Madama Butterfly

Japanese soprano Eri Nakamura first shot to prominence as a Jette Parker Young Artist when she stepped in to replace Anna Netrebko in I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Giulietta) at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She has since made notable debuts in Europe, Asia, and North and South America, capturing worldwide acclaim for her assured singing and artistic intensity.

During the 2024-25 Season, Eri debuts with the Canadian Opera Company in Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio-San), sings in Un ballo in maschera (Amelia) at Suntory Hall, and appears in concert with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, and Latvian National Opera.

Last season, she made her debut appearances with the Royal Swedish Opera in Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio-San) and English National Opera in 7 Deaths of Maria Callas and sang in Simon Boccanegra (Amelia) with The Hallé. Recent highlights also include her role debut as Cio-Cio-San at the New National Theatre, Tokyo, later performing the same role in her return to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and in concert with The Hallé, La Rondine (Magda) at Biwako Hall, and Toshio Hosokawa’s Hanjo (Hanako) with the Catapult Opera of New York and Fondazione Haydn di Bolzano.

For the ROH, she performed in La bohème (Musetta), Carmen (Frasquita), Gianni Schicchi (Lauretta) and I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Giulietta) as a Jette Parker Young Artist, and returned as a guest to sing in The Marriage of Figaro (Susanna), Werther (Sophie) and Turandot (Liù). As ensemble member with the Bayerische Staatsoper, her many performances included The Elixir of Love (Adina), Hansel and Gretel (Gretel), The Magic Flute (Susanna & Pamina), Don Giovanni (Zerlina), and she has also appeared with the Wiener Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera de Oviedo, New National Theatre, Tokyo, Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse, Teatro Municipal de Santiago de Chile, and Washington National Opera.

On the concert platform, recent highlights include Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with the Japan, Osaka, and Tokyo Philharmonic orchestras, Mahler Symphony No. 4, and Rossini Stabat Mater with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, St Cecilia Mass with Orchestre National de France, Das Rheingold (Woglinde) with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater with the Czech Philharmonic, Ravel’s Shéhérazade with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, and appearances with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Pannon Philharmonic, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and NHK Symphony Orchestra.

Eri is an alumna of the Osaka College of Music, the Opera Studio at the New National Theatre Tokyo, the Opera Studio Nederland and the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House.

Texas-born tenor Joseph Dennis studied at The Juilliard School in New York and has been honored with numerous awards, including Grand Final winner of The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and the top prize at the Gerda Lissner Foundation competition.

This season, Joseph returns to Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton) with Austin Opera, makes his role debut as Faust in Berlioz’ La Damnation de Faust with the Santa Fe Symphony, and joins the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra for performances of La traviata (Alfredo).

In the 2023-24 Season, the tenor made his debut at Washington National Opera creating the role of Eric in the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori’s opera Grounded. He returned to the Prague National Theatre in Alexander Zemlinsky’s Kleider machen Leute (Wenzel Strapinski). Elsewhere during the season, performances included The Magic Flute (Tamino) and Verdi’s Otello (Cassio) with Semperoper Dresden, and The Barber of Seville (Almaviva) with Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz.

During the 2022-23 Season at the Semperoper Dresden he performed in Nabucco (Ismaele). Important debuts followed performing in Albert Lortzing’s Undine (Ritter Hugo von Ringstetten) at Oper Leipzig and at Prague National Theater. He returned to the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv in Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton).

Joseph was a member of the soloist ensemble at Semperoper Dresden for six seasons. Additional highlights include the Emmy-winning production of Manon (Des Grieux) and Jenůfa (Števa) at Des Moines Metro Opera, and Spoleto Festival USA in the world premiere of Huang Ruo’s Paradise Interrupted.

Mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi is making waves in the world of opera, with Opera News dubbing her a “powerhouse in the making” for her performance as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. Engagements this season include a role and house debut with the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance as Bloody Mary in South Pacific, her debut with the Boise Philharmonic as the alto soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, and Virginia Opera as Dorabella in Così fan tutte. Ms. Choi is slated to return to Dallas Opera in a future season. Also this season, Ms. Choi will join Florentine Opera, Kentucky Opera, Austin Opera, and Opera San Antonio in her signature role of Suzuki. Described as “steadfast…solidly empathetic and ferocious” (KCStudio); “warm and lovely” (Washington Post); and “theatrically potent” (Opera News), she has performed the role with eleven different companies since her debut with the Glimmerglass Festival in 2014, including Opera Philadelphia, Virginia Opera, Detroit Opera, the Lubbock Symphony, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Washington National Opera. She will bring her Suzuki to Opera Colorado in 2025-26. Ms. Choi recently joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera covering Dimitri in Fedora. Other credits include the Second Maidservant in Elektra (Dallas Opera), Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Opera Omaha, Sarasota Opera), the Cook in Stravinsky’s Le rossignol (West Edge Opera), Maddalena in Rigoletto (Opera Philadelphia), Annina in La traviata (HALO), Third Lady in The Magic Flute (Opera Maine, Virginia Opera), Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Virginia Opera), and Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town (Seattle Symphony). Contemporary works include Hosokawa’s The Raven (Opera Philadelphia), Mother in Wang’s Fearless workshop (Opera Delaware), Hiroko Kobayashi in Perla’s An American Dream (Opera Idaho and Virginia Opera), Stewardess in Flight (Dallas Opera), Phoung Tran in Ruo/Hwang’s The Rift workshop (Washington National Opera), the title role in Murasaki’s Moon (On Site Opera).

With a velvety tone and a stage presence that exudes confidence and charm, Levi Hernandez has made a name for himself in a wide variety of baritone repertoire. Opera News has praised him for his “voice with natural power,” and “warm, inviting baritone.”  The El Paso native has joined the rosters of leading opera companies including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Houston Grand Opera, where he debuted in Madama Butterfly (Sharpless).

Most recently he joined El Paso Opera for their Mozart by Moonlight concert, Opera San Antonio in Hansel and Gretel (Father), appeared in La Cenerentola (Dandini) with Boston Lyric Opera, performed in Pagliacci (Tonio) with Hawaii Opera Theatre, returned to Opera Omaha in El último sueño de Frida y Diego (Diego Rivera), and appeared with the Virginia and Oregon Symphonies in Handel’s Messiah. Additional recent appearances include joining Opera Idaho in their Celebrando a México concert, Manon Lescaut (Lescaut) with North Carolina Opera, a return to The Metropolitan Opera in The Magic Flute (Papageno, cover) and The Elixir of Love (Dulcamara, cover), Handel’s Messiah with Kansas City Symphony, an appearance with the El Paso Symphony for Mozart’s Requiem, and Opera Idaho’s Opera in the Park concert. The upcoming 2024-25 Season sees his return to Madison Opera for The Barber of Seville (Bartolo), Manon Lescaut (Lescaut) with the Washington Concert Opera, Handel‘s Messiah with the Tucson Symphony, Florencia en el Amazonas (Alvaro) with North Carolina Opera, and Mozart’s Requiem with the Utah Symphony.

In recent seasons, Levi returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago in Florencia en el Amazonas (Alvaro), reprised the title role in Gianni Schicchi with Tulsa Opera, debuted with Hawaii Opera Theater in Madama Butterfly (Sharpless), and performed Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer with Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra. He has continued his longstanding relationship with the work of composer Daniel Catan, appearing in La hija de Rappaccini (Rappaccini) with Chicago Opera Theater. Additionally, he sang in Pagliacci (Tonio) with Opera Colorado and El Paso Opera, and in El milagro del recuerdo (Aba) with Houston Grand Opera. He has sung in The Grapes of Wrath (Pa Joad) with Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Virginia Opera, Nashville Opera, Arizona Opera, and Chattanooga Symphony & Opera. He recently debuted with Opera Colorado in La bohème (Marcello), with Chicago Opera Theater in Elizabeth Cree (Inspector Kildare), with San Diego Opera and Madison Opera in Florencia en el Amazonas (Alvaro), and with Intermountain Opera in Falstaff (Ford).

