Florida Grand Opera opens its 74th season with one of the most beloved operas of all time, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. This vibrant and exotic production delivers all the beauty and grandeur audiences have come to expect of this timeless love story. Puccini’s famous music combined with Maestro Ramón Tebar’s “intense and precise conducting” (Buenos Aires Herald) is sure to be a beautiful and dramatic start to another exciting season.
Pinkerton, an American Naval officer takes the former geisha, Cio-Cio-San, as a wife while stationed in Japan. What is a true commitment of love for her is only a temporary dalliance for him. After he sails for America, Cio-Cio-San is left to wait for his return. When Pinkerton returns with his new American wife, a life shattering drama plays out in front of us as Cio-Cio-San resorts to a solution that is as heart-wrenching as it is gruesome.
This greatly anticipated production features many returning favorite Florida Grand Opera artists, as well as some notable debuts. With incredibly emotional, dramatic arias, Cio-Cio-San is considered to be one of the most challenging roles in opera. American soprano Kelly Kaduce has garnered thunderous praise for her previous portrayals of this demanding role. The Huffington Post called her portrayal “a performance to treasure,” and the Santa Fe New Mexican stated, “Soprano Kelly Kaduce, as Cio-Cio-San stood at the head of the cast in every way. Her singing, never less than impressive, assumed mounting intensity as the evening unfurled.” Beloved by FGO audiences, Kaduce returns to the FGO stage on November 15, 18, 22, and December 4. Award-winning soprano Vanessa Isiguen will also perform this beloved role as her FGO mainstage debut on November 16, 21, and December 6.
The role of Lieutenant Pinkerton will be played by Uruguayan tenor and former FGO Young Artist Martin Nusspaumer. He made his company debut in FGO’s 2011 Luisa Fernanda and has been called “a tenor reminiscent of Domingo” with “deeply emotional delivery” by South Florida Classical Review. His voice has taken him all over the world, from the National Opera of Uruguay to the Presidential Symphony Orchestra in Turkey. Nusspaumer performs the role on November 15, 22, December 4, and 6. Tenor John Pickle performs the role in his FGO debut on November 16, 18, and 21. He has previously performed Pinkerton to critical acclaim at Opera Southwest.
Baritone Todd Thomas will return to the FGO stage as Sharpless, after his celebrated turn as Scarpia in FGO’s 2013-14 production of Puccini’s Tosca. Mezzo-soprano Caitlin McKechney will perform the role of Suzuki, Butterfly’s loyal companion. Bass Jeffrey Beruan will make his company debut as Butterfly’s uncle, the Bonze. Other artists making their FGO mainstage debuts include Daniel Bates (Goro), Will Hughes (Prince Yamadori), Chance Eakin (the Imperial Commissioner), Hailey Clark (Kate Pinkerton), and Isaac Bray (the Official Registrar).
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts – Ziff Ballet Opera House
November 15, 16, 18, 21, 22, 2014
1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132
(305) 949-6722
Broward Center for the Performing Arts – Au-Rene Theater
December 4, 6, 2014
201 SW 5th Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
(954) 462-0222
Florida Grand Opera
8390 NW 25th Street
Miami, FL 33122
Box Office: 1.800.741.1010
www.fgo.org
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