Madama Butterfly

A dedicated advocate of new works, she has conducted numerous world premieres, including An American Dream (Perla/Murphy) for Seattle Opera, Dracula (Pastor/Kilar) for West Australian Ballet, February (Kaminsky/Moore), and Ours (Estacio/Chafe) for Opera on the Avalon, where she serves as Music Director and Principal Conductor.  

Recent performances include Don Giovanni and Suor Angelica with Opera Omaha, Madama Butterfly with New Orleans Opera, The Rape of Lucretia with San Francisco Opera (Merola), La Bayadère and Swan Lake with the Korean National Ballet, and Don Quixote with the Hong Kong Ballet. Since 2021, Yan has maintained a close association with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, leading nine
programs featuring repertoire ranging from Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Dvořák to Gipps, Richter, and Copland.  

In 2025/26, Yan made her London Coliseum debut with the English National Ballet and lead a production of Giselle and a Gala Concert with the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. The season also included a concert production of Tosca, orchestral programs featuring Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky, and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, a return to the Jacobs School of Music for a mixed program of works by Janes, Balanchine, and Taylor, and Madama Butterfly with Opera Grand Rapids. Her performance of Sasha Jane’s The Nutcracker was featured in a PBS documentary and was broadcasted nationwide.

Upcoming 2026/27 season includes continued collaborations with Saskatoon Symphony, Swan Lake with Bordeaux National Opera and Ballet, and productions of Madama Butterfly with Manitoba Opera and Knoxville Opera.

Her productions have appeared at Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Elbphilharmonie, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China.

In the 2025–26 season, she returns to Houston Grand Opera to direct the Butler Studio Showcase and revive her acclaimed children’s opera The Big Swim. She leads a new co-production of Madama Butterfly with Calgary Opera, Arizona Opera, and Opera Grand Rapids, where she also directs Byron Au Yong’s Stuck Elevator and serves as Guest Artistic Director. Additionally, she makes her debut with Opera Colorado directing Madama Butterfly.

In 2024–25, Ms. Zhou directed the Butler Studio Showcase at Houston Grand Opera, revived her acclaimed Madama Butterfly with Florentine Opera and Kentucky Opera, staged Così fan tutte at The Juilliard School, La bohème at Arizona Opera, and returned to Virginia Opera for a new production of Così fan tutte. She also made her Canadian directing debut with Madama Butterfly at Vancouver Opera.

Ms. Zhou trained at The Juilliard School, Merola Opera Program, Wolf Trap Opera, and Glimmerglass Festival, and has 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.

A 2024-2026 Studio Artist in the Marion Roose Pullin Opera Studio at Arizona Opera, Snow will direct La Cenerentola for the company, following her immersive outdoor stagings of La finta giardiniera and her work directing and choreographing the Studio Cabaret. During the 2025-2026 season, Snow also stages L’elisir d’amore with Boulder Opera, directs Opera Colorado’s touring production of Roméo et Juliette, and serves as a Directing Fellow at Wolf Trap Opera, where she will assistant direct Eugene Onegin and Tosca. Her previous assistant directing credits include productions with Arizona Opera, Opera Colorado, Central City Opera, PAC NYC, and Palm Beach Opera. Snow earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Theater, Dance, and Media from Harvard University and holds a Master of Music degree in Opera Stage Directing from the Eastman School of Music.

REGIONAL: Madama Butterfly (Calgary Opera, Arizona Opera, Opera Grand Rapids), Soft Power, Pacific Overtures, (Signature Theatre, DC), The Great Wave (Berkeley Rep), Sanctuary City (Pasadena Playhouse), Hamlet (DCPA), RENT (Paper Mill Playhouse), Moriarty (Cleveland Playhouse), Somewhere (Geva Theatre), The Great Leap (Portland Center Stage), Vietgone, Tiger Style! (TheatreSquared), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Yale Rep, CT Critics Circle Award nom). OFF-BROADWAY: Salesman之死 (Yangtze Rep, Henry Hewes Award nom), Bite Me (WP Theatre), Belfast Girls (Irish Rep), The Winning Side (Epic Theatre Ensemble), Awake (The Barrow Group). INSTALLATION: Un(re)solved AR installation (Ado Ato Pictures, SXSW Innovation Award, Emmy Award). MFA: Yale School of Drama. Member of United Scenic Artists Local USA 829

