"Madame Butterfly"

A naïve young geisha, Cio-Cio-San, falls for a handsome U.S. naval officer, who loves her and leaves, promising to return. So, for three years, she waits. Then, one fine day, he does return. For a moment, Cio-Cio-San is triumphant, blind to the heartbreak that awaits her. We're thrilled to present lovely Italian soprano Maria Luigia Borsi in the title role. Following her Music Hall debut (Otello, 2010), the Cincinnati Enquirer hailed her "affecting performance and breathtaking vocal prowess," declaring that "the opera world has a new star." Shawn Mathey, a regular at Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, and Washington National Opera, brings his "honeyed tenor" (Chicago Classical Review) to the role of the rakish American officer, Pinkerton. Spanish conductor Ramón Tebar leads the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra through Puccini's stirring score.