A 2002 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions finalist, his many awards include a Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation grant as well as being a 2002 Operalia competition finalist. With an undergraduate degree from Westminster Choir College and his master’s degree from the University of North Texas, Levi also attended the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and was a member of the prestigious Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Praised by Opera News as a “vocally charismatic” performer with a “golden tenor,” Martin Bakari’s recent engagements include the title role in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird (Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Dayton Opera, New Orleans Opera, Indianapolis Opera), the tenor soloist in Carmina Burana (Cecilia Chorus of NY at Carnegie Hall), Kodály’s Psalmus Hungaricus (Grant Park Music Festival), Messiah (Oratorio Society of NY at Carnegie Hall), Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance (Virginia Opera, Kentucky Opera), Goro in Madama Butterfly (Dallas Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Utah Opera), Mime in Das Rheingold (Seattle Opera), Dr. Caius in Falstaff (Houston Grand Opera), Pong in Turandot (Opera Colorado), Don Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro (Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, Seattle Opera), The Cartography Project (Washington National Opera, The Kennedy Center), and a United Kingdom recital tour (Mirror Visions Ensemble). Internationally, he has also appeared at major venues in Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, Frankfurt, Cologne, Tel Aviv, and Bari. His 2025-26 season includes all three tenor roles in performances and a commercial recording of L’enfant et les sortilèges (Barcelona Symphony Orchestra), Ernesto in Don Pasquale (Opéra de Baugé), Sportin’ Life in Porgy and Bess (Dayton Opera), Goro in Madama Butterfly (Opera Colorado), Bill Watson/Lloyd the Bartender in The Shining (Nashville Opera), Zweiter Schäfer in Daphne (Seattle Opera), and the tenor soloist in Laitman’s Vedem (Music of Remembrance), The Ordering of Moses (The Syracuse Orchestra), Messiah (Pacific Symphony, Boise Philharmonic), and On Wenlock Edge (Cannon Beach Music Festival). A 2018 George London Competition award winner, Mr. Bakari’s recording of Grigory Smirnov’s Dowson Songs (Naxos) was featured by Opera News as a “Critic’s Choice” album. Mr. Bakari is an alumnus of the Juilliard School, Boston University, and the Tanglewood Music Center. www.martinbakari.com

Commanding bass Young Bok Kim has dazzled audiences in Turandot (Timur) with Opera Colorado in its 2022-23 Season and in Lucia di Lammermoor (Raimondo), Don Giovanni (Il Commendatore), Rigoletto (Sparafucile), The Magic Flute (Sarastro), the title role in Verdi’s Atilla, and in Verdi’s rarely-performed La Battaglia di Legnano (Barbarossa), all with Sarasota Opera. A favorite of both houses’ audiences, he will return to Colorado for Il trovatore (Ferrando) and Madama Butterfly (Bonze) and to Sarasota for The Barber of Seville (Don Basilio) and Stiffelio (Jorg)in upcoming seasons.

Young Bok is a native of Korea and appears frequently on Korean stages, most recently singing in Così fan tutte (Don Alfonso) with National Opera of Korea and the Seoul Metropolitan Opera. His other Korean credits include Lucia di Lammermoor (Raimondo) and The Magic Flute (Sarastro) with National Opera of Korea, Semiramide (Nino’s Ghost) with City Opera of Seoul, Britten’s Curlew River (Abbot) with Seoul Metropolitan Opera and Barber of Seville (Don Basilio) with City Opera of Seoul and Kim Sun International Opera.

In the U.S., Young Bok made his New York City Opera debut in La bohème (Colline). He went on to sing in many other productions with the company, including Carmen (Zuniga), The Magic Flute (Sarastro), and most notably in their televised Madama Butterfly (Bonze), which received the 2008 Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class — Classical Musical / Dance Program. Young Bok has sung with Kentucky Opera, Dallas Opera, Utah Opera, Opera North, Opera New Jersey, Opera Boston, Nashville Opera, Nevada Opera, El Paso Opera, Opera Delaware, Baltimore Concert Opera, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and Teatro Grattacielo, among other American companies.

