OPERA on the MAINSTAGE
music by Giacomo Puccini
libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa & Luigi Illica
Friday / October 2, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday / October 3, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday / October 4, 2026 at 2 p.m.
STEINMETZ HALL
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
generously supported by Elizabeth Conklin and the National Endowment for the Arts
Sung in Italian with English and Spanish supertitles.
Estimated run time of two hours and thirty minutes with one intermission.
age advisory: PG-13
Ooooh…love is never what it seems
A pre-show talk for all ticket holders will be held on stage 50 minutes prior to each performance.
Student rush tickets will be available to students up to two hours before each performance. Valid for up to two tickets per valid student ID.
Opera Orlando presents the enduring story of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. The story of a young Cio-Cio San navigating an impossible intersection of imperialism, infatuation, and maternal instinct. She is newly married to an American naval officer who then immediately heads back to the States. She is certain he will return to her and waits three years to find out if she is right. Cio-Cio San's devotion and selflessness remain constant as she leverages her limited power to protect her child.
Enjoy Puccini’s glorious music at the world-renowned Steinmetz Hall and see the opera that served as the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical Miss Saigon. Soprano Yeawon Jun makes her Opera Orlando debut in the title role, joined by tenor Isaac Hurtado singing the role of Lt. Pinkerton, a role for which his “passionate intensity” has been praised. Conductor Kalena Bovell and stage director Rebecca A. Herman make their Company debuts leading an exquisite cast featuring the Opera Orlando Youth Company, Apprentice and Studio Artists, and Chorus on stage with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in the pit.
MORE of the MAINSTAGE
Check out our blog and production resources HERE for more insight into Puccini’s masterpiece, and get an insider look into this production of Madame Butterfly by attending the following lead-up events.
Masterclass with the Maestro
Friday / September 18 at 6:30 p.m.
Opera Orlando Rehearsal Studio
3855 St. Valentine Way / Orlando, FL
FREE event. RSVP: tickets@operaorlando.org.
Conductor Kalena Bovell — the 2024 Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient and the first Black woman to conduct an opera in Canada — will discuss Madame Butterfly and work one-on-one with members of the Apprentice and Studio Artists programs in a masterclass setting.
Shop Happy Hour
Tuesday / September 22 at 6 p.m.
Opera Orlando Scenic Studios
3438 Maggie Boulevard / Orlando, FL
Tickets are $10. Purchase tickets HERE.
Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Madame Butterfly in progress at the Opera’s scenic studio. Learn more about the design and build process for opera, and see original sets and costumes under construction. The Company’s technical director Ardean Landuis will lead the tour featuring an original set design by Grant Preisser. Costume designer Jen J. Madison will be on hand to show off kimonos and other looks for the production designed and curated in collaboration with costume consultant Satomi Hirano.
OPERAX: flights of Puccini
Sunday / September 27 at 5 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Judson’s Live / Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
445 S Magnolia Ave / Orlando, FL
Tickets start at $35 per show. Purchase tickets HERE.
Settle in for an evening of Puccini's greatest hits — from "Chi il bel sogno…" to "Nessun dorma…" — plus selections from Madame Butterfly, paired with your favorite cocktail and small bites. The cast and creative team for Madame Butterfly will be in attendance, performing selections from the upcoming production, with Grant Preisser, Opera Orlando's artistic director and Madame Butterfly's scenic designer, as your host, and Nathan Cicero on piano. The evening serves up a tasting flight of arias alongside a close-up look at the design and drama behind one of the most beloved operas in the repertoire.
cast
production team
synopsis
Nagasaki, Japan / 1904
Lt. B.F. Pinkerton, a U.S. Navy officer stationed in Nagasaki, arranges to marry Cio-Cio San (Madame Butterfly), a young girl from a once-prominent family, through the broker Goro. Pinkerton treats the marriage lightly, dismissing the American consul Sharpless's warning that she may take it more seriously than he does. Cio-Cio San, for her part, has secretly converted to Christianity for her new husband and believes in the marriage completely. When her family learns of her conversion, her uncle, the Bonzo, publicly denounces her, and her relatives abandon her. Pinkerton comforts her, and the two consummate their marriage.
Three years later
Cio-Cio San waits faithfully for Pinkerton's return. When Suzuki voices doubt that he will ever come back, Cio-Cio San answers with unshaken certainty that one fine day, his ship will appear on the horizon.
— Intermission —
The next day
Sharpless arrives with a letter from Pinkerton but struggles to deliver its news. Goro interrupts the proceedings, bringing a wealthy suitor, Prince Yamadori, to see Cio-Cio San. She refuses the Prince, revealing she has a young son by Pinkerton, Dolore. When a ship's cannon signals Pinkerton's arrival, she and her servant Suzuki joyfully prepare the house for his return.
But the ship also brings Kate Pinkerton — his American wife. Cio-Cio San realizes she has waited three years for a man who stopped waiting long ago. The fine day she promised herself has arrived, and it is not what she imagined. With very little left to hold onto, she must make a choice.