She has designed for opera, theater, and film in America and internationally. Her opera lighting design has been seen at Vancouver Opera, Calgary Opera, Arizona Opera, Virginia Opera, Florentine
Opera, Kentucky Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Tokyo Bunkakaikan. As well as her theater lighting design at ZACH Theatre, Theatre Squared, Miami New Drama, KC Rep, St. Louis Rep, American Conservatory Theater, Vineyard, and Yale Repertory Theater. Her set design credits include Miser and The Imaginary Invalid with Moliere in the Park; Human at Asheville Creative Arts; Pillowtalk, TALA, and The India Plays with Kyoung’s Pacific Beats; Merry Widow and Fantasticks at Opera Theatre Pittsburgh; and The God of Carnage and Macbeth at Redhouse Arts Center. Upcoming 2026: Madama Butterfly at Opera Grand Rapids; Madama Butterfly at Colorado Opera; Jagged Pills at Redhouse, NY; Human at the Shed and BAM, NY. 

She has designed numerous Off-Broadway productions, several of which received critical acclaim in The New York Times. Most recently, she was nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award and the Henry Hewes Design Award for SUMO at The Public Theater. Her work has also appeared at regional theaters including Arizona Opera (AZ), Two River Theater (NJ), La Jolla Playhouse (CA), and Pioneer
Theatre Company (UT). Selected international credits include The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro (ROHM Theatre Kyoto); Hansel and Gretel (Suntory Hall, Tokyo / Sony Music Foundation); Next to Normal (Toho); and Madama Butterfly (Calgary Opera, Canada). She trained at the Santa Fe Opera and the Salzburg Festival and holds an M.F.A. from New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

As the Primary Wig and Makeup Designer for Arizona Opera, she brings characters to life through imaginative design and skilled craftsmanship.

In addition to work with Arizona Opera, Alita has collaborated with a wide range of respected arts organizations, including Ballet Arizona, Phoenix Theatre Company, and the University of Arizona, among others. Known for versatility and attention to detail, she brings both creative vision and precision craftsmanship to every production, from classical repertoire to contemporary works.

Alita’s work reflects a passion for the performing arts and a commitment to elevating each production through thoughtful, expressive design.

Japan credits include: Seagull (Nina) at Haiyuza Theater, Chidori (Chidori) at Kinokuniya Southern Theater and others. She was trained at Herbert Berkoff Studio as a scholarship student from the Japanese Government. She has performed in plays, readings, at HERE, The Flea Theater, Japan Society, Arts Academy of Sedona and others. She is proud to be a teaching artist at Ping Chong + Company (now Ping Fang) and has also been working to develop a theater education program between NYC and Japan. 

She spent 10 years on the University of Michigan faculty, and created the BFA program in Stage Management there before returning to full time freelancing.  She frequently stage manages opera productions at UMich, mentoring students, several of whom have subsequently ASM’d for Brett at opera companies around the country. In recent years she stage managed productions for Opera Grand Rapids, Tri-Cities Opera, New Orleans Opera, Seattle Opera, Opera Colorado, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Lyric Opera of Chicago / Scenario Two, San Diego Opera, Tulsa Opera, West Edge Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Opera San Jose, and Detroit Opera. In 2023, Brett was thrilled to be one of three recipients of the national Stage Management Association’s 2023 Del Hughes Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Last year, she also served as an elementary music teacher and youth ensemble music director in New Orleans for St. Bernard Parish.

This past February they were the Stage Manager for a new opera, Pretty Little Room, at Opera Memphis. The last four years they’ve worked as a member of Minnesota Opera’s and Bard Summerscape’s stage management teams. 

