Madama Butterfly 2025

A student of tenor Scott Flaherty, Josh Avant made his professional debut in Tosca with the Charleston Symphony and principals of the Metropolitan Opera. He has performed as Edgardo and Arturo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Borsa (Rigoletto), Tinca/Street Singer (Il tabarro), Gherardo (Gianni Schicchi), and Remendado (Carmen). Josh also performed with Regina Opera (Il trovatore) and with College of Charleston Opera (Le nozze di Figaro). Musical theater appearances include The Secret Garden, Candide, West Side Story, and Sweeney Todd. Josh was also a featured soloist with the Young Artist Series in the Piccolo Spoleto Festival and Charleston Opera Theater.

Sarah Benzinger, soprano, is excited to be making her debut with Amore Opera. In 2024 she was the first-place winner in the Music International Grand Prix competition, and a finalist in the Maria Grazia Forghieri Competition and the Opera Ithaca Competition. This season, Sarah is looking forward to singing the roles of Fanny (La cambiale di matrimonio) with Garden State Opera and Euridice (Orfée) with Libero Canto. Previous roles include Leonore (Fidelio), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), and Musetta (La bohème). Ms. Benzinger was a Regional Finalist and Encouragement Winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Grace Bernard is excited to be making her Amore Opera debut as Kate Pinkerton! Grace is a young soprano from Los Angeles, CA currently studying with William Burden at the Mannes School of Music. Her credits include Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Carla (Mermaid in the Jar), Violetta (La traviata, scenes), Fiordiligi (Cosi fan tutte, scenes), Adina (L’elisir d’amore, scenes), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Cunegonde (Candide), and Nella (Gianni Schicchi). Ms. Bernard makes her debut in June 2025 as Flavia in Handel’s Silla with the Chicago Summer Opera. She would like to thank Tami, Adam, Elizabeth, and the entire Amore crew and cast for this wonderful experience! 

Israeli soprano, Sigal Chen, earned her Bachelor of Music in Voice at Jerusalem Academy of Music, Israel, and her master’s at Lehman College, NY where she received the John Corigliano award twice. Her recent performance repertoire includes Suor Angelica, Mimì, Fiordiligi, Nedda, Marietta, and more. Ms. Chen has performed at Bruno Walter Auditorium in Lincoln Center and at Carnegie Hall as well as at the Miami Music Festival and Varna International Music Festival, Bulgaria. She was chosen to perform Sor/Madre Andrea in Juana with the Dell’Arte Opera Ensemble. Sigal also created the musically demanding role of Suzanne in the world premiere of Israeli composer Aharon Harlap’s Hebrew opera Thérèse Raquin at the Israel Music Festival.

Ting-Yi Chen, a baritone from Hsinchu, Taiwan, graduated from National Tsing Hua University’s Department of Music and now studies at Mannes School of Music under Arthur Levy. In 2024, he shone as Leporello in Amore Opera’s Don Giovanni and as Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro at the Trentino Music Festival. In 2023, Ting-Yi was the bass soloist in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy at the Tsinghua Anniversary Concert and performed with the Taichung Chamber Choir. In 2021, he sang in Mozart’s Coronation Mass. Along with Leporello and Figaro, his roles include Hale (The Salem Storm), the Customs Sergeant (La bohème), and Jackie “Tiger” Brown (The ThreePenny Opera). 

Born in Moscow, soprano Valeria Chibis has lived in New York City since 2019. She is a laureate of international competitions and festivals in the US and Europe. Ms. Chibis began her musical studies with violin and piano and later studied choral conducting. Valeria holds two degrees in music, one as an opera singer and one as a music producer. She made her operatic debut in 2017 as Tatiana in Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin at the Durance Luberon Festival, France. Valeria has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, The United Nations, Opera America Center, Steinway Hall, and others.

