For the first time in nearly two years, the curtain rises for a live audience at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts with Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. The production is helmed by Canadian director Aria Umezawa in a COC debut.

Madama Butterfly tells the coming of age story of Cio-Cio-San, a young geisha in Nagasaki. When her life collides with the older American naval officer Pinkerton, devastating consequences ensue, giving rise to one of Puccini’s most powerful and unforgettable operas.

In leading this production, Umezawa draws on her experience as co-founder of the COC’s Disruptor-in-Residence Amplified Opera that leverages theatre as an avenue for innovation and social impact. Japanese soprano Eri Nakamura makes her COC debut in the iconic title role, opposite American tenor Stephen Costello who returns to the COC in the role of Pinkerton. Canadian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson returns to Toronto to lead the acclaimed COC Orchestra with Price Family Chorus Master Sandra Horst leading the COC Chorus.