-Cio-San, has withdrawn from the production.) The cast also include two rising-star tenors making their WNO debuts as Lt. Pinkerton, Brian Jagde and Dimitri Pittas. Baritones Troy Cook and Trevor Scheunemann (an alumnus of WNO's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program) share the role of Sharpless, while Suzuki is sung by the gifted young mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi in her WNO debut, and Goro is sung by the young tenor Ian McEuen.

The cast also includes several current members of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program: Timothy J. Bruno is The Bonze, Michael Adams is Yamadori, Allegra De Vita is Kate Pinkerton, and Andrew Bogard is the Commissioner. Rounding out the cast is company veteran James Shaffran as the Registrar.

Leslie Swackhamer directs this acclaimed production in her WNO debut, and WNO Music Director Philippe Auguin leads the WNO Orchestra in interpreting Puccini's classic score. In addition to production designer Jun Kaneko, the creative team for Madame Butterfly includes lighting designer Gary Marder, choreographer Adam Noble, and hair and makeup designer Anne Ford-Coates.

At the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Performance on Friday, May 19, young artist Raquel Gonza?lez, who has memorably sung the roles of Mimi?, Micae?la, and Countess Almaviva in past Young Artist Performances, is Cio-Cio-San. Other returning young artists are Hunter Enoch as Sharpless and Daryl Freedman as Suzuki. Guest young artist Chaz'men Williams-Ali sings the role of Pinkerton in his WNO debut.

Madame Butterfly opens on Saturday, May 6, 2017 at 7 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Opera House and runs for 14 performances, including May 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, and 21. The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Performance is Friday, May 19. The opera's running time is approximately two hours and 40 minutes, including one intermission. The opera is performed in Italian with easy-to-follow projected English titles. Visit WNO's website for complete production details and casting information.

Washington National Opera's 2017-2018 season includes new productions of Verdi's epic drama Aida, the company premiere of Handel's magical baroque opera Alcina, and Verdi's towering masterpiece Don Carlo, plus Rossini's delightful comedy The Barber of Seville and Bernstein's biting satire Candide. The season also features a festival weekend of four world premieres as part of the American Opera Initiative, the return of the holiday family opera The Little Prince, two special Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist performances, and more. Subscription packages and single tickets are available now.

Madame Butterfly Performance and Ticket Information

Saturday, May 6 at 7 p.m. ? Sunday, May 7 at 2 p.m. ? Monday, May 8 at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. ? Wednesday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. ? Saturday, May 13 at 7 p.m. ? Sunday, May 14 at 2 p.m. Monday, May 15 at 7 p.m. ? Wednesday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. ? Friday, May 19† at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 20 at 7 p.m. ? Sunday, May 21 at 2 p.m.

† Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Performance-see page 5 for casting

Tickets start at $25 and are available online, in person at the Kennedy Center Box Office, and by calling (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324. For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

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