Nearly 50 years working professionally in the arts has allowed John great opportunities such as unveiling world-class sculpture, a National Endowment for the Arts award for his own sculpture, designing opera for arena performances and is owner of The GR Shop LLC. A favorite nugget of trivia is he won an EMMY for art direction in 2006. His list of corporate clients is extensive and wide ranging. John’s career has taken him through feature films, television production, and industrial films. For fun John enjoys winter and summer ultra distance races on bicycle all around the country. Competitions are often over 100 miles and in temperatures ranging from -30° to 100° F. When not engaging in crazy stuff like that, John also owns a company building custom bike bags for bike packing and commuting. He is married to Lea with one son, Nicolas. The dog’s name is Artemis and she’s the sweetest pupper on the planet.

He has been featured with Opera Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Symphony, Duruflé Requiem in Carnegie Hall, the Pine Mountain Music Festival, and the Blue Lake Festival Orchestra. His operatic roles include Barone Douphol in Verdi’s LaTraviata, Count Ceprano and Marullo in Verdi’s Rigoletto, the Sacristan in Puccini’s Tosca, Dr. Bartolo in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, El don Cairo in Bizet’s Carmen, Gregario in Gounod’s Romeo and Juliette, Slim in Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, and Father in Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel. He also appeared as the title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with the Blue Lake International Repertory Opera. In concert Mr. Bokhout has been featured with the Blue Lake Festival Orchestra for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra as soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and The Music of Final Fantasy. In 2003, Mr. Bokhout founded The 2nd Act opera company, a professional touring group dedicated to promoting Opera as an art form to young people, performing in many of the schools in the area as well as touring with his wife Hollis presenting Children’s Opera Workshops in elementary schools
across the country. Mr Bokhout is the composer of 6 original children’s operas and is also known as The Opera Farmer, the tile role of a feature length independent family film.

Recent engagements include a return to Anchorage Opera as Diane Tran in Bound, which she last performed with Seattle Opera. (Bachtrack reported on Vuong’s performance with Seattle in 2023 with, “Masterfully portrayed by Karen Vuong, Diane elicits the viewer’s empathy, often seen clutching her arms tightly around her torso as if trying to hold herself together. Ruo has presented the young soprano with an enormous challenge: she is required to sing continually, forcefully and frequently in a high tessitura, while sustaining immense dramatic intensity. Vuong was up to the task, never letting up vocally or dramatically, effectively maintaining the focus on her plight.”)

Other engagements include a role and house debut as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly with Anchorage Opera, the world premiere of Derrick Wang’s Fearless (in the role of Iris) as well as a role debut as Liù in Turandot with OperaDelaware, the title role in Rusalka at Portland Opera, Diane Tran in Bound with Seattle Opera, and Gänsemagd in Königskinder at the Tiroler Festspiele.

Other roles and engagements of note include Mimì in La Bohème at Seattle Opera, Suzel in L’amico Fritz at the Tiroler Festspiele, Maya Lin in the world premiere of Huang Ruo’s opera The Rift at Washington National Opera (DC Metro Theatre Arts declared, “Karen Vuong plays Maya Lin, the architecture student, and she is a superb singer-actor. Her arias are some of the best written and performed in the evening. Her performance of “Chinese as Apple Pie” knocked me out.”) and Tina in Seattle Opera’s film production of Jonathan Dove’s Flight.

During her time as part of the ensemble at Frankfurt Opera from 2013 to 2019, Ms. Vuong was entrusted with a number of leading roles with that company, including the title role in Rusalka, Mimì in La bohème, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Agata in a new production of Fioravanti’s La Cantatrici Villane, Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica, Gerhilde in Die Walküre, and Micaëla in Carmen.

Ms. Vuong studied at the Juilliard School in New York City, where she received the Novick Career Advancement Grant, and was an inaugural member and two-year participant in Los Angeles Opera’s
prestigious Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program. She has also enjoyed great success in competitions as a winner of the Eastern Regional Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions, recipient of the Operalia CulturArte Prize, and grand prize winner in the Marilyn Horne Lieder Competition.