“Ricky” performed many baritone roles with the Amato Opera for over 30 years and has been singing with Amore Opera since its inception. Some of his favorite roles include Brioche and Cascada in The Merry Widow, The Notary in The Barber of Seville, Monostatos in The Magic Flute, Frosch in Die Fledermaus, Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, The Priest in The Circus Princess, Alcindoro in La bohème, Marquis/Baron in La traviata, and Sacristan and Jailer in Tosca. If you’re a fan of the NYC concert stage, you may have heard Ricky in the chorus of M.O.R.E (Manhattan Opera Repertory Theatre).

Baritone Chris Fistonich is a PhD Immunologist and cybersecurity researcher turned opera singer. He has been hailed as a “voluminous, beefy baritone” with “supple variation of dynamics” (South Florida Classical Review). Recent engagements include Silvio in Pagliacci with Regina Opera, Escamillo in Carmen with Lighthouse Opera, and Scarpia in Tosca with Center Stage Opera. Originally hailing from Los Angeles, California, Chris received his Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from UCLA. He then attended Yale University, earning a Ph.D. in Immunobiology in 2018. Chris currently resides in Rahway, New Jersey, with his wife Stephanie and two cats. 

Baritone Handong Fu, is a second-year PDPL student at the Mannes School of Music. He holds a master’s degree from the Central Conservatory of Music and was part of the Outstanding Innovative Talent Project during his undergraduate studies. Handong has performed leading roles in Gianni Schicchi, Le nozze di Figaro, La bohème, Così fan tutte, and Il trovatore on prestigious stages across Europe and China. He has trained with Prague Summer Nights, Classic Lyric Arts, and other esteemed young artist programs. A recognized competition winner, he received Third Prize in the Korea-China International Vocal Competition and Gold Prize in the German Philharmonic Music Competition. He has worked with distinguished directors, conductors, and vocal coaches worldwide.

Originally from Southern California, baritone Charles Gray made his debut as Plagio with Amore Opera in 2011 in the American Premiere of Saverio Mercadante’s I due Figaro. Other roles with Amore Opera include Morales in Carmen, Schaunard in La bohème, and Tom in Un ballo in maschera. He has also appeared with various local companies in roles such as Leporello in Don Giovanni, Don Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Lescaut in Manon Lescaut. Beyond opera, his focus extends to art song and sacred music. Charles’ likeness is featured in the Amore Opera coloring book.

Ziliang Hao, a bass-baritone from Beijing, is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice and Opera at Rutgers University. He holds a master’s degree from the Mannes School of Music and a bachelor’s degree from the Central Academy of Drama. His operatic roles include Rizzuti/Funeral Brother (The Tin Angel), Prophet/King (Dark Sisters), Zuniga (Carmen), Figaro/Bartolo (Le nozze di Figaro), Masetto (Don Giovanni), Colline (La bohème), Crespel/Luther/Schlemil (The Tales of Hoffmann), Theseus (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and Yamadori/Bonze (Madama Butterfly). He will be performing a recital of Chinese ancient poetry art songs at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall.

Janet Johnson is a founding member of Amore Opera, after having played clarinet with Amato Opera for 20 years. She is also on the Board of Directors and the Artistic Committee of Amore Opera. Janet developed a passion for Opera as a clarinet student in Kansas City, playing her first opera while still in high school, and as a clarinet student at Manhattan School of Music in New York, where she studied with the principal clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera. In recent years she fulfilled a long-time dream of being on stage singing and acting in operas.

Ame Jonas is 6 years old. She attends 1st grade at the Children’s School in Brooklyn and the Tenri School of Japanese Language in New York City. Ame loves to dance both ballet and tap at New York Dance Artistry - Hariyama Ballet and performed her first ballet solo at the 2025 Winter Performance. She is also learning to play piano and enjoys swimming and gymnastics. 

