Composer

The relationship between Cio-Cio-San, called »Butterfly«, and US American marine officer Benjamin F. Pinkerton begins as a proforma wedding – with unexpected consequences: the young Japanese woman cuts herself off from her family, hoping to leave her impoverished origins behind; Pinkerton, on the other hand, despite his overwhelming desires, doesn’t feel committed to this »provisional marriage«. When he’s ordered home Cio-Cio-San’s left behind, expecting his baby. She waits unwaveringly for his return; her only rock is her faithful servant Suzuki. But when Pinkerton’s ship re-docks in Nagasaki, the illusion shatters: He married another woman in America. When Butterfly realises they intend to take her child as well, she sees no other way out; she commits ritual suicide, as her father before her. Doing away with superficial clichés, the director R.B. Schlather focuses on the human tragedy, for which Puccini, Master of Melody found such heart-rending music.

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Madama Butterfly

Oper Frankfurt

Beijing, in a fairytale setting: At the imperial court, Princess Turandot has made her own marriage a law: Anyone wishing to marry her must answer three riddles correctly; anyone who fails is executed. When a stranger appears, he decides to take on the challenge. He is the only one who succeeds in solving the riddles and, in turn, gives the princess a task: If Turandot can reveal his name by dawn, he is prepared to renounce her hand and die.
Behind the murderous brutality of Turandot's law and her cold-blooded rejection of all suitors lies a deep transgenerational trauma. These unsolvable tasks serve only as self-protection: An ancestor was brutally abused and murdered by her husband. Jakob Peters-Messer's production examines Puccini's fairytale opera for this deep psychological cause and simultaneously reveals the inherent ambivalence of tragedy and grotesque comedy.

Turandot

Staatstheater Hannover

Described by Strad Magazine as being, “vigorous, extrovert and emphatic players with a vitality all their own,” the Nisaika Quartet’s origins go back to the 1980s at the Curtis Institute of Music. Four chamber-music-hungry friends and classmates, coached by Karen Tuttle and Felix Galimir, went on to win Deuxième Prix at the 8e Concours International de Quatuors à Cordes, a moment described as one of the greatest adventures of their musical lives. After finishing their undergraduate studies, this group of tenacious young musicians went their separate ways to pursue graduate and job opportunities, but always found themselves connected through the years. Now, after more than four decades and four illustrious careers as performers and pedagogues, the Nisaika Quartet reunites for a very special performance, featuring works by Webern, Beethoven, Puccini and Brahms.

Masterful Strings: Nisaika 2.0- String Quartet Reunion with Friends

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

The U.S. Forces show their presence world-wide: American Lieutenant Pinkerton has an affair in Nagasaki with Cio-Cio San, "Madame Butterfly". He sails away. She then has his child. Three years later he returns to Japan – accompanied by his American wife and wants to take the child with him. Butterfly commits suicide.

Max-Joseph-Platz

Immerse yourself in Puccini’s timeless masterpiece, Madama Butterfly, a story of hope, longing, and ultimate sacrifice. With some of the most exquisite arias and tender duets ever composed, this deeply moving opera follows the young geisha Cio Cio San as she dreams of a life of love with Pinkerton, an American naval officer. As the tale unfolds, betrayal and heartbreak cast their shadow, leading to an unforgettable climax. Experience an operatic journey of unmatched beauty and emotional depth that has captivated audiences for generations.

Phoenix Convention Center

Linda Ronstadt Music Hall

Puccini’s masterpiece is beloved for a reason! La Bohème captures the raw beauty of youth, love, and loss in artistic Paris. Puccini’s lush score paints a portrait of passion that flickers brightly before fading into silence.

We return to St. Rogers Depot to transform the event venue into a fully realized theatrical space. By doing so, we not only maintain high production standards but also elevate the audience experience through amenities such as a VIP Lounge, attentive service, and convenient parking.

La Bohème

St. Rogers Depot

A love story of passion, sacrifice, and heartbreak, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly delivers some of the most exquisite music ever written. The young geisha Cio-Cio-San gives up everything for love, only to face devastating betrayal in a story that unfolds with haunting beauty and emotional depth. With achingly beautiful lyricism and gut-wrenching tragedy, one of opera’s most powerful productions will stay with you long after the final note.

Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts

A program of legendary figures—both real and imagined—features the Annapolis debut of two-time Grammy-winning soprano Angel Blue performing a selection of operatic works. Known for her radiant voice and commanding stage presence, Blue has graced the world’s leading opera houses. In this special performance, she shares her extraordinary artistry with ASO audiences, including a repertoire of extraordinary and timeless pieces, making this an experience you don’t want to miss!

Legends

Maryland Hall

This passionate program features Bernstein’s iconic Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, John Williams’s Cello Concerto with the brilliant Oliver Herbert, and Tchaikovsky’s timeless Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture. Plus, enjoy romantic opera favorites sung by the incredible Sarah Beckham-Turner. A perfect date night or a beautiful evening out!