He will also join the roster of the Lyric Opera of Chicago for the same title, as well as debut with the American Symphony Orchestra for Cornelius’s Stabat Mater. Eric Taylor joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in the 2024–25 season for Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded, before returning to the role of B.F. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Utah Opera and Pittsburgh Opera. He also joined Palm Beach Opera as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette. In the 2023–24 season, Taylor returned to Houston Grand Opera as Pinkerton and made his Detroit Opera debut in the same role. He appeared as Rodolfo in La bohème with Wolf Trap Opera as a Filene Artist and was named a Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. A graduate of the Butler Studio at Houston Grand Opera, his credits there include Narraboth in Salome, Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, First Armored Man in Die Zauberflöte, and Benvolio in Roméo et Juliette. He also covered Werther and Mark in The Wreckers. An alumnus of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program, he appeared as Melot in Tristan und Isolde and covered Don José in Carmen. Additional training includes Central City Opera and Utah Lyric Opera. Taylor holds a Master of Music from Rice University and a Bachelor of Music from Westminster College. He was the first prize winner of the 2023 Houston Saengerbund Competition. 

The artist will return to The Metropolitan Opera this season to cover Marcello in La bohème. Additional planned engagements for the 2025-2026 season include performances of Marcello in La bohème with Opera Orlando, house debuts with Vero Beach Opera in the title role of Rigoletto and Opera Grand Rapids as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. 

During the 2024-2025 season, Baek covered the role of Marcello for The Metropolitan Opera and Bravo! Vail Music Festival with The Philadelphia Orchestra, sang Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, and brought his interpretation of Marcello to Pacific Symphony and Hawaii Opera Theatre. 

Other recent season highlights have seen Baek joining the roster of The Metropolitan Opera for their productions of La bohème and Falstaff; a house debut with New Orleans Opera as the Father in Hansel and Gretel; Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor and Sonora in La Fanciulla del West with Maryland Lyric Opera; a role debut as Scarpia in Tosca with St.Pete Opera; the eponymous Gianni Schicchi with Opera Steamboat; an Opera Orlando debut in the title role of Rigoletto; and Yamadori in Madama Butterfly with the Canadian Opera Company. 

Additional milestones and role debuts for Mr. Baek include Conte di Luna in Il trovatore with Opera San José and Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Tampa, for which the Tampa Bay Times praised his “commanding baritone.” He also made a role debut as Tonio in Pagliacci with Opera Fairbanks and enjoyed house debuts with Opera North as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly and New York City Opera as Billy Jackrabbit in La fanciulla del West. 

This
summer Ms. Maekawa reprises the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Opera Grand Rapids. This summer she is looking forward to debuting the role of Angelina in La Cenerentola with Wolf Trap Opera and with Ozarks Lyric Opera.

Last season Ms. Maekawa debuted with several companies such as covering Crab General/ Venus Star in Monkey King with San Francisco Opera, Zwei Verkäuferin in Der Silbersee with Chicago Opera Theater, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Opera Williamsburg, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with Wolf Trap Opera and Soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with The Binghamton Philharmonic. In the 2024-25 season, she sang the role of Cherubino as a Renée Fleming Artist in Aspen Music Festival. She also attended numerous Appearance Programs such as Santa Fe Opera (2022) and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (2021).

As a Ryan Opera ensemble member, she appeared as Lee Ann in Missy Mazzoli’s The Listeners, Tisbe in Rossini’s La Cenerentola and Pastuchyna in Janacek’s Jenufa, as well as covering Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro. She also covered the role of Li song in Aaron Zigman’s Émigré (US Premier) with the New York Philharmonic.

Ms. Maekawa is the recipient of multiple awards and career grants such as the Richard F. Gold career grant from the Shoshana Foundation in 2025, Virginia Cooper Maier Award winner from Musicians Club of Women in 2024, scholarship winner of American Opera Society of Chicago in 2024. She was also a semi-finalist in the Houston Grand Opera “Concert of Arias” Elenor McCollun Competition in 2022, first place in Tokyo International Vocal Music Competition 2020 and was a finalist in the 2020 Music Competition of Japan where she received the Tokyo Newspaper (Tokyo Shinbun) award.

She holds the Bachelor’s Degree from the Curtis Institute of Music.