Soprano Yeawon Jun, born in Seoul, South Korea, is now based in New York City. She has performed roles such as Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), the Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Mimì and Musetta (La bohème), Luigia (Viva la Mamma), Sophie (Werther), Cunegonde (Candide), Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and Nedda (Pagliacci). She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Yonsei University under Tenor Moolim Kang and completed a PDPL at Mannes School of Music under soprano Diana Soviero. Currently, she is pursuing a DMA in voice performance at Rutgers University with Professor Judith Nicosia. 

Sohee Kim is a soprano from South Korea. She earned her Master of Music at Manhattan School of Music and her Bachelor and Master of Music at Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul. Sohee has been seen in scenes from Le nozze di Figaro (Susanna), Werther (Sophie), Così fan tutte (Fiordiligi), and The Old Maid and the Thief (Miss Pinkerton). Ms. Kim appeared as the soprano soloist in Ned Rorem’s Evidence of Things Not Seen, and as the Grasshopper in The Cunning Little Vixen. Sohee is currently pursuing her Professional Studies Diploma at Mannes School of Music under Jennifer Zetlan and Cristina Stanescu.

Nikhil Krishna teaches high school chemistry in the Bronx. He sometimes sings arias for his chemistry students when they perform particularly well on tests and also serves as the vocal coach for the annual school musical. Mr. Krishna has been performing operatic roles since 2023, first appearing as Detlef in The Student Prince with Regina Opera, and most recently as Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca with New Jersey Lyric Opera. Nikhil studies with Scott Flaherty.

Soprano Hyune Kwon, born in Seoul, South Korea, is now based in New York City. Her recent performances include Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Sara (Escobar by Matteo Neri), Amahl (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Musetta (La bohéme), and Frasquita (Carmen). In 2020, she was awarded the Grand Award from the Metropolitan International Vocal Competition and performed at Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center in New York as a Grand Winner. In 2019, Hyune was awarded the Encouragement award from Metropolitan National Opera Council Audition (New York district). Ms. Kwon is currently pursuing her Doctor of Music Arts at Mason Gross School of Music at Rutgers University.

Brandon is 6 years old and a first grader at Shelter Rock Elementary in Manhasset. He is thrilled to be a part of Amore Opera's production of Madama Butterfly – and even more excited to perform alongside his piano teacher, Jihye! From a young age, Brandon has had a talent for memorizing lyrics and loves to sing and rap. He is also a fan of many sports–baseball, lacrosse, soccer, and most recently, flag football. He is very excited to be back in NYC where he was born and lived for the first four years of his life. He is looking forward to his stage debut as Sorrow.

Tenor Alonso Jordán Lopez sang the role of Alfredo in a special reading of La traviata in the Village with Felix Jarrar. In addition to Alfredo in La traviata, Alonso’s past credits include Lord Tolloller in Iolanthe, Apollo in La favola d’Orfeo, L’aumonier in The Dialogues of the Carmelites. In past seasons, Alonso has worked with Bronx Opera, Teatro Grattacielo, New Camerata Opera, MoreOpera and was part of several master classes that were facilitated by the Art Song Preservation Society of New York. 

Mark Martinez is an actively performing tenor in NYC and the surrounding area. He has sung principal roles with various groups such as Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni with Bronx Opera), Remendado (Carmen with Lighthouse Opera), and now with Amore Opera. When not singing Mark is actively involved in the NYC classical music scene in other capacities. He is on the Program Committee of the Harvard Club of NYC and puts on events such as an interview with Opera Philadelphia’s Managing Director Anthony Roth Costanzo, and a showcase and performance of different Stradivarius string instruments.