An incredibly versatile artist, Young Bok’s extensive repertoire also includes the Bass soloist in Verdi’s Requiem, Jack Perla’s An American Dream (Papa Kobayashi), Aida (Ramfis), Don Carlos (Ferrando Phillip II), Otello (Lodovico/Montano), Simon Boccanegra (Fiesco), Roméo et Juliette (Frère Laurent), Dialogues des Carmélites (Marquis), L’amore dei tre re (Archibaldo), La forza del destino (Padre Guardiano), I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Capellio), Faust (Mephistopheles), Norma (Oroveso), La Gioconda (Alvise), Tosca (Angelotti), Samson and Delilah (Old Hebrew), Ariadne auf Naxos (Truffaldino), Eugene Onegin (Prince Gremin), The Rake’s Progress (Trulove), I masnadieri (Massimiliano), and Lakmé (Nilakantha).

Young Bok received both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music from Chung-Ang University in Korea. He then completed another Master’s degree and professional studies certificate at the Mannes College of Music and continued his studies at the Juilliard Opera Center. During his years at Mannes, Young Bok received the Marion Marcus Wahl Award for Excellence in performance. As a young artist, he made his Aspen Opera Theater Center debut as Colline with Maestro Julius Rudel and sang in Wozzeck (First Apprentice) with Maestro James Conlon.

Mason Fontanilla O’Brien is a baritone from Memphis, Tennessee, and is thrilled to join Opera Colorado’s Artist in Residence program for the 2025-26 Season. This year, he will appear on the Ellie Caulkins mainstage in La traviata (Barone Douphol) and Madama Butterfly (Prince Yamadori), and will perform in the touring productions of Romeo & Juliet (Mercutio) and The Pirates of Penzance (Major General). Mason holds a master’s degree from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky. Favorite past performances include Don Giovanni (Leporello) at Prague Summer Nights, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bottom) and Gianni Schicchi (Gianni Schicchi) at Lamont Opera, and Madama Butterfly (Imperial Commissioner) with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic.

Jordan McCready is a mezzo-soprano originally from Anchorage, AK. She completed her master’s degree in voice at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying with Catherine Cook. There, she performed in Riders to the Sea (Maurya), Così fan tutte (Dorabella), Serse (Serse), Zanetto (Zanetto), The Marriage of Figaro (Cherubino), and Hansel and Gretel (Hansel). She has performed chorus and cover roles at companies such as Des Moines Metro Opera (The Magic Flute chorus), Opera Parallèle (Harvey Milk Reimagined chorus), Anchorage Opera (chorus 2016-2018), and Pocket Opera (Fox cover in The Cunning Little Vixen). Jordan received a Metropolitan Opera Laffont Encouragement Award in 2024, was the winner of the Shirley Rabb Winston Scholarship through the National Society of Arts and Letters, received second place in the James Toland Young Artist Competition, and was the winner of the Anchorage Festival of Music Young Artist award in 2023. During the 2025-26 Season, Jordan is thrilled to be joining Opera Colorado as one of their Artists in Residence. She will sing in the touring productions of Romeo & Juliet (Stephano) and The Pirates of Penzance (Ruth). On the Ellie Caulkins mainstage, she will perform in La traviata (Flora) and Madama Butterfly (Kate Pinkerton). When Jordan is not performing, you can find her hiking, trail running, mountain biking, skiing, or doing anything that gets her outside.

Appointed in 2015 as Opera Colorado’s first-ever music director, Ari Pelto’s “breathtaking wizardry in the pit” (The Denver Post) has been widely celebrated, with Pelto in demand at opera houses and concert halls throughout the United States. At the age of 24, Pelto was appointed Assistant Conductor at the Spoleto Festival and he has since gone on to conduct worldwide. International engagements include performances with Bochumer Philharmoniker and opera productions at New National Theatre of Tokyo and the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito, Ecuador. In 2004 he made his highly-praised debut with New York City Opera, conducting La Traviata, after which he became a regular, returning for productions of Madama Butterfly, La bohème, and Carmen. Recent successes include Eugene Onegin at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Lucia di Lammermoor at Virginia Opera, and La Voix Humaine at Chicago Opera Theater.