Mr. Komagata’s 2025/26 season highlights a role debut as Monkey/Rat in Big Swim, a co-production of Houston Grand Opera and Asia Society Texas, the tenor solo in Britten’s Spring Symphony with Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, a company debut as Goro in Madama Butterfly with Opera Grand Rapids, and his Carnegie Hall debut performing the tenor solo in Terre Johnson’s Te Deum with New England Symphonic Ensemble. Recent highlights include role debuts as Guang in Stuck Elevator and Nemorino in The Elixir of Love with Hawai’i Opera Theatre, company debuts with Pacific Opera Project and Opera in Williamsburg, performing Goro in Madama Butterfly, and the tenor solo in Mozart’s Requiem with MidAmerica Productions. In 2020, he made his Japan debut performing the leading male role in the Christmas musical, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, at Asakusa Kyugeki Theater. He is a prize winner of the Basel International Vocal Competition and the Yokohama International Music Competition. Mr. Komagata co-founded and produces Balcony Series, an artistic troupe to deliver timeless compositions to the unsuspecting listener. 

Feng placed first in the Martorella Scholarship in Classical Voice (HI Chapter), the Dorothy Lincoln Smith Voice Competition (HI Chapter), and the Mozart International Competition
Vienna. Robert’s 2025-26 season continues with Opera Neo’s Fausto (Bertin) as Mefistofele and Il Turco in Italia as Don Geronio. 

Performance highlights include Mazzoli/Vavrek’s Lincoln in the Bardo (Mr. Baron), La Bohème (Benoît/Alcindoro), and Styles/McKendrick’s Sitcom (Bouncer) with Chautauqua Opera, La Calisto (Giove), The Rake’s Progress (Nick Shadow) and Carmen (Zuniga) with Opera Memphis, The Riot Grrrl on Mars, Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri (Taddeo), La Bohème (Colline), An American Dream (Papa), Carmen (Zuniga), Gianni Schicchi (Betto di Signa), Gasser/Harrison’s The Secret Garden (Ben Weatherstaff), The Pirates of Penzance (Pirate King), Dichterliebe (Soloist), and Madama Butterfly (Bonze/Prince Yamadori) with Hawai’i Opera Theatre, Les Dialogues des Carmélites (2 Commissioner) with New Orleans Opera Association, Madama Butterfly (Imperial Commissioner) with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the co-production of Prestini/Shaughnessy’s Sensorium Ex with Washington National Opera/Vision Into Art/Beth Morrison Projects, Robert le Diable (Bertram) with St. Johns in the Village, The Garden of Alice (Mad Hatter & Others) with City Lyric Opera, Roméo et Juliette (Frère Laurent), and the world premiere of Carl/Banks’ Harmony (Rev.Twichell) with Seagle Festival, Juana (Padre Antonio), Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria (Il Tempo), and Anna Bolena (Rochefort) with dell’Arte Opera Ensemble, and Les pêcheurs de perles (Nourabad) and Don Giovanni (Il Commendatore) with /Kor/ Productions. Robert also participated in the Joyce DiDonato Masterclass at Carnegie Hall. 

Robert placed second in the NY Classical Music Society International Voice Competition, third in the Beethoven Club of Memphis Savell Competition, and third in the Lyra Mozart International Voice Competition. Robert holds degrees from Peabody Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music. He is a proud alumnus of the Seagle Festival (2021/2023), the Hawai’i Opera Theatre Young Artist Program (2022-2024), and Opera Memphis’s Handorf Company Artist Program (2024-2025). 

She recently appeared as Soprano Soloist with the Bach Chorale of Grand Rapids, Calvin Community Symphony, and in Fountain Street Church Oratorio Choir’s Memorial Concert. Previous opera roles include Elsie Maynard in Yeoman of the Guard, Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Susannah in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, Annina in La traviata, Paní Pásková and a Hen in The Cunning Little Vixen, and a Patron in the US premiere of Aran O’Grady and Kaitlin Sullivan’s Eintänzer. She received her Master of Music from University of Michigan and Bachelor of Arts in Music from Florida State University. She resides in Grand Rapids with her husband and tiny, misbehaved dog, Luna.