Madama Butterfly is coming to Marin Center- Nov 8 and 9 only !

Golden Gate Opera presents new Premiere of
Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly

November 8 7:30pm and November 9 2:30pm

Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, Marin Civic Center, San Rafael, CA.

Edna Garabedian’s Award-Winning Production Features
Olga Chernisheva, Miwako Isano, Anna Yelizarova, Alexandra Jerinic, Gabriel Manro, John Minagro, Michael Mendelsohn, Monti Zanetti, Kit Murphy-Burke and Isabella Moudry as “Sorrow”

Conductor Geoffrey Gallegos, Scenic Design by Paula Langhoff Barton, Lighting Design by John Jacobs

Golden Gate Opera presents the Company’s production of Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly in two performances, Saturday November 8 at 7:30pm and Sunday November 9 at 2:30pm at Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, Marin Civic Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael, CA 94903. This is a Re-mounting of Golden Gate Opera’s premiere production of Madama Butterfly created for the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium and presented first at Marin Center in 2005.

This production is directed by Edna Garabedian with sets designed by Paula Langhoff Barton. Set in 1900 Nagasaki, Japan, the production’s classical design is inspired by Japanese architecture and gardens researched by GGO’s production team.

Russian soprano Olga Chernisheva stars in the title role on November 8th and Japanese soprano Miwako soprano on November 9th, opposite tenor David Gustafson as B.F. Pinkerton, who thrilled audiences as Don Jose in GGO’s Carmen at the Villa this past summer. Gabriel Manro of Los Angeles is Sharpless, the American Consul in Japan who becomes the reluctant communicator with Madama Butterfly about Pinkerton’s return. Michael Mendelsohn, noted character tenor, is Goro the slimy marriage broker who sets up the fake arranged marriage. Bass-baritone John Minagro (Phantom of the Opera National Tour) is The Bonze, Butterfly‘s irate uncle who disrupts her wedding, cursing her for renouncing her Japanese ancestors by marrying an American. Russian mezzo soprano Anna Yelizarova portrays Butterfly’s faithful friend Suzuki alongside Ms. Chernisheva on November 8th and San Francisco Mezzo Alexandra Jerinic is Suzuki opposite Ms. Isano on November 9th

Soprano Olga Chernisheva has been described as ‘possessing ‘a pure, strong soprano with phrasing of sumptuous elegance’ (San Francisco Chronicle) and ‘a lyric voice focused and alluring... subtly expressive’ (Opera News), A native of Russia, Ms. Chernisheva appeared on the main opera and concert stages of Russia, United States, Europe and other countries as Aida and Violets (Traviata), Leonora (La Forza del Destino) by Verdi; Tosca, Manon Lescaut, Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly), Suor Angelica, Mimi and Musetta ( La Boheme), Liu and Turandot (Turandot) by Puccini, Maria (Mazeppa) by Tchaikovskyi, Zemfira (Aleko) and Francesca da Rimini by Rachmaninoff, Ann Troulove (Rake’s Progress), Nedda (Pagliacci), Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana). She returns to the MVMA stage on November 8th to reprise her Marin County 2005 opera debut in the title role of Madama Butterfly.

Japanese soprano Miwako Isano debuts on the MVMA stage to perform Cio-cio San after thrilling Marin County audiences in that role in the Marin Showcase Theatre in 2010. Ms. Isano had the honor of being featured soloist in Fauré’s Requiem for the Ceremony of the 60th Anniversary of the Atomic Bomb Victims at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, where she also premiered “Five Chokas for the New Princess”, and also starred in the premiere of “Sisters of Manzanar” presented in Fresno by California Opera Association, a new work about the Japanese Internment camps in Fresno in World War II.

Internationally recognized for his robust, expressive voice, tenor David Gustafson made his San Francisco Opera debut in 2010 as Sentinelle in Cyrano Di Bergerac starring Placido Domingo. Most recently heard as Otello (Otello) Festival Opera, and as Cavaradossi (Tosca), Tony in the world premier of (Heart of the Soldier) San Francisco Opera and sang the world premiere, presented by Eugene Symphony, of Robert Kyr’s Symphony No. 9 as well as its European premiere, in Denmark. Heard internationally as Count Almaviva (Barbiere) with the Shanghai Broadcasting Orchestra, the production was the Chinese premier of the Rossini masterpiece.