Romance at the Symphony

Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts

The Future is Now

Aurora University

In 2020, the National Opera in Warsaw celebrated the 55th anniversary of the reconstruction of its historic home on Teatralny Square. The ambitious project of raising the theatre from ruins was completed 20 years after the war, with the grand opening of the modernized Grand Theatre on November 19, 1965. Shortly thereafter, the Warsaw Opera ensemble, including its distinguished choir, moved in from its temporary home on Nowogrodzka Street.

Chorus Opera

Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

Get out of the way The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Here comes the original Italian Spaghetti Western!  Puccini’s follow-up to his operatic masterpiece Madame Butterfly sets its exciting tale in the American Wild, Wild West, and is filled with all the fantastic music the composer is famous for.

Set during the California Gold Rush, this unique opera features passionate arias, blazing orchestra colors, and hair trigger excitement as the Wild West comes alive.

The Girl of the Golden West

Belmont University

Before Giacomo Puccini began composing La Bohème , which became one of the most frequently performed operas in the world, he was planning an opera about the life of Buddha. At the same time, he was drawn to the eroticism of La She-Wolf , set in Sicily. He was dissuaded from this latter project by Wagner's stepdaughter, Liszt's granddaughter, who was horrified by the story's intense brutality. With the help of the seasoned librettists Luigi Illica and Giovanni Giacosa, Puccini embarked on a free adaptation of Scenes from the Life of the Bohemians , a celebrated book by Henry Murger that unvarnishedly depicts the miserable existence of the Parisian "artistic proletariat." The book captivated me immediately. I felt like part of a family: freshness, youth, passion, gaiety, tears shed in silence, a love that gives joy and demands suffering. There are people, feelings, and heart. But above all, there is poetry, divine Poetry ," Puccini enthused, finding in Murger many familiar experiences. After the success of Manon Lescaut (1892), he was able to buy a villa in Torre del Lago, but he still remembered the hungry and cold student years he had spent in Milan.

La bohème

This double bill features two of Puccini’s beloved works: Suor Angelica is a deeply moving spiritual drama set to Puccini’s most beautiful music. Gianni Schicchi offers a comedic take on family rivalry and greed.

Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi

Blumenthal Performing Arts Center

Come in from the cold and join the Rochester Symphony String Quartet for a casual concert in the warmth of candlelight at the beautiful Historic Chateau Theatre. Musicians will perform some of their favorite chamber music selections along with commentary. To further warm your spirits, Bitter and Pour will provide mulled wine and seasonal cocktails/mocktail for purchase.

Cold Weather, Warm Music

Peace Plaza

When the revolutionary and painter Mario Cavaradossi secretly attempts to help a political fugitive to escape the city of Rome, his lover, the famed singer Floria Tosca, believes he is cheating on her with another woman. Her jealousy is exploited by Scarpia, the unscrupulous chief of police, in order to help him capture Cavaradossi. Scarpia then makes Tosca an offer: if she gives herself to him for one night, he will release her lover.

Tosca

Bebelplatz

Cultures collide in Puccini’s poignant tale of a loyal geisha and a callous American naval officer whose fleeting romance leaves only devastation behind. In an exciting casting coup, three of today’s leading sopranos make their Met role debuts as Cio-Cio-San in a single season: Ailyn Pérez, Sonya Yoncheva, and Elena Stikhina. Tenors SeokJong Baek, Adam Smith—in his Met debut—and Matthew Polenzani co-star as Pinkerton in Anthony Minghella’s production, an “inspired vision” (The New York Times) that has become a classic.

Lincoln Center

Three riddles must be solved by anyone who wants to marry the beautiful and ice-cold Princess Turandot. Anyone who fails them will be punished with death. But Prince Kalaf, who is unknown in the kingdom, passes the trial. Turandot desperately searches for a way to escape marriage to the much-hated man... With “Nessun dorma”, Puccini created one of the most famous tenor arias in opera literature. For the Taiwanese director Huan-Hsiung Li, Puccini's opera is a fairy tale, which he tells in the form of a dream that drifts back to the ancient Yuan dynasty.

Turan­dot

Theater Duisburg

German Oper am Rhein

If any opera can break your heart, it surely is Madama Butterfly, the story of an innocent young Japanese girl, who — as her nickname foreshadows — is crushed by one of opera’s most callous cads, naval officer Lieutenant Pinkerton, who promises her a forever love. She is willing to give up her family and her religion to become a good “American” wife. From the ecstatic love duet on their wedding night, to the famous “humming chorus,” as she and her servant Suzuki await Pinkerton’s return, to the anguish of her suicide to preserve her honor — this deeply moving opera will resonate long after the last note has sounded. Performed by a star-studded cast of singers, orchestra and chorus, led by Luisi, a masterful opera conductor, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly is this season’s stunning opera in concert.

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly

Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

A bucket list of favorite travel destinations is truly timeless. In this vibrant New Year's concert, Casco Phil charts a musical Grand Tour through Europe's major cultural capitals. The ensemble follows in the footsteps of generations of young travelers who, between the 17th and 19th centuries, embarked on exclusive journeys through the continent to soak up the best of its art and culture.

