Finally Here! a Huge International Coproduction in Tokyo

Finally here! A huge international coproduction in Tokyo,

Dresden, Copenhagen and San Francisco

Stage Director：Amon Miyamoto / Costume Designer：Kenzo Takada

Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly”, produced by a leading staff and cast Dates: October 3rd (Thurs) to October 6th (Sun) 2019 at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan October 13th (Sun) 2019 at Yokosuka Arts Theatre

Tokyo Nikikai Opera Foundation (TNOF) & Amon Miyamoto present a Tokyo production of “Madama Butterfly” to the world

Tokyo Nikikai Opera Foundation (TNOF), will present the timeless masterpiece, “Madama Butterfly” composed by Giacomo Puccini, a coproduction with the Sächsische Staatsoper (Semperoper Dresden), The Royal Danish Opera and San Francisco Opera.

International stage director, Amon Miyamoto was the first Asian director on Broadway with his staging of the musical “Pacific Overtures”, which received great acclaim and was nominated for four Tony Award nominations in 2004. Miyamoto made his world debut in Opera in 2007 with the U.S. premiere of Tan Dun’s modern opera “TEA: A Mirror of Soul” at the Santa Fe Opera. In 2013, he directed “Die Zauberflöte“ at Landestheater Linz, a coproduction with TNOF, and in 2018, he directed the opera “Kinkakuji”, which premiered in France and was composed by Toshiro Mayuzumi, at Opéra National du Rhin, a coproduction with TNOF receiving great acclaim.

We welcome Kenzo Takada the founder of “KENZO” brand, and a leader in the fashion industry as a costume designer, and we introduce an opera from Japan featuring a leading staff and cast.

TNOF has realised world-class opera in partnership with leading opera companies all over the world in Japan. This production is conducted by Andrea Battistoni for its world premiere in Japan, to be subsequently staged in Germany, Denmark and the US. This Japanese-produced vision of “Madama Butterfly” is truly an opera that goes out from Japan to the rest of the world.

To be staged in three world cities following its Tokyo world premier “Madama Butterfly” will be presented for its world premiere in Tokyo, before travelling to other countries in October 2019. “Madama Butterfly” will be performed at the Sächsische Staatsoper (Semperoper Dresden, conductor Lorenzo Viotti) in April 2020, The Royal Danish Opera in January 2021 and San Francisco Opera in 2022. This production is highly significant to the future of Japanese opera culture. The prestigious TNOF features a leading staff and cast.

Two international divas to decorate the Tokyo world premiere. Two primas representing Japan, Mari Moriya and Hiromi Omura, will sing the two title roles for the world premier production in Tokyo in October 2019. Mari Moriya made her debut die Königin der Nacht in “Die Zauberflöte” at the Metropolitan Opera, New York to sensational success. Since then she has participated actively in Japan and other countries. She demonstrated her unique talents in “Salome” (conducted by Sebastian Weigle, directed by Willy Decker), astonishing audiences in Japan and other countries. Hiromi Omura, based in France, has sung this role more than 120 times in opera theatres around the world. This summer she performed the same role for the second consecutive year as the first Japanese singer at the Torre del Lago, Puccini Festival in Italy. These two internationally active sopranos shall create a new image of “Madama Butterfly” from Tokyo.

Hiromi Omura Mari Moriya Photo ：Yutaka Nakamura Upcoming operas by TNOF: “Orphée aux Enfers” by Jacques Offenbach (Conductor: Eiji Oue/Stage Director: Hitoshi Uyama) in November 2019, “La Traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi (Conductor: Giacomo Sagripanti/Stage Director: Ryo Harada) in February 2020, “Samson et Dalila” by Camille Saint-Saëns (Conductor: Jun Märkl / Semi-stage) in April 2020 and “Lulu” by Alban Berg (Conductor: Maxime Pascal/ Stage Director: Karoline Gruber) and so on.

Contact: Press office of Tokyo Nikikai Opera Foundation

TEL：+81-3-4500-2346 FAX：+81-3-5539-4430 MAIL：[email protected]

Nikikai Ticket Center: TEL +81-3-3796-1831 FAX: +81-3-3796-4710 http://www.nikikai.net Amon Miyamoto (Stage director) In 2004, Miyamoto became the first asian director on Broadway for his staging of the musical “Pacific Overtures” ,which received four Tony Award nominations. He works internationally across a wide range of genres, including musicals, plays, operas, and kabuki. In 2007, Miyamoto made his North American debut with the U.S. premiere of Tan Dun’s modern opera “TEA: A Mirror of Soul” at the Santa Fe Opera and later the production moved into Philadelphia and Vancouver Operas. In 2013, he directed “Die Zauberflöte“ at Landestheater Linz, co-production with Tokyo Nikikai Opera Foundation (TNOF), making his European debut and then directed it in Tokyo in 2015. In 2018, he directed the opera “The Temple of The Golden Pavilion”, composed by Toshiro Mayuzumi, at Opéra national du Rhin in France, coproduction with TNOF and then directed it Tokyo in 2019.

Mari Moriya (Madama Buttefly/ 3, 5 and 13 October 2019) This multi-award-winning soprano’s career has taken her to the USA, UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland, Israel, and Japan. Moriya studied at Mannes College and made her professional debut in 2006. That year she appeared with Metropolitan Opera as die Königin der Nacht, a role she subsequently sang in numerous productions in America and Europe. Following her winning success in the 2007 Veronica Dunne Competition, Moriya made her critically-acclaimed European debut that year as Liù with Opera Ireland. She has since acquired a wide-ranging repertoire, singing major roles with conductors such as Franz Welser-Möst, James Levine, Marin Alsop, and Sebastian Weigle and with celebrated stage directors Michael Hampe (Freia, Sieglinde), Richard Jones (die Feldmarschallin), and Robert Wilson (Violetta Valéry). She is a member of Nikikai, where she recently role-debuted as Salome, directed by Willy Decker.

Hiromi Omura (Madama Butterfly/4 and 6 October 2019) Omura has been in constant demand in opera houses around the world: Opéra Comique, Théâtre des Champs- Elysées, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Latvian National Opera, Opera Israeli, Savonlinna Festival, Polish National Opera, Sydney Opera House, etc. She has performed Madama Butterfly more than 120 performances in 14 countries. Recently, Omura performed Madama Butterfly at the Puccini Festival (Torre del Lago, Italy) in 2018 and 2019, in both performances she received a standing ovation. Her notable highly acclaimed other roles, include Norma, Desdemona, La Contessa, Leonora (Il Trovatore) and Liù, in theaters such as Lausanne Opera, Toulon Opera, Opéra Montréal, and Opéra National de Lorraine. In Japan, she sang Violetta, Micaëla, Nedda, Elisabetta (Don Carlo), La Contessa, Tosca, and Norma. She is a member of Nikikai, where she will be performing Violetta in this season. Omura resides in France.

Andrea Battistoni (Conductor) Born in Verona in 1987, Andrea Battistoni is a rising star conductor with an international reputation as one of the most important of his generation. In 2013 he was appointed First Guest Conductor at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova with a three-year engagement for two operas and two symphonic productions a year. In 2015 he was named Principal Guest Conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic, and he became Chief Conductor in October 2016. For Tokyo Nikikai Opera Theatre, he has conducted Nabucco in 2012, Rigoletto in 2015, and Il Trovatore in 2016. Other noteworthy he engagements of his career include Teatro alla Scala, Teatro Regio di Torino, La Fenice in Venice, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Arena di Verona, and Bayerische Staatsoper. His future plans include Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro Regio in Turin, Nederlandse Oper in Amsterdam, Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile, and Australia Opera in Sydney.