Los Angeles Baritone Gabriel Manro as Sharpless, the American Consul who sets up the arranged marriage and ends up being the reluctant go between while Butterfly keeps believing in love steadfastly with her spirits up. Mr. Manro made his European operatic debut as Doctor Bartolo (Il barbiere di Siviglia) with Corfu Opera in Greece. Most recently, Mr. Manro was both Joel Lynch and Father Jackson in the European Premiere and Telecast of William Mayer’s: A Death in the Family at the Hungarian National Theater, Szeged which was voted “favorite opera” by Duna, Mezzo, and TBS Network viewers which number in the millions. Mr. Manro starred as Abraham Lincoln in Golden Gate Opera’s production of new work, Lincoln and Booth in 2012 and as the father in GGO’s Hansel and Gretel in 2013.

Tenor Michael Mendelsohn performs the role of GORO, one of 7 roles he has performed with Opera San Jose. He opens the opera showing off details of the house to the American Navy Lieutenant and later offers Butterfly a new potential husband, brutally letting her know that her faith is futile. A favorite of Bay Area opera fans, Mendelsohn has performed locally in addition to Opera San Jose, with Cinnabar Opera, West Bay Opera, West Edge Opera in Berkeley, Pocket Opera, Livermore Valley Opera and recently singing jazz night club engagements on the East Coast.

Anna Yelizarova, Mezzo-Soprano as Suzuki (Nov. 8) is originally from Moscow, Russia, lived in New York and now resides in California. Ms Yelizarova has appeared throughout the United States in varied roles from Carmen to Orlovsky to Dorabella and has had engagements Opera in the Heights, TX; Dicapo Opera Theatre, NYC; Natchez Music Festival, MS; One World Symphony, NY; dell’Arte Opera Ensemble, NY; Center City Opera, PA; Opera Company of Brooklyn, NY; Opera Manhattan, NY; Long Island Opera, NY; Bay Area Summer Opera, CA; Golden Gate Opera, CA; New York Lyric Opera Theater; Queens Opera, NJ; Intermezzo Opera Festival, FL; and Martina Arroyo Foundation, NY.

Mezzo-soprano Alexandra Jerinic (Nov. 9) is pleased to be returning to Golden Gate Opera in the role of Suzuki, a role she performed with California Opera Association this past summer. Earlier this year, she made her debut with West Edge Opera as Matilde in Rossini’s rarely performed opera Elisabetta, Regina d’Inghilterra under the musical direction of Jonathan Khuner. In the past year, she was seen as Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, made her debut as a soloist with the Tulare Symphony, and reprised her role as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Golden Gate Opera, a role she has performed for three consecutive years.

Italian tenor Monti Zanetti, resident of San Rafael, California reprises his role as the imperial Commissioner and tenor Eric Levintow debuts as Prince Yamadori.

Conductor Geoffrey Gallegos is Music Director and Conductor of the Kensington Symphony Orchestra in West Contra Costa County, CA following his appointment in 2004. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Assistant Conductor of the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra of Northern California. In 1991, he was appointed Principal Conductor of the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra and currently continues his long-standing relationship with the SFCO as a frequent guest. From 1985 to 1990, he held the position of Associate Conductor of the San Francisco Chamber Players Orchestra. Maestro Gallegos recently guest conducted the Diablo Symphony Orchestra and Il Barbiere di Siviglia for the California Opera Association in Fresno. He has guest conducted throughout the US and in Europe. Maestro Gallegos has a deep commitment to arts education that includes 12 seasons as Music Director and Conductor of the Golden Gate Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in San Francisco where he resides.

Director Edna Garabedian’s deeply moving production maintains the authentic classic portrayal as conceived by Puccini originally. The intricacies of belief in true love, family relationships and grappling with harsh reality she conveys through intimate work with the artists. She directed the debut of this production in 2005 at the Marin Civic Center staged in Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium and in 2010 in the Marin Showcase Theatre. Ms. Garabedian has performed as an opera singer to critical and popular acclaim in the United States and throughout Europe. Some of the companies she has sung leading roles with include: Munich Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Kassel Opera, Nurnberg Opera, Hannover Opera, the Spoleto Festival, Staatsoper Bonn, New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Music Center Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Houston Opera, San Diego Opera, Baltimore Opera, Kansas City Lyric Opera and Portland Opera. Awards include the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1970), the Baltimore Opera Auditions, and the Metropolitan Opera.

Golden Gate Opera plans to bring live cameo selections from Madama Butterfly to local organizations, schools, senior communities and to Dominican University of California in person in the weeks before the performances.

Arrive early for a FREE Pre-performance talk one hour before the performances. Sung in Italian with English supertitles, the two performances of Madama Butterfly are scheduled for November 8 (7:30 p.m.), and November 9 (2:30 p.m.), 2014.

Tickets range from $30-$100 (gold circle which includes a VIP reception) and can be purchased online at goldengateopera.org tickets.marincenter.org http://www.goldengateopera.org/event-registration or call Marin Center Box Office at 415-473-6800. More info: 415-339-9546 or info@goldengateopera.org