New Year's Concerts – The Grand Tour

Cultuurcentrum Ter Dilft

Sint-Laurentiuskerk

Municipal Theater Mechelen

The Velinx

During the Twelfth Night weekend, Norrlandsoperan" class="css-u850">Norrlandsoperan opens its doors for a glittering, high-class opera gala with carefully selected treats for opera connoisseurs and beginners alike. Swedish rising star Rebecka Wallroth makes her debut at Norrlandsoperan and as the male counterpart we hear the well-known tenor Per Lindström.

The evening begins in the good spirit of La Scala with Italian splendor. Rebecka Wallroth sets the tone with the famous Rossini aria “Una voce poco fa” from The Barber of Seville followed by the duet “Un soave non so che” from Cinderella by the same composer. This is followed by another soprano number from the bel canto repertoire, this time from Bellini’s opera I Capuleti ei Montecchi . The first set is rounded off in grand style by Per Lindström with Puccini’s beloved tenor arias “E lucevan le stelle” from Tosca and “Che gelida manina” from La Bohème.

Thirteenth Day Concert

Norrlandsoperan

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly cannot accept that her great love is doomed to end in heartbreak.

Semperoper Dresden

The «Japanese tragedy» by Giacomo Puccini shows how the American naval officer Pinkerton embraces Japanese culture, marrying Cio-Cio-San, a young geisha, for the duration of his stay. When he later returns with his «real» wife to take the child he had with Cio-Cio-San back to his homeland, the young woman is left with only one way out. With his ambitious composition, Puccini combined Eastern and Western motifs, producing one of his most successful operas at the start of the 20th century. Director Ted Huffman brings the opera to the stage in stunningly beautiful images and with great narrative tension.

Zurich Opera House

A sparkling New Year's celebration with Martyn Brabbins and guests! 

With glitter and champagne we celebrate the new year atMalmö Live Concert Halland hearMalmö Symphony Orchestrashine with sparkling virtuosity.  

New Year's Gala 2025

Malmo Live Concert Hall

Depending on the demand for their work, the penniless poet Rodolfo and his three witty artist friends live either in destitution or in the lap of luxury, squandering their money. When their neighbour Mimì appears in their garret one day, Rodolfo falls in love with the fragile young woman at first sight. But in the face of Mimì’s illness, the struggling artists are caught up in harsh reality.

Their relationship goes through ups and downs as they share the joys and challenges of an artist's life with their friends Marcello, Musetta, Schaunard and Colline. But tragic circumstances and the poverty of the times put their love to the test. A timeless story of love, loss and the pursuit of beauty.

Vienna State Opera

Heartache, heartbreak, the whole nine yards – four starving artists – love in a shabby attic loft – the swank boulevards where people live life with a capital "L", but Mimi is destined to die. Her tiny hand: ice cold! Otto Schenk's incredibly opulent, eternally valid production continues to fascinate audiences. All of Paris is magically transported onto the stage here.  So beautiful you could cry!

In 1853, the US battle fleet forced Japan to open its ports and enter into business with America. “The vigorous pressing of America’s handshake given kindly, but offered with zeal and capable of both striking and embracing at the same time – rocked the isolation of the Japanese and made them sensitive for their relationship towards the rest of the world“, according to the recollection of Captain M. C. Perry, then commander of the fleet. Puccini himself never visited Japan, but with his “Japanese tragedy“ about the geisha Cio-Cio-San and her love for American Naval officer Pinkerton, he created an affecting testimony for any form of one-sided cultural transfer. By choosing the “American way of life“ Cio-Cio-San accepts a cut-off from her past and her cultural traditions, but is left behind, pregnant and full of hope for the future which is finally cruelly dashed.

Stuttgart Opera

A delightful collection of your favorite Christmas carols and light classics, including music by Johann Strauss, Bizet, Puccini, Mancini, Sousa and others. Soprano Kristin Vogel returns to celebrate the season with inspiring holiday songs and famous operatic arias. Acclaimed for her powerful lyric voice and onstage intensity, Soprano Kristin Vogel has been lauded for roles that require dramatic passion and sensitive musicality, such as Puccini’s Tosca, Mimi in La Bohème and Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Performing regularly in Europe and the United States, she divides her time between Vienna and the Pacific Northwest.

Holiday Pops

Edmonds Center For the Arts

“Have you tortured me enough?”
Floria Tosca lives entirely for music and her love for the artist Mario Cavaradossi. When Cavaradossi is sentenced to death for his political activism against an inhumane regime, the singer too is on the brink. The jealous Baron Scarpia tries to blackmail Tosca: If she wants to save her lover from execution, she must give herself to Scarpia. Tosca pretends to accept the deal – and stabs Scarpia. But the path to freedom is deceptive. Scarpia's power extends beyond death.
In hardly any other opera are personal passion and political arbitrariness so closely intertwined and yet so cruelly exposed as in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca from 1900. The relentless reckoning with abuse of power and machinations, coupled with a deeply moving love story, continues to electrify audiences today, with a score that combines gripping drama and nerve-wracking tension with moments of enchanting beauty. Arias like Tosca's "Vissi d'arte" and Cavaradossi's "É lucevan le stelle" are not without reason considered icons of Italian vocal art.

