Opera San José continues its 42nd season—centered on the theme “What Is Love?”—with Puccini’s tragic masterpiece Madama Butterfly, running November 16–30, 2025, at the California Theatre (345 South First Street, San José).
Directed by Michelle Ainna Cuizon and conducted by Joseph Marcheso, this new production illuminates one of opera’s most devastating love stories, performed in Italian with English and Spanish supertitles.
Set in early 20th-century Japan, Madama Butterfly tells the heartbreaking story of Cio-Cio-San, a young Japanese woman who gives up everything for love, only to be betrayed by an American naval officer. Puccini’s soaring score captures both the radiance of her devotion and the depths of her despair, culminating in one of the most emotionally charged finales in the operatic canon.
“Continuing our season with Madama Butterfly is a powerful reminder of opera’s ability to illuminate the deepest corners of the human heart,” said Shawna Lucey, Opera San José’s General Director & CEO. “Under Michelle’s sensitive direction, this production invites audiences to experience the sweeping passion, cultural collision, and profound tragedy at the core of Butterfly’s story.”
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
The cast features Emily Michiko Jensen as Cio-Cio-San, Kayla Nanto as Suzuki, and Courtney Miller as Kate Pinkerton. Tenor Christopher Oglesby stars as Lieutenant Pinkerton, joined by Ilhee Lee as Goro and Eugene Brancoveanu as Sharpless. Haoran Li performs as Prince Yamadori and Yakuside, with Zaikuan Song as The Bonze, Thien An Truong as the Official Registrar, and Chung-Wai Soong as the Imperial Commissioner.
The creative team includes Michelle Ainna Cuizon (Director), Joseph Marcheso (Conductor), Noah Lindquist (Assistant Conductor), MarkAnthony Vallejo (Assistant Director), Kent Dorsey (Original Set Design), Eric Watkins (Lighting Design), Alyssa Oania (Costume Director), Julie Engelbrecht (Original Costume Design), and Y. Sharon Peng (Hair and Makeup).