Iranian conductor and pianist, Sahar Nouri, has been Music Director of Lamont Opera Theater at University of Denver since 2019. She has also served at Opera Colorado as Chorus Master & Assistant Conductor since 2016. Ms. Nouri is the founder/director of Dandelion Opera Institute.

At the University of Denver, Ms. Nouri has conducted productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Die Zauberflöte, Alcina, Cabildo, Les mamelles de Tirésias, and The Little Prince.

Her work with Opera Colorado has included productions of Samson and Delilah, The Flying Dutchman, Don Giovanni, Turandot, Die tote Stadt, Rigoletto, Carmen, The Shining, Tosca, Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci, The Marriage of Figaro, La traviata, Falstaff, The Barber of Seville, La bohème, La fanciulla del West, and the world premiere of Steal a Pencil for Me (Gerald Cohen).

Previously, Ms. Nouri has been part of the music staff at San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra at Bravo! Vail, Opera Parallèle, Opera North Carolina, Glimmerglass Festival, Utah Opera, Aspen Opera Theatre, Opera Steamboat, Merola Opera, Boston Conservatory of Music, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

An active performer, she has given numerous recitals around the US including those alongside international stars Mane Galoyan, Heidi Melton, and Matthew Polenzani. A multi-lingual coach, she has studied in Czechia, Italy, and Austria and is frequently in demand as a language coach.

Ms. Nouri is a former violinist who has performed with Tehran Philharmonic Orchestra and has won several prizes, for both violin and piano, in national music festivals and competitions in Iran.

Chinese-born stage director Mo Zhou is a visionary force in opera and theater, celebrated for her innovative and dynamic productions that transcend traditional boundaries. Her work has graced esteemed stages worldwide, including Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Elbphilharmonie, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in China. In addition, Ms. Zhou currently serves as a guest Artistic Director at Opera Grand Rapids.

Last season, Ms. Zhou directed the Butler Studio Showcase at Houston Grand Opera, revived her acclaimed Madama Butterfly with Florentine Opera and Kentucky Opera, directed La Bohème for Arizona Opera, revived Meilina Tsui and Melisa Tien’s The Big Swim for Houston Grand Opera in conjunction with the Asia Society Texas Center, and directed new production of Così fan tutte for Virginia Opera, which she also staged for The Juilliard School. Last spring, Ms. Zhou made her Canadian début directing Madama Butterfly for Vancouver Opera and finished up the season with a new production of Don Giovanni for Music Academy of the West. This season, Ms. Zhou’s engagements include a début with Opera Colorado for Madama Butterfly, the Michigan premiere of Stuck Elevator for Opera Grand Rapids, and a new production of Madama Butterfly for Calgary Opera, Arizona Opera, and Opera Grand Rapids.

Her 2023-2024 season featured the world premiere of Meilina Tsui and Melisa Tien’s The Big Swim, a reimagined Madama Butterfly set in post-WWII Allied-occupied Japan at Virginia Opera, Tosca with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and La Calisto for the Glimmerglass Festival. Previous highlights include Rinaldo at Minnesota Opera and Iphigénie en Tauride with Boston Baroque. She is a recipient of the OPERA America Grants for Women Stage Directors and Conductors as well as OPERA America Robert Tobin Director-Designer Prize.

An advocate for young talent, Ms. Zhou has taught at the University of Michigan and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory and has served as guest dramatic faculty at prestigious programs like the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Butler Studio at Houston Grand Opera, and Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. Ms. Zhou received her training at The Juilliard School, Merola Opera Program, Wolf Trap Opera, and Glimmerglass Festival. She has also worked on the directing staff at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and Dallas Opera. She holds an MFA in Stage Directing from Columbia University, where she studied under Anne Bogart, and a BA in English and Theater from Bowdoin College.