Lieutenant Pinkerton is attached to an American ship currently moored in Nagasaki harbour. He has been courting a 15-year-old geisha girl named Cio-Cio-san, known as Butterfly, who is from a poor but genteel family and takes love very seriously. Pinkerton wants to enter into a “time-limited marriage” – not uncommon between European men and geishas at the time – and is even being helped by Goro, the marriage agent, to find a cottage in which they can spend their honeymoon. The US consul, Sharpless, warns him against such a step, but Pinkerton brushes him off and even toasts the day when he will take an American to be his “real” wife.

Madame Butterfly

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Cio-Cio-San, on the other hand, takes the marriage very seriously. She converts to the Christian faith and accepts the break with her family. Pinkerton returns to the USA.

Hilarity and glorious music abound in this Puccini one-act comedy as the Donati family’s grief over their “Dear Uncle Buoso’s” death quickly turns to greed as they scheme to keep their inheritance. The cleaver and creative Gianni Schicchi comes to the rescue – or does he? Featuring the beloved aria “O mio babbino caro,” brilliant ensembles, and lively characters, it is no wonder that Gianni Schicchi a perennial favorite among opera lovers and newcomers alike.

Mason Opera presents, Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi

Hylton Performing Arts Center

Ermonela Jaho stars in Puccini’s bittersweet romance, his opera La rondine, incorporating music that has not been heard this century. 

Ruggero is young and wealthy, with his whole life before him. Magda is beautiful, worldly and wise – surely too wise to fall in love all over again? But amid the delights of belle-époque Paris, romance can be as intoxicating as champagne – and the heart, as they say, has its own reasons. In Puccini’s opera La rondine, they’ve never sounded sweeter.

Inspired by Viennese operetta, La rondine is a bittersweet love story, set to some of the most romantic melodies that even Puccini ever wrote. But it’s also portrait of a world waltzing on the edge; a deeply moving study of innocence and (tender) experience. This one-off concert performance from the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Opera Rara stars Ermonela Jaho as Magda, and uses the newly restored final 1921 version of the score, incorporating music which is completely unknown today. Prepare to be seduced.

Puccini’s La rondine

Barbican Centre

Ruggero is young and wealthy, with his whole life before him. Magda is beautiful, worldly and wise – surely too wise to fall in love all over again? But amid the delights of belle-époque Paris, romance can be as intoxicating as champagne – and the heart, as they say, has its own reasons. In Puccini’s opera La rondine, they’ve never sounded sweeter.

Puccini's 'La rondine'

Lieutenant Pinkerton has fallen in love with the geisha Cio-Cio-San, known as Madama Butterfly, and wants to marry her according to Japanese custom without entering into a permanent relationship. But Butterfly truly loves Pinkerton and has a child by him. For years she waits in vain for the lieutenant to return. When Pinkerton does return, he arrives with his new American wife to pick up the child, and Butterfly stabs herself with a dagger.

The 5,500 pipes of The Bridgewater Hall organ sing as Associate Artist Jonathan Scott performs a programme of some of the greatest music from the world of opera.

Jonathan Scott: The Organ at the Opera

The Bridgewater Hall

Rodolfo is a struggling poet burning his manuscripts to keep out the winter chill. Mimi is a fellow tenant with big dreams and a deadly illness. A chance meeting has them falling in love, but when you’re at the bottom of Parisian society, every day could be your last. 

Puccini’s blockbuster opera returns to our stage starring Janai Brugger as the sweet but suffering Mimi and Oreste Cosimo as the lovestruck Rodolfo, with Gihoon Kim and Erica Petrocelli as the on-again-off-again lovers Marcello and Musetta.

Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados leads Puccini’s transcendent score, awash in lavish Romanticism and gorgeous melodies. Director Brenna Corner helms a timeless production from Herbert Ross that the LA Times calls a “warm, nostalgic evocation of Paris in Puccini’s time.”

The Music Center

Heart-pounding drama, intense passion, and soaring melodies are a killer combination in this fateful day in the life of the diva Tosca.

In revolutionary Rome, the fiery, famous singer lives for art and love but finds herself in a life-and-death struggle when her lover, the painter Cavaradossi, is caught trying to protect a freedom fighter. Scarpia, the corrupt chief of police will stop at nothing to satisfy his lust for her. In this game of deadly political intrigue will Tosca submit to Scarpia’s desires or see her lover die? Can Scarpia’s evil reach from beyond the grave?

This spell-binding classic features some of Puccini’s best: “Vissi d’arte,” the opera’s most famous aria in which Tosca sings that she’s always lived her life for art and love; Cavaradossi’s “Recondita armonia”; Scarpia’s “Te Deum,” sung with self-satisfied villainy and madness; and “E lucevan le stelle,” Cavaradossi’s farewell to Tosca.

