Lyric Opera 2025-2026 Issue 9 - Madama Butterfly

23 | Lyric Opera of Chicago Artist profiles KARAH SON CIO-CIO-SAN Lyric debut Past highlights for the Korean soprano include Biancofiore/ Francesca da Rimini at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo; the title role in Aida in Korea and in Halle; Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly in Korea, Tampere, Warsaw, Leipzig, Berlin (Deutsche Oper), Gothenburg, Turin, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Dresden, Cardiff, Sydney, Warsaw, Turin, Kansas City, Stuttgart, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Bologna, Angers, Nantes, Rennes, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh, among other houses; Mimì/ La Bohème in Sydney; and Liù/ Turandot in Melbourne, the title role in Tosca in Sydney and Cincinnati, Desdemona/ Otello in Venice, and Michaela/ Carmen in Busan. Son also recently performed a series of concerts at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. Future plans include Madama Butterfly in Washington and Manitoba. She has distinguished herself in numerous international competitions: first prize at the national competition organized by Korea Joongang Daily in Seoul; first prize at the “Vissi D’Arte” International Competition in Milan; Special Soroptimist Prize at the G.B. Viotti International Competition in Vercelli (Italy); Premio Extraordinario at the Francisco Viñas International Competition in Barcelona; and second prize at the Opéra de Marseille International Competition. Son made her professional debut in 1997 singing Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro at the National Theater in Seoul. She has since performed Zerlina in Don Giovanni at the Teatro S. Lorenzo in Milan; Mimì in La Bohème at the Teatro Cristallo in Bergamo, in Milan, and at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari; Liù in Turandot in Verona (Teatro Filarmonico), in Bologna, in Nancy, and at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia. EVAN L e ROY JOHNSON LIEUTENANT B.F. PINKERTON Lyric debut This season, the American tenor debuts at the Metropolitan Opera in Arabella (Count Elemer) and returns to National Theatre in Prague for a new production of Idomeneo (title role) and revival of Rusalka (Prince). On the concert stage, Johnson debuts with the Dallas Symphony and Bravo! Vail for concert performances of Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton) conducted by Fabio Luisi. Last season brought a hometown debut at Minnesota Opera in Roméo et Juliette (Roméo) followed by returns to San Francisco Opera for La Bohème (Rodolfo) and National Theatre in Prague for Medea (Giasone). He debuted also with the Canadian Opera Company in Eugene Onegin (Lenski). In 2023/24, Johnson made debuts at the National Theatre in Prague in Rusalka (Prince) and Royal Danish Opera for Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton), with returns to Glyndebourne Festival and BBC Proms for Carmen (Don José) and Bayerische Staatsoper for Otello (Cassio) and Tannhäuser (Walther). Recent engagements include his debut with San Francisco Opera in Eugene Onegin (Lenski) followed by a return to the Ensemble at Bayerische Staatsoper where he was seen in Dialogues des Carmélites (Chevalier de la Force), Ariadne auf Naxos (Brighella), Salome (Narraboth), Manon Lescaut (Edmondo), Die Zauberflöte (Erster Geharnischter), and Otello (Cassio). Evan made debuts at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and Berliner Philharmoniker in Die Frau ohne Schatten (Die Erscheinung eines Jünglings) conducted by Kirill Petrenko, Salzburger Festspiele for a new Krzysztof Warlikowski production of Macbeth (Malcolm) conducted by Philippe Jordan, and a concert of Bizet and Bernstein at Musikfest Bremen with the Bremer Philharmoniker. NOZOMI KATO SUZUKI Lyric debut Recent highlights for the Japanese mezzo- soprano include Suzuki at Teatro Cervantes de Málaga, Tokyo Nikikai Opera Theatre, Pittsburgh Opera, and Vancouver Opera, as well as Leonora di Guzman in Donizetti’s La Favorita at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Italy. Other appearances as Suzuki include Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Cincinnati Opera, Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari, Teatro Magnani in Fidenza, Teatro Municipale di Piacenza, and Teatro Comunale di Modena. Kato made her debut in Italy in 2014 as Clarina in Rossini’s La cambiale di matrimonio at Teatro Regio di Parma. Other appearances in Italy include Enrichetta in Bellini’s I Puritani (2017 and 2023), Siébel in Gounod’s Faust (2018), and Bersi in Giordano’s Andrea Chénier (2019). In 2016, she took part in Accademia del Belcanto of the Festival della Valle d’Itria, where she was selected to sing Ismene in Mayr’s Medea in Corinto with Fabio Luisi conducting. She was invited back the following year as Dorabella in Così fan tutte , also conducted by Luisi. She has appeared at the opera houses in Bari and Trieste, as well as at several major music festivals in Italy. In Spain, she participated in the Opera (e)Studio of Opera de Tenerife in 2013, and in 2014 made her house debut there as Smeton in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena . At Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, she has appeared as Celia in Handel’s Silla , Hermia in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream , and Mrs. Grose in The Turn of the Screw .