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Florentine Opera Opens Its Season with 'Madama Butterfly'

Screen capture of Florentine Opera video.
Alyson Cambridge and Eric Barry

The Florentine Opera kicks off its 82nd season Friday night with a production of one of the most famous operas of all time – Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. The production tells the tragic story of the exploitative relationship between American Naval Officer Pinkerton and Japanese geisha Cio-Cio-San in the late 19th Century. 

It’s been a staple of operatic stages since it premiered in 1904, in part for the beauty of the music, especially for the soprano who portrays Cio-Cio-San.  In the Florentine’s production, that’s Alyson Cambridge who has returned to Milwaukee for this role.

"With every voice lesson and coaching, I would leave the sessions, going, 'Oh my gosh, this feels so good – this feels so right.'  And that’s a really nice feeling to have as a singer, to find a role and a repertoire that just feels good," says Cambridge.

She along with tenor Eric Barry, who plays Pinkerton, are part of a cast and production that is "a perfect mix," according to Barry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDoMifyLhwQ.

Bonnie North
Bonnie joined WUWM in March 2006 as the Arts Producer of the locally produced weekday magazine program Lake Effect.