54th MAY OPERA EVENINGS
GIACOMO PUCCINI
“MADAMA BUTTERFLY”
May 20, 2026, 8:00 PM
Conductor: Myron Michailidis – Greece
Asst. Conductor: Katerina Stojkovska
Director: Aleksandar Tekeliev – Bulgaria
Asst. Directors: Trajko Jordanovski, Ljupka Jakimovska
Set Designer: Zhivojin Trajanovikj
Costume Designer: Lira Grabul
Concert Master: Verica Lambevska
Asst. Chorus Masters: Jasmina Gjorgjeska, Gjurgjica Dashikj
Repetiteurs: Elena Siljanoska, Janinka Nevcheva, Andreja Naunov, Anastasija Grgovska
Stage Managers: Dragan Kostadinovikj, Marko Pavlevski, Katerina Boshkovska
Prompters: Nevena Georgieva, Ivana Jordanovska
CAST:
CIO-CIO-SAN: Donata D’Annunzio Lombardi – Italy
PINKERTON: Hector Lopez – Mexico (Romania)
SHARPLESS: Armando Piña – Mexico
SUZUKI: Marika Popovikj
GORO: Ismet Vejseli
THE BONZE: Neven Siljanovski
YAMADORI: Jane Dunimagloski
KATE PINKERTON: Sonja Pendovska Madevska
CIO-CIO-SAN’S MOTHER: Valentina Dimitrievska
CIO-CIO-SAN’S SON: [TBA]
COMMISSIONER: Marko Dimovski
OFFICER: Marko Gapo
SERVANTS: Darko Stanojlovski, Borko Bidzhovski
SAILORS: Filip Mirchevski, Nikola Chedomirovski
SAMURAI: Shinasi Ramdan, Vasko Zdravkov
CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA OF THE NATIONAL OPERA AND BALLET
SYNOPSIS
ACT I Nagasaki, Japan, at the end of the 19th century. On a flowery terrace overlooking the harbor, American Naval Lieutenant Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton inspects the house he has leased through the marriage broker, Goro. Goro has also arranged a wife for him—the geisha Cio-Cio-San, known as Madame Butterfly. Pinkerton explains his “wanderer’s philosophy” of seeking pleasure across the globe to the American Consul, Sharpless. He is currently enchanted by the delicate Butterfly, whose joyful singing is heard in the distance as she approaches for the wedding.
Cio-Cio-San enters surrounded by her friends and tells Pinkerton how, following her family’s fall into poverty, she was forced to earn a living as a geisha. Her relatives arrive, boisterously sharing their opinions on the marriage. Butterfly shows her groom her family heirlooms and reveals her intention to convert to Christianity. The Imperial Commissioner performs the ceremony, and the guests toast the couple. The celebration is interrupted by her uncle, the Bonze, a Buddhist priest, who curses her for forsaking the religion of her ancestors. Pinkerton angrily drives the guests away. Alone in the moonlit garden, he comforts the weeping Butterfly, and they join in a passionate duet celebrating their love.
ACT II Three years later. Cio-Cio-San awaits her husband’s return, her eyes fixed on the harbor. Her maid, Suzuki, complains that their money is almost gone, but Butterfly remains hopeful that Pinkerton’s ship will appear on the horizon. Sharpless arrives with a letter from the officer, but before he can read it to her, Goro appears with a suitor: the wealthy Prince Yamadori. Butterfly rejects them both, insisting her husband has not abandoned her.
Left alone with Sharpless, the Consul begins to read the letter, hinting that Pinkerton may not return. Butterfly stops him and reveals her child, “Dolore” (Sorrow), declaring that once Pinkerton knows he has a son, he will surely return. She vows she would rather die than return to her former life. Moved by her devotion, Sharpless leaves without revealing the full contents of the letter. Suddenly, a cannon shot rings out. Using a telescope, Butterfly sees Pinkerton’s ship entering the harbor. As night falls, she, Suzuki, and the child begin their long vigil.
ACT III At dawn, Suzuki insists that Butterfly rest. Singing a lullaby to her son, she carries him into the next room. Shortly after, Sharpless and Pinkerton arrive, followed by Kate, Pinkerton’s new American wife. When Suzuki realizes who Kate is, she agrees to help break the news to her mistress. Overcome by guilt, Pinkerton bids a sorrowful farewell to the place where he was once happy and leaves quickly.
When Butterfly rushes out, expecting to find Pinkerton, she encounters Kate instead. Shattered, she agrees to give up her child only if the father comes for him in person. Left alone, she takes the sword with which her father committed suicide. Bowing before a statue of Buddha, she chooses to die with honor rather than live in shame. As she raises the blade, Suzuki pushes the child into the room. With a tearful farewell, Butterfly sends him into the garden to play and then stabs herself. As she dies, she hears Pinkerton calling her name from the distance.