Mezzo-soprano Kimberly Milburn is thrilled to be making her house and role debut as Suzuki. Now in her third season, highlights include Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Leila (Iolanthe), Second Witch (Dido and Aeneas), Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites), Rafaela (cover, East Coast premiere) (Juana), and Ericlea (Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria). Kimberly has covered or partially performed Giunone, Adalgisa, Ludmila, Iolanthe, Carmen, and Zita and has sung with the dell’Arte Opera Ensemble, the Bronx Opera’s outreach program, the Ridgewood Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Co., and others at the REACH, Weill Recital Hall, and Symphony Space. Learn more @kimbermusik & kimberlymilburn.com

A native of Tokyo, Japan, Tomoko Nago has sung operatic roles including Annio in La Clemenza di Tito, Frugola in Il tabarro, and Smeton in Anna Bolena. In 2024, Tomoko sang Mercédès in Carmen with Lighthouse Opera Company. She has also sung with Art Song Preservation Society, Amherst Early Music Festival, and New York Continuo Collective. She was a quarterfinalist for the 2020 Mary Truman Vocal Competition. Tomoko holds a Master's in Vocal Performance from Brooklyn College. At BC, she performed Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea and the title role in Dido and Aeneas. She won the 2023 Conservatory Opera Award for the latter role.

Emi Noguchi is a delightful 7-year-old with a deep love for the performing arts. She began her ballet journey at the age of three as a member of New York Dance Artistry - Hariyama Ballet, where she cultivated discipline and a genuine appreciation for storytelling through movement. Now, Emi carries that same passion and commitment into the opera concert, eagerly looking forward to sharing her talent in a graceful and heartfelt way.

David is a native New Yorker and former boy soprano, having performed in numerous productions at the Metropolitan Opera in the 1980s. In 2011, he returned to the stage in Amore’s productions of Carmen and Il barbiere di Siviglia. Since then, he has also appeared with Amore in La bohème, The Magic Flute, Die Fledermaus, Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, and Tosca. He lives on the Upper West Side with his wife and two sons, all of whom have appeared in Amore Opera productions.

Nicole Paravicini is a graduate student at Manhattan School of Music, where she is pursuing a Master’s degree in classical voice. This production marks her debut with Amore Opera Company. Originally from Southern Oregon, she completed her undergraduate studies in music and psychology and performed in various regional concerts. She is thrilled to be part of this production and grateful for the opportunity to share her passion for opera with the audience.

Sam is excited to make his debut with Amore Opera in this production of Madama Butterfly. He recently performed in the chorus of Regina Opera’s productions of Tosca and Pagliacci and will join them again in May for La traviata. Sam works full-time as a software engineer, but he is thrilled to be singing again after many years, as part of the New York City opera community.

South Korean soprano Jihye Seo is based in NYC. In 2022 she made her New York debut as Diana in Francesco Cavalli’s La Calisto. She has also been heard in the role of Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), as Amore (L’incoronazione di Poppea), and as Lydia (Girl from Ipanema). Jihye has performed extensively throughout the US at such venues as WQXR NY Classical Music Radio station’s Young Artists Showcase, the German Consulate UN Plaza and the Seoul Arts Center. For the 2025 season, she will make her debut with Teatro Nuovo at New York City Center. Ms. Seo graduated from Seoul National University and Mannes School of Music and studied voice with Arthur Levy.

Julie Silva is thrilled to make her NYC operatic debut with Amore Opera. Recent credits include Orfeo (Orfeo ed Euridice, Opera McGill), Carmen (Carmen, Mediterranean Opera Festival), Annio (La clemenza di Tito, LOLA), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel, Shakespeare Opera Theatre), the Bridesmaid (Le nozze di Figaro, Austin Opera), the Page (Rigoletto, Opera San Antonio), Charlotte Malcolm (A Little Night Music, Natchez Festival of Music), Nettie (cover, Carousel, Utah Festival Opera), and appearances with iSING! Young Artists Festival (China) and HBO’s Game of Thrones Immersive Experience. New to NYC, Julie brings a vibrant multigenre toolkit of opera, musical theatre, and film work experience.

A founding member of Amore Opera, Alan has appeared in many productions with Amore Opera in roles such as Papageno (The Magic Flute), Baron Zeta (The Merry Widow), Doctor Bartolo (The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro) and the title role in Don Pasquale. Recently Alