Madame Butterfly at Miller Outdoor Theatre

MAY 17 AND 18, 2024 | 8 P.M. MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE

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Welcome to Miller Outdoor Theatre! We at Houston Grand Opera are thrilled to bring our city two encore performances of the opera that, this winter, grasped the hearts of Houstonians and wouldn’t let go: Puccini’s Madame Butterfly

It has been too long since we’ve brought this stunning opera to Houston’s favorite outdoor venue. But you asked, we heard you, and we are over the moon to join you at the park as, together, we’re again transported by the composer’s beautiful music, and the tragic story of the young Japanese girl Cio-Cio-San and the American Navy lieutenant who betrays her, Pinkerton.

Performing the opera’s lead roles are the lovely soprano Raquel González and the exceptional tenor—and recent alumnus of HGO’s Butler Studio program—Eric Taylor, who this March made us so proud after being named one of 10 national finalists in the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition. Teddy Poll, HGO’s resident conductor, leads our wonderful HGO Orchestra and Chorus.

This is the same acclaimed production from our winter repertoire, created by Tony Award-winning director Michael Grandage and here revived by Kaley Karis Smith. I hope you are as moved by it as I am. It is our utter joy to bring you Madame Butterfly on the hill, on a spring evening in Bayou City. Thank you for being here.

Khori Dastoor General Director and CEO

Margaret Alkek Williams Chair

MUSIC BY

Giacomo Puccini

LIBRETTO BY

Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa

A Co-Production of Houston Grand Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, and Lyric Opera of Chicago

Sung in Italian with projected English translation.

The performance lasts approximately 2 hours and 32 minutes, including one intermission.

CONTENT ADVISORY

This opera contains depictions of suicide.

The activities of Houston Grand Opera are funded in part by:

YOUR GUIDE TO MADAME BUTTERFLY

THE STORY

Pinkerton, a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, arranges to marry a young girl named Cio-Cio-San, called Butterfly. By Japanese law, the groom is free to dissolve the marriage whenever he wants to, and though Pinkerton is clearly fascinated by Butterfly, it is obvious that he doesn’t take the marriage seriously. When the brief ceremony is over, Butterfly’s uncle, a Buddhist priest, arrives in a fury, revealing that the girl has renounced her people’s ancient faith and taken the American man’s Christian god. The family, horrified, deserts Butterfly. She weeps bitterly, but Pinkerton comforts her, and soon all is forgotten as the two express their love.

Pinkerton leaves Japan and is gone for three years. Cio-Cio-San waits for him, raising their child. Everyone—even her faithful maid, Suzuki—tells Butterfly that he has forsaken her, but she steadfastly insists that he will come back, as he promised, “when the robins make their nest.” The harbor cannon then announces the arrival of a ship. It is Pinkerton’s, the USS Abraham Lincoln. With Suzuki’s help, Butterfly decorates the little house with flowers. Then, with Suzuki and the child, Butterfly awaits Pinkerton’s arrival.

Dawn. Butterfly has waited all night. Suzuki persuades her to go and rest, and Pinkerton

WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

The U.S. National Anthem, “The StarSpangled Banner,” appears throughout the score of Madame Butterfly. When Puccini composed the opera, the anthem was not yet the national anthem, but was the official anthem of the U.S. Navy—a fitting soundtrack for B.F. Pinkerton, a Naval lieutenant. The music appears most prominently about five minutes into the opera in a grand fanfare of brass and winds, right before Pinkerton’s boastful Act I aria “Dovunque al mondo,” in which he sings of American bravado. It returns later in his aria when he sings, in English even within an Italian libretto, “America forever!”

FUN FACT

Madame Butterfly is adored the world over, but when the opera opened in February 1904, it was a critical disaster and withdrawn from performance. That two-act version painted Pinkerton even more cruelly than in later versions; Puccini rewrote the opera into a three-act version, with a slightly kinder Pinkerton, which was received as a great success in its premiere in May 1904. Puccini continued to rewrite sections of the score; the fifth version of the opera, from 1907, is the standard performed today.

CAST & CREATIVE

CAST (in order of vocal appearance)

Pinkerton

Eric Taylor ‡

Goro Steven Cole

Suzuki Emily Treigle †

Mr. and Mrs. James W. Crownover/ John Serpe and Tracy

Maddox Fellow

Sharpless Navasard Hakobyan †

Melinda and Bill Brunger/ Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Nickson/ Gloria M. Portela Fellow

Cio-Cio-San

Cousin

Raquel González

Julie Cathryn Hoeltzel

Mother Katherine Jones

Uncle Yakuside

Imperial Commissioner

Official Registrar

The Bonze

Prince Yamadori

Kate Pinkerton

Joe Key

Federico De Michelis ‡

Jon Janacek

Ron Dukes *

Daniel Belcher ‡

Erin Wagner †

Amy and Mark Melton/ Drs. Liz Grimm and Jack Roth/ Mrs. Nancy Haywood Fellow

Sorrow Hana Alina Ciobanu

CREATIVE TEAM

Conductor

Original Director

Miller Theatre Revival Director

Set and Costume Designer

Original Lighting Designer

Miller Theatre Revival Lighting Designer

Movement Director

Fight Director/Intimacy Director

Cultural Consultant

Chorus Director

Musical Preparation

Stage Manager

* Houston Grand Opera debut

† Butler Studio artist

‡ Former Butler Studio artist

Teddy Poll

Michael Grandage

Kaley Karis Smith

Christopher Oram, scenery adapted for Miller

Outdoor Theatre by the HGO Technical Department

Neil Austin

Philip Alfano

Nao Kusuzaki

Adam Noble

Kunio Hara

Richard Bado ‡

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chorus Director Chair

Kirill Kuzmin ‡

Michelle Papenfuss †

Dr. Saúl and Ursula Balagura/ Sharon Ley Lietzow and Robert Lietzow/ Dr. Laura E. Sulak and Dr. Richard W. Brown Fellow

Marco Rizzello †

Ms. Lynn Des Prez/ Dr. Gary L. Hollingsworth and Dr. Ken

Hyde/ Stephanie Larsen / Dr. and Mrs. Miguel

Miro-Quesada Fellow

Annie Wheeler

PRODUCTION CREDITS

English supertitles by Scott F. Heumann, adapted by Paul Hopper. Supertitles called by Matthew Neumann.

Orchestral musicians are represented by the Houston Professional Musicians Association, Local #65-699, American Federation of Musicians.

Stage crew personnel provided by IATSE, Local #51.

Wardrobe personnel provided by Theatrical Wardrobe Union, Local #896.

MPA

HGO CHORUS

Richard Bado

Sarah and Ernest Butler

Chorus Director Chair

Megan Berti

Christopher Childress

Callie Denbigh

Dallas Gray

Frankie Hickman

Julie Cathryn Hoeltzel

Jon Janacek

Katherine Jones

Joe Key

Alison King

Sarah L. Lee

Aarianna B. Longino

Alejandro Magallón

Teresa Procter

Christina Rigg

Hannah Roberts

PRODUCTION FUNDERS

GUARANTOR

City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board

The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

GRAND UNDERWRITER

SUPERNUMERARIES

Efren Calderon

Samuel Kor

Brandon McCormick

Donald Rabin

Jonathan Robinson

Edward Waddell

Scan the QR code to learn more about the cast and creative team for this production!

SPONSOR

The Vivian L. Smith Foundation

Performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre are supported in part by the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

UNDERWRITER

HGO Guild

ORCHESTRA

Patrick Summers, Artistic and Music Director

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chair

Eun Sun Kim, Principal Guest Conductor

VIOLIN

Denise Tarrant*, Concertmaster

Sarah and Ernest Butler

Concertmaster Chair

Chloe Kim*, Assistant Concertmaster

Natalie Gaynor*, Principal Second Violin

Carrie Kauk*, Assistant Principal

Second Violin

Miriam Belyatsky*

Anabel Ramirez-Detrick†

Rasa Kalesnykaite†

Hae-a Lee Barnes*

Chavdar Parashkevov*

Mary Reed*

Erica Robinson*

Linda Sanders*

Oleg Sulyga†

Sylvia VerMeulen*

Melissa Williams*

Emily Madonia

Mila Neal

VIOLA

Eliseo Rene Salazar*, Principal

Lorento Golofeev*, Assistant Principal

Gayle Garcia-Shepard*

Erika C. Lawson*

Suzanne LeFevre†

CELLO

Barrett Sills*, Principal

Erika Johnson†, Assistant Principal

Wendy Smith-Butler*, Acting Assistant Principal

Ariana Nelson†

Steven Wiggs†

Shino Hayashi

DOUBLE BASS

Dennis Whittaker†, Principal

Carla Clark*, Acting Principal

Erik Gronfor†, Assistant Principal

Curry Duffey, Acting Assistant Principal

FLUTE

Henry Williford*, Principal

Tyler Martin*

OBOE

Elizabeth Priestly Siffert*, Principal

Mayu Isom†

CLARINET

Sean Krissman†, Principal

Vanguel Tangarov, Acting Principal

Eric Chi†

Justin Best BASSOON

Amanda Swain*, Principal

Michael Allard† HORN

Sarah Cranston*, Principal

Kimberly Penrod Minson*

Spencer Park† TRUMPET

Tetsuya Lawson*, Principal

Randal Adams* TROMBONE

Thomas Hultén*, Principal

Mark Holley†

Justin Bain† TUBA

Mark Barton†, Principal TIMPANI

Alison Chang†, Principal

Karen Slotter, Acting Principal Timpani

PERCUSSION

Richard Brown†, Principal

Christina Carroll, Acting Principal

Robert McCullagh

HARP

Laurie Meister, Acting Principal ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER

Richard Reeves

* HGO Orchestra core musician

† HGO Orchestra core musician on leave this production

Grades 3-8 “create an opera” from start to finish at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church

JUNE 10–14 , 2024

ART OF OPERA

An opportunity to perform onstage and work behind the scenes at the Wortham (grades 9-12)

JULY 1–19, 2024*

*no camp on weekends or July 4-5

HGO FREE SUMMER PROGRAMMING!

Sing! Move! Play!

HGO Teaching Artists lead action-packed workshops filled with singing, rhythmic movement, and creative play. Grades Pre-K-2.

Levy Park @ 11 a.m.

May 18: The Armadillo’s Dream

June 1: The Three Little Pigs

June 8: The Marriage of Figaro

June 15: Opera Cat

June 22: Neapolitan Songs

July 6: Bilingual Agua, Agüita and Fuego, Fueguito

July 13: Carmen

July 20: Westward Ho, Carlotta!

July 27: The Magic Flute

Harris County Public Library System

June 4 @ 1 p.m.: Barbara Bush Branch Library, The Magic Flute

June 6 @10 a.m.: Spring Branch-Memorial Branch Library, The Magic Flute

June 11 @ 1 p.m.: Galena Park Branch Library, Bilingual Opera Cat!

June 13 @ 2 p.m.: Octavia Fields Branch Library, Italian Classics

June 17 @ 4 p.m.: Katy Branch Library, The Magic Flute

June 25 @ 10:15 a.m.: La Porte Branch Library, The Magic Flute

June 26 @ 11 a.m.: Evelyn Meador Branch Library, Westward Ho, Carlotta!

June 27 @ 2:30 & 3:30 p.m.: Clear Lake City-County Freeman Branch Library, Italian Classics

July 1 @ 10 a.m.: West University Branch Library, Italian Classics

Storybook Opera

Teaching Artists bring children’s books to life through song. Grades Pre-K-2.

July 2 @ 11 a.m.: Aldine Branch Library, Bilingual Opera Cat!

July 8-12 daily @ 1 p.m.: Sing! Move! Play!

Camp at Barbara Bush Branch Library—a week of singing, dance, crafting, and more

July 10 @ 3 p.m.: South Houston Branch Library, Bilingual Agua, Agüita and Fuego, Fueguito

July 16 @ 10:15 a.m.: Maud Marks Branch Library, Ruby’s Chinese New Year

July 17 @ 1 p.m.: Katherine Tyra Branch Library, The Magic Flute

July 17 @ 3 p.m.: North Channel Branch Library, Bilingual Opera Cat!

July 18 @ 2:30 p.m.: Stratford Branch Library, The Marriage of Figaro

July 30 @ 10:30 a.m.: Northwest Branch Library, Westward Ho, Carlotta!

For more information, visit HGO.org/Community

Children’s Museum Houston*

May 18 @ 4 p.m.: Ruby’s Chinese New Year

June 23 @ 3 p.m.: Lula the Mighty Griot

July 21 @ 3 p.m.: Bilingual Agua, Agüita and Fuego, Fueguito

Houston Public Libraries

July 9 @ 2 p.m.: Moody Neighborhood Library, The Magic Flute

July 22 @ 11 a.m.: Oak Forest Neighborhood Library, The Magic Flute

July 23 @ 2 p.m.: Mancuso Neighborhood Library, Bilingual Agua, Agüita and Fuego, Fueguito

July 25 @ 3 p.m.: Shannon Walker Neighborhood Library, The Magic Flute

*See Children’s Museum Houston website for entry fees

OPERA TO GO! PRESENTS A FAMILY-FRIENDLY DOUBLE BILL:

MO WILLEMS’S BITE-SIZED OPERAS

SLOPERA! AND DON’T LET THE PIGEON SING UP LATE!

Miller Outdoor Theatre

October 8 and 9, 2024 at 11 a.m. October 10, 2024 at 6:30 p.m.