Anthony Minghella’s groundbreaking production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly returns to the Met stage October 11

Anthony Minghella’s groundbreaking production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly returns to the Met stage October 11

• Pier Giorgio Morandi conducts an all-star cast led by Hui He as Cio-Cio-San
• Piero Pretti and Andrea Carè share the role of Pinkerton, both in their Met debuts; Elizabeth DeShong co-stars as Suzuki, with Paulo Szot as Sharpless
• Madama Butterfly will be transmitted live to movie theaters around the world on Saturday, November 9, as part of The Met: Live in HD series

New York, NY (October 10, 2019)—The Metropolitan Opera presents Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi, with performances beginning October 11, 2019. Hui He returns to the role of the doomed geisha Cio-Cio-San. Two Italian tenors—Piero Pretti and Andrea Carè—both make their Met debuts as Pinkerton, the American naval officer who abandons the heroine. Elizabeth DeShong reprises her acclaimed portrayal of Suzuki, while Paulo Szot takes on the role of Sharpless for the first time at the Met. MaryAnn McCormick sings the role of Suzuki on November 25. The opera is presented in Anthony Minghella’s 2006 production, an instant classic and one of the most beloved stagings in the Met’s repertory.

Madama Butterfly returns in April 2020 for four additional performances, conducted by Maestro Morandi and starring Ana María Martínez as Cio-Cio-San, Maria Zifchak as Suzuki, Carè as Pinkerton, and Markus Brück as Sharpless.

Madama Butterfly Worldwide Broadcasts in Cinema, Radio, and Online

The performance of Madama Butterfly on Saturday, November 9, will be transmitted live to more than 2,200 movie theaters in more than 70 countries as part of the Met’s Live in HD series. The transmission will be hosted by soprano Christine Goerke, who stars in the title role of Puccini’s Turandot this season.

The October 11, October 18, November 6, and November 13 performances of Madama Butterfly will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on Sirius XM Channel 75, and the October 11 performance will also be streamed live on the Met’s web site, metopera.org.

Madama Butterfly Artist Biographies

Chinese soprano Hui He has previously sung Cio-Cio-San at the Met in 2014 and 2017, as well as at Vienna State Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, and Deutsche Oper Berlin. She made her Met debut in the title role of Verdi’s Aida in 2010 and reprised the role during the 2012–13 season. Other recent performances include the title role of Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur and Aida at Arena di Verona, as well as the title role of Ponchielli’s La Gioconda in Berlin and the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels. This season, she reprises Cio-Cio-San in Berlin and sings Aida at Teatro di San Carlo in Naples.

American mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong has previously sung Suzuki at the Met and in other houses such as Bavarian State Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She made her Met debut in Puccini’s La Rondine in 2008, followed by performances in the baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island and Berg’s Lulu, as well as roles such as Hermia in Britten’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream and Arsace in Rossini’s Semiramide. Other performances include the title role of Handel’s Rinaldo at Glyndebourne, Sesto in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito at LA Opera, and Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina at Washington National Opera. This season, she also sings Pauline in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Falliero in Rossini’s Bianca e Falliero at Oper Frankfurt.

Italian tenor Piero Pretti makes his Met debut as Pinkerton, a role he has sung at Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Opernhaus Zürich, Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Paris Opera. Recent roles include Ismaele in Verdi’s Nabucco and the Duke in Verdi’s Rigoletto at Bavarian State Opera, the title role in Massenet’s Werther at Teatro Fenice in Venice, Gualtiero in Bellini’s Il Pirata at La Scala, Riccardo in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera at Paris Opera, and Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème at Teatro Real in Madrid. This season, he also sings the title role in Verdi’s Don Carlo in Venice, Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor at Bavarian State Opera, and Rodolfo in Verdi’s Luisa Miller at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.

Italian tenor Andrea Carè makes his Met debut as Pinkerton, a role he has previously sung at Vienna State Opera and Teatro Real in Madrid. He has been seen in roles such as Enzo in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème and Radamès in Verdi’s Aida at the Royal Swedish Opera, and Don José in Bizet’s Carmen at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Other roles this season include the title role in Verdi’s Don Carlo at Teatro Real in Madrid and Dick Johnson in Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West in Sweden.

Brazilian baritone Paulo Szot adds a new role to his Met repertory as Sharpless, a role he has previously sung at Marseilles Opera. A Tony Award winner for his performance on Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, he made his Met debut in 2010 as Kovalyov in the company premiere of Shostakovich’s The Nose. His other roles with the company include Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen, Lescaut in the 2012 new production premiere of Massenet’s Manon, Dr. Falke in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, and the Captain in John Adams’s The Death of Klinghoffer. Other roles this season include Frank in Weill’s Street Scene at Opéra de Monte-Carlo and Don Alfonso in Mozart’s Così fan tutte at Paris Opera.

Italian conductor Pier Giorgio Morandi made his Met debut conducting Rigoletto in 2017. He began his career as the principal oboist in the La Scala Orchestra for 10 years, then as an assistant conductor at La Scala, followed by appointments as Principal Conductor at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and Principal Guest Conductor at the Royal Swedish Opera. He has conducted at opera houses around the world, including the Royal Swedish Opera House, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Oper Frankfurt, Opernhaus Zürich, Vienna State Opera, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. This season, he leads Puccini’s Tosca at Teatro dell’ Opera di Roma and Verdi’s Rigoletto at Oper Frankfurt.

For More Information

For further details on Madama Butterfly, including casting by date, please click here.

Madama Butterfly

Music by Giacomo Puccini

Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica

Friday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, October 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, October 18 at 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 2 at 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 9 at 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 16 at 8:00 p.m.

Friday, November 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Monday, November 25 at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 11 at 8:00 p.m.

^*Met debut

A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, and the Lithuanian National Opera

Production a gift of Mercedes and Sid Bass

Revival a gift of Barbara Augusta Teichert

For prices and ticket information, please call (212) 362-6000 or visit metopera.org. Special rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling (212) 341-5410 or visiting metopera.org/groups.