Centennial Concert Hall

It is the largest charity event of its kind organised by the German Red Cross in Germany: the festive opera gala of the Duisburg Red Cross is a highlight in the social life of the city and is in demand far beyond its borders. Soloists from the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein and the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of chief conductor Vitali Alekseenok will once again present a glittering musical programme for the 19th edition, waiving their fees in aid of the DRK.

DRK Gala

CityPalais

From Paris with love comes a tale of friendship and romance that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure.

Opera North - La bohème

Theatre Royal Nottingham

Ettinger Grigorian

San Carlo Theatre

It is a game of life and death initiated by the elusive Princess Turandot: each suitor for her hand must solve three riddles. Failure means execution. And so far, no prince has been able to win the great prize. But then a stranger arrives in the kingdom of Turandot, Prince Calaf, who is determined to take on the challenge. When he solves the riddles and claims the princess in marriage as agreed, he encounters a frightened woman who refuses to wed the stranger – and now the princess becomes the tortured one, for she must find out the prince’s name in order to keep her freedom. Unfinished at his death, Giacomo Puccini’s final opera was premiered as a fragment in 1926. This is a multi-layered masterpiece of great emotional intensity, musical brilliance and unique in its use of exotic Chinese melody. French stage director Marie-Eve Signeyrole makes her Semperoper debut with this operatic thriller.

Puccini’s world-famous opera Madama Butterfly takes center stage this November. A dashing American officer marries a young geisha, and she gives up everything for love. Puccini’s soaring music follows her as she waits, dreaming of the day he’ll meet their child. But his return brings a devastating twist in this story of passion, betrayal, and heartbreak. César Delgado returns to Opera San José as the dashing yet unfaithful Pinkerton, with Emily Jensen making her Opera San José debut as the young Cio-cio San. Former Director in Residence Michelle Cuizon returns to OSJ to direct with Music Director Maestro Joseph Marcheso conducting.

California Theatre

Based on Henry Murger’s 1851 novel Scènes de la vie de bohème, Puccini’s soaring arias tell the tender tale of Mimi and Rodolfo as they face the perils of poverty. A story that transcends time and place, its message of love through adversity resonates deeply with our community’s spirit. In its characters we see ourselves—the artists, the dreamers, and the everyday people, who face challenges but never lose sight of love and connection.  

Keller Auditorium

OLPH Catholic Academy of Brooklyn

The highest purpose of poetry is to teach us to love.
 The greatest love story in opera, La Bohème remains eternally young. Set to a ravishing score, Puccini’s classic opera tells of the lives, loves, and losses of a group of young artists in a Bohemian quarter of Paris.

Whether you are new to opera or a long-time fan, don’t miss this moving work that audiences have adored for over a century, brought to life by a dynamic cast. La Bohème simply has no equal. Come fall in love all over again.

Overture Center for the Arts

As in all operas by Puccini, TOSCA is an illustration of how human attentiveness and pleasures of the palate can be mutually dependent if the composer’s artistic intentions become a benchmark for directorial interpretation. Puccini’s humane attentiveness is essentially dependent on an outcry and/or a sense of resignation. The pity inherent in his music does not content itself with abstract gestures; it wants to unsettle, to bring about change. Out of the “small things” named by Puccini as the source of his inspiration and the focus of his music “big things” grow – as long as we want them. Puccini’s choice of material owes something, directly or indirectly, to the spirit of Zola, Gorki and Hauptmann, and the link between that material and his compositional style places him likewise as a direct descendant of Verdi and an exponent of verismo. He was also known as an admirer of Wagner, although a Wagner imitator he assuredly was not.

A young Japanese woman falls for an American naval officer who promises more than he plans to deliver. A transporting story with a gutting conclusion.

Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

Set in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the late 1930s, La Bohème follows a group of young struggling artists as they experience the trials and tribulations of lives lived in art and love as the spectre of world war surrounds them. Centered around the somewhat toxic relationship between Rodolfo and Mimì as their passion flickers against the harsh truth of poverty and illness. Puccini’s beloved score breathes passion into every moment of the timeless libretto by Illica and Giacosa.

Riverview Theatre

Chayse Hoefler – Senior Recital

Hamel Music Center

This fall, step into a world of passion, sacrifice, and unforgettable music as A Night To Remember returns to the Belk Theater for a powerful evening honoring the iconic heroines of Giacomo Puccini.

A Night to Remember

Step into a world of elegance, artistry, and pure musical magic as the legendary Renée Fleming makes her Koerner Hall debut in a spectacular gala event - the most anticipated cultural evening of the season!

For those who seek the ultimate gala experience, an exclusive pre-concert cocktail reception and exquisite dinner set the stage for an unforgettable evening. This is the only way to secure the finest seats in Koerner Hall, offering unparalleled views and an opportunity to celebrate in the company of fellow arts patrons - all in support of The Royal Conservatory’s mission to develop human potential through leadership in music and the arts.

