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          Madame Butterfly is a tragic story of love and loss, hope and despair. The drama centers around Lt. B.F. Pinkerton, a U.S. sailor stationed in Nagasaki, and Cio-Cio-San, a geisha who is only fifteen years old. Although he senses the fragility of Cio-Cio-San’s nature, comparing her to a delicate butterfly, Pinkerton becomes infatuated with the young girl and ultimately decides to marry her, stating, “I must pursue her even though I damage her wings.”
         For Pinkerton their marriage is simply a convenient temporary living arrangement, but to Cio-Cio-San (Butterfly) it means much more. Despite warnings from Sharpless, the U.S. Consul, Butterfly falls deeply in love with Pinkerton and marries him. To demonstrate complete devotion to her husband, Butterfly converts to Christianity, and her family and friends angrily denounce her for forsaking the faith of their ancestors. After a few months Pinkerton returns to America, leaving Butterfly behind but promising to return “when the robins build their nests again.” He does not know that he will be a father, and shortly after he leaves, Butterfly gives birth to a son.
         Days and months pass by with no word from Pinkerton. Believing she is “Madame Pinkerton,” Butterfly rejects a wealthy Japanese suitor who can provide economic security, and she continues to wait patiently for her husband’s arrival. Three years later Pinkerton does return but with an American wife, Kate. Butterfly sees the U.S. ship in the harbor, and she and her servant, Suzuki, joyfully prepare for the long-awaited reunion. In the meantime Sharpless tells Pinkerton that he has a son and that Butterfly has maintained a constant vigil for him. Pinkerton is embarrassed and ashamed, but also too cowardly to approach Butterfly directly. Instead, he sends Kate, who offers to take the boy back to the United States and rear him as her own. Humiliated and heart-broken, Butterfly calmly agrees, stating that she will “find peace.” She prepares her child for his departure, even presenting him with a small American flag, and bids him farewell. Butterfly takes the dagger that had once belonged to her father and reads the inscription: “To die with honor, when one can no longer live with honor.” Butterfly rejected her heritage and family for Pinkerton, but now she has no place in his world. She plunges the dagger into her body, and as she lies dying, Sharpless and Pinkerton rush in to take the child.

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Cast and Crew:

	Director Chuck Hudson	Director Chuck Hudson has directed opera productions at major international companies including Minnesota Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, Cape Town Opera (South Africa) among others. He has directed award winning theatre productions in New York and regionally, including The Pearl Theatre, The Children’s Theatre Festival of Houston, New City Theatre, and Chicago’s Fox Valley Shakespeare Festival.
	Conductor Louis Menendez	Conductor Louis Menendez became the founder and music director of the Philadelphia Concert Opera. He served as Music Director for Sarasota Opera Studio Artists 2000 and was selected as a member of the staff of both the Israel Vocal Arts Institute (Tel Aviv), and the International Institute of Vocal Arts (Chiari, Italy). In autumn of 2001, Maestro Menendez accepted the invitation from the Anchorage Opera to become the Artistic Director of its Studio Theatre.
	Butterfly Amy Pfrimmer	Louisiana native, Soprano Amy Pfrimmer will bring Shreveport Opera audiences to our feet as she did in last season’s Rigoletto. Amy’s engagements have included the Mozart Festival Opera, New Orleans Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, L'Opéra de Montréal, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, among many others.
	Pinkerton Christopher Jackson	Tenor Christopher Jackson earned his Master’s Degree in music from New York’s Mannes College of Music. He was a Young American Artist with the Glimmerglass Opera. He will perform the role of Pinkerton with the New York City Opera during the 2006-2007 season.
	Suzuki  Christina Hager*	Shreveport Opera Xpress artist, Mezzo-soprano Christina Hager obtained her Masters in music from the University of Houston. She spent three summers as a young artist at Seagle Music Colony. She has performed with the Fort Worth Opera and the Kansas City Civic Opera.
	Sharpless Grant Youngblood	Baritone Grant Youngblood is praised for his role as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly all over the United States. He has performed with the New York City Opera, Central City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Delaware Symphony, and the Buffalo Philharmonic, among many others.
	Goro Chauncey Packer	Tenor Chauncey Packer received his Master’s degree in music from the University of New Orleans and is currently pursuing his Doctorate from LSU. Packer has performed with the Mobile Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, and the New Orleans Opera.
	Bonze Rubin Casas	Bass-Baritone Rubin Casas received his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas. He was a member of the Des Moines Metro Opera and Santa Fe Opera young artist's program and since has matriculated at Yale University's Opera program. He has performed with the Connecticut Grand Opera, Spokane Opera, Virginia Opera and at Carnegie Hall with the Opera Orchestra of New York.
	Kate Pinkerton Kirsten Chambers*	Shreveport Opera Xpress artist, Soprano Kirsten Chambers graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a Bachelors Degree in Music and a Masters Degree in Music from the University of Houston. She studied opera in Graz, Austria with the American Institute of Musical Studies where she gave recitals and toured. She has performed with Opera Illinois and the Pittsburgh Opera.
	Prince Yamadori Tim Bostwick*	Shreveport Opera Xpress artist, Baritone Timothy Bostwick is a junior vocal performance major at Drake University. Bostwick has been the featured soloist in ensembles with the Drake Choir, The Cherokee Symphony Orchestra and the Thresholds Festival for the Arts.
	Stage Manager  Lee Marc Molnar
	Lighting Designer Mike Riggs
	Chorus Master Keith Chambers*	Keith Chambers, Chorus Master & Principal Pianist, has conducted opera productions for the Living Opera (Le nozze di Figaro and Don Pasquale), Moores Opera Center in Houston ( Die Fledermaus, La finta giardiniera, and The Impresario), Opera in the Ozarks ( Don Giovanni and L'elisir d'amore), and the University of Oklahoma. Mr. Chambers earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Miami (FL) and a Doctorate in Music from the University of Houston.

* SOX artist