An Intimate Evening with Renée Fleming

The Royal Conservatory of Music

Gripping drama, heartfelt emotion, and clever comedy: Il trittico comes to HGO in the company’s first-ever full presentation of Puccini’s masterful trio of one-act operas. Led by acclaimed director James Robinson, the evening begins with Il tabarro, a tale of passion and betrayal set on the Seine, where the lives of a barge captain, his young wife, and her lover intertwine in a tragic crescendo.

Il trittico

Wortham Theater Center

Under the elegant direction of British conductor Leo Hussain and with the radiant presence of South African soprano Nombulelo Yende – Pretty's little sister – pure emotion, orchestral virtuosity and the dramatic power of lyric art come together. The program opens with a sparkling suite from Mozart's Idomeneo where grace meets dramatic intensity. Then, let yourself be enchanted by Puccini and his piece for strings composed in one night under the influence of intense emotion. The famous Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila by Saint-Saëns then sets the stage ablaze with its oriental colors and captivating rhythms. Finally, Richard Strauss closes this exceptional evening with excerpts from Capriccio , his "conversation in music" where the introductory Sextet, of unequaled harmonic subtlety, precedes the Final Scene, sublimated by the unique timbre of Nombulelo Yende. A dazzling tribute between classical grandeur, Puccinian lyricism, sensual exoticism and Straussian sophistication.

The great masters

Opéra Comédie

Opera for everyone: BMW Classics Concert

Sportanlage Sendling-Westpark

With its enchanting setting and spellbinding score, the world’s most popular opera is as timeless as it is heartbreaking. Franco Zeffirelli’s picture-perfect production brings 19th-century Paris to the Met stage as Puccini’s young friends and lovers navigate the joy and struggle of bohemian life. Sopranos Juliana Grigoryan, Angel Blue, and Aleksandra Kurzak trade off as the feeble seamstress Mimì, opposite tenors Freddie De Tommaso, Stephen Costello, Adam Smith, and Long Long as the ardent poet Rodolfo.

If silence had a sound, what would you hear? Maybe something like the massive stillness that opens Mahler’s First Symphony. A magical spring dawn, or the creation of life itself? It’s the starting point for a young artist’s journey through tragedy and triumph – a voyage through life and death, birdsong and fanfares, funeral marches and Viennese waltzes.

Mahler x Bernstein

Royal Albert Hall

In an ice-cold attic in Paris, the poet Rodolfo, the painter Marcello, the philosopher Colline, and the musician Schaunard dream of fame, art, and love: poor in money, yet rich in ideals. A chance knock at the door changes everything: Mimì enters Rodolfo's life. A love ignites, full of passion and hope – but Mimì is terminally ill. It soon becomes clear that even the greatest love cannot defy life's adversities...

Globe Coburg

The UK’s most popular classical music station returns to the Royal Albert Hall for a 25th anniversary musical extravaganza – Classic FM Live at 25!

Classic FM Live with Viking

The celebrated singer Tosca lives only for art, until political intrigue suddenly disturbs her life and that of her lover, the painter Cavaradossi: When Cavaradossi hides the political refugee Angelotti, he is targeted by the unscrupulous police chief Scarpia, who has long had his eye on Tosca. To save Cavaradossi, Tosca not only has to betray Angelotti, but also give herself to Scarpia. Premiered in 1900, Puccini’s »Tosca« is practically unique in its close interweaving of political power and personal passions. The German premiere of this opera about love, jealousy, betrayal and tyranny was held in Dresden in 1902. Director Johannes Schaaf has found a timeless narrative style for his staging.

Set against the backdrop of 1830’s Paris, La Bohème follows four impoverished artists surviving with little more than friendship, passion, and their love for art.

When Roldolfo, a poet, and Mimì, a young seamstress, meet, the two are drawn into a tumultuous and passionate affair with a love that can only be broken by death.
La Bohème will make you laugh, and bring you to tears, with its timeless story and captivating music.

Benedum Center for the Performing Arts

Prepare for an unforgettable night at the opera as Tosca storms the stage of The Grand Opera House with passion, power, and Puccini’s heartstopping music.

Set against the backdrop of political unrest in 1800s Rome, Tosca is a white-hot thriller of love, betrayal, and resistance. When the celebrated singer Floria Tosca finds herself ensnared in the cruel schemes of the corrupt chief of police, Baron Scarpia, she is forced to make an impossible choice—to save her beloved Mario Cavaradossi or to maintain her integrity. What follows is a riveting, edge-of-your-seat descent into sacrifice and vengeance, culminating in one of the most unforgettable endings in operatic history.

Puccini’s Tosca

The Grand Opera House

Prepare for an unforgettable night at the opera as Tosca storms the stage of The Grand Opera House with passion, power, and Puccini’s heartstopping music.
Set against the backdrop of political unrest in 1800s Rome, Tosca is a white-hot thriller of love, betrayal, and resistance. When the celebrated singer Floria Tosca finds herself ensnared in the cruel schemes of the corrupt chief of police, Baron Scarpia, she is forced to make an impossible choice—to save her beloved Mario Cavaradossi or to maintain her integrity. What follows is a riveting, edge-of-your-seat descent into sacrifice and vengeance, culminating in one of the most unforgettable endings in operatic history.

What would opera be without its unforgettable arias? La Traviata , Romeo and Juliet , The Barber of Seville … These melodies that inhabit us, these emotions that transport us, are at the heart of this exceptional concert. Under the inspired baton of Marco Crispo, the Montpellier Orchestra, accompanied by the Opera Choir, invites us to rediscover the greatest masterpieces of the Franco-Italian lyric repertoire. Soprano Sheva Tehoval, dazzling with virtuosity and expressiveness, will bring to life the moving arias that make the magic of opera. A festive concert accessible to all, with these timeless arias that you will find yourself humming when you get home!

Revise your lyrical classics

The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul: a trading place of civilisations, in which the tales told are as countless as the treasures for sale. The eternal city of Rome, where la dolce vita thrives amid the memory of far older – and more savage – celebrations. An Irish legend of banshees and night terrors, retold by two of 21st century Britain’s liveliest musical voices and highlighting the wonderfully communicative gifts of saxophone virtuoso Jess Gillam.

Nil Venditti conducts Clyne, Puccini, Respighi and Say

If you've never been through these doors, this is the perfect opportunity. Come enjoy a free and exceptional evening: discover a place steeped in history, listen to a live orchestral concert with choir, or simply spend a unique moment with friends. On the evening's program: the "Revise your operatic classics" concert, a food court, competitions... and many other surprises!

Opera for Students

Four cellists play everything from classical to rock to Bollywood at the library

Splntrd Wood

Edendale Branch Library

Whether singing, dancing, or instrumental music – you can expect a diverse program in an intimate setting, performed by ensemble members, dancers from the Graz Ballet, members of the Graz Philharmonic, and guests. Admission is free!

Espresso concert

Oper Graz

Enjoy a seated dinner with drinks, meet and be serenaded by the stars of La Bohème while you mingle with friends old and new.

Opera Night – La Bohème

East Ridge Country Club

At the now traditional recitals, you will experience internationally renowned singers not in the usual opera productions, but with specially compiled song and aria programs.

Recital Rolando Villazon

Koo Conducts Barber

Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture

Puccini's La bohème stands as one of the world's most celebrated and frequently performed operas. This heartbreaking masterpiece, brought to life through Puccini's enchanting score, continues to captivate loyal enthusiasts while drawing in a new generation of opera-goers.

In Barbe & Doucet’s colourful production set in 1920s Paris, four struggling bohemians' lives are changed when they meet a seamstress called Mimì. A blossoming romance becomes short-lived when they discover that Mimì is ill. Struggling to survive in the lavish yet unforgiving city, these charismatic characters are met with the harsh realities of poverty and misfortune.

Puccini La bohème

Festival Theatre

Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Theatre Royal Glasgow

Eden Court Inverness

His Majesty's Theatre

Power. Passion. And a diva who refuses to go quietly. Puccini’s Tosca is a gripping tale of love, jealousy, and political intrigue set against the backdrop of a turbulent Rome. The glamorous and fiercely devout opera singer Floria Tosca is caught in a deadly triangle between her lover, the idealistic painter Cavaradossi, and the sadistic chief of police, Baron Scarpia. 

Towson University

The story of Cio-Cio-San is one of Giacomo Puccini's most beautiful love operas. And to think, the premiere of this production in 1904 at La Scala in Milan was one of the composer's most bitter experiences. The atmosphere in the audience was unbearable. The audience chanted "La Bohème!!!" – accusing the composer of duplicating musical passages, booed, and yawned loudly. The performance was a complete failure. Critics also lambasted the composer. Only after several changes were made and a performance at the Teatro Grande in Brescia did the opera triumph. Seven encores were required, and from then on, it has been a popular addition to the repertoire of opera houses around the world.

Set in medieval Florence, Gianni Schicchi is a sharp-witted one-act comic opera that explores themes of greed, deception, justice, and the power of love. When the wealthy Buoso Donati dies, his family is horrified to discover that he has left his entire fortune to a monastery. Desperate to keep the inheritance for themselves, they turn to the clever and street-smart Gianni Schicchi for help.

In a daring and hilarious scheme, Schicchi impersonates the dead man to dictate a new will—outsmarting the greedy relatives by securing the best parts of the estate for himself. Meanwhile, a heartfelt subplot unfolds as young lovers Rinuccio (Buoso’s nephew) and Lauretta (Schicchi’s daughter) hope that Schicchi’s scheme will also secure their future together.

With its biting satire, lively score, and iconic aria “O mio babbino caro,” Gianni Schicchi cleverly exposes the hypocrisy of high society while affirming that cunning and love can prevail—even in a world driven by selfishness.

Gianni Schicchi

Tri-Cities Opera Center

Grammy-winning soprano Renée Fleming draws inspiration from the vivid imagery of nature's beauty and the urgent need to protect our planet in Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene. This program seamlessly blends timeless classical works with modern compositions, reflecting our evolving relationship with the environment.

Renée Fleming, soprano

Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Princess Turandot never wants to belong to a man. To deter her suitors, she has passed a cruel law: anyone who wishes to marry her must first solve three riddles. If they fail, they are executed. Countless men have already met their deaths this way. Nevertheless, Prince Calaf feels attracted to Turandot. Ignoring the urgent warnings of his father and Liù, who loves him selflessly, he faces the riddles – and succeeds in solving them! But instead of taking Turandot as his wife against her will, he now gives her a riddle of his own…

Staatstheater Mainz

Opera Orlando kicks off its 10th Anniversary Season with Puccini’s beloved and timeless La Bohème: an indelible story of love and loss with soaring melodies and passion that served as the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical Rent.  

Set in 19th century Paris, this opera depicts the pure love of the poet Rodolfo and the seamstress Mimì, and the impoverished yet free spirit of young artists with dreams of future success. This romantic story is interwoven with dulcet melodies typical of Puccini. The scene featuring the famous arias "Che gelida manina" and "Mi chiamano Mimì" stands out among many operas as a beautiful scene of love. This production is packed with highlights, including the bustling Quartier Latin on the Christmas, the beautiful yet sorrowful vocal quartet of the lovers on their decision to part ways, and the moving final scene. The stage design is a portrayal resembling real Paris from the time, a major feat by director Jun Aguni . The psychological characterizations carefully woven throughout each act are deeply evocative.

New National Theatre

Powerful bars make it clear right from the start: «Tosca» is an operatic thriller about desire, betrayal, and abuse of power. With the title heroine, Puccini created a character who dedicated her entire life to the stage. Robert Carsen stages an enigmatic play about appearances and reality, theater and truth, while keeping pace with suspense-packed plot. Under the musical direction of Marco Armiliato, the dramatic triumvirate is made up of Sonya Yoncheva in the title role, Jonas Kaufmann as Cavaradossi, and Bryn Terfel in the role of Scarpia.

A scandalous novel by Abbé Prévost from 18th century Paris tells of the "amour fou" between the young noble Chevalier Des Grieux and the bourgeois girl Manon Lescaut. Both violate morality and law in the name of love and become the most famous couple of their era. Manon is torn between a passionate love and her desire for a life of wealth and security. On the way to the convent, she is matched with a wealthy man by her brother but elopes with her lover. In the house of the wealthy Geronte, to which she returns, she is regarded merely as an attraction, yet choosing the loving Des Grieux and leaving everything behind proves difficult for her. During an escape attempt, she is arrested as a thief and sentenced to exile in the American colonies. Des Grieux, who attempts in vain to save her, follows her into exile, where their shared path ultimately ends in the desert. A tragic love story where love finds no place to unfold. The year 1893 marks a turning point for Italian opera: the 80-year-old Giuseppe Verdi retires from the stage with his last opera FALSTAFF. At the same time, there is no longer any doubt as to who will be his successor: with MANON LESCAUT, Giacomo Puccini experiences his first global success and creates a new Italian opera that reflects the spirit of the age: the emotions are intense and torn, the forms are free, the acts follow one another episodically and obey only the laws of passion. Puccini pays homage to the 18th century in the score, yet the fascination that Richard Wagner's music had on him is particularly felt with particular compulsion in this opera. Richness of colour, dramatic expressiveness, and emotive cantilenas make MANON LESCAUT a very special Italian opera work, with the most demanding tenor role Puccini ever wrote. The new General Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada opens his first season at the podium of the Gürzenich Orchestra with this premiere. Carlos Wagner, a director of international standing, makes his debut in Cologne with MANON LESCAUT.

Manon Lescaut

Cologne Opera

Welcome to the Scottsdale Philharmonic’s Rhapsody in Blue & Beyond – A Season-Opening Celebration of Romance, Drama & American Brilliance!

We opened our 2025–2026 season with an exhilarating concert that blended iconic symphonic masterworks, beloved classics, and unforgettable solos. From the sweeping drama of Wagner to the jazzy brilliance of Gershwin, this program highlighted the beauty, power, and excitement of live orchestral music.

Rhapsody in Blue & Beyond

La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church

Jim Cornelison, famed for singing the Star-Spangled Banner, steps off the ice and joins Maestro Stephen Alltop and the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra to puck drop the 2025/2026 Season!

Composer

Giacomo Puccini

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 20, 2025 - Apr 20, 2026

Tosca · Wiener Staatsoper

Sep 23, 2025 - Jun 6, 2026

Turandot · The Metropolitan Opera

Oct 14, 2025 - Apr 28, 2026

Recital Rolando Villazon · Wiener Staatsoper

Oct 15, 2025 - Jun 24, 2026

Espresso concert · Oper Graz

Oct 21, 2025 - May 2, 2026

La Bohème · The Metropolitan Opera

Past events

Feb 6 - Mar 20, 2026

Madama Butterfly · Oper Frankfurt

Feb 2 - Mar 11, 2026

Turandot · Staatstheater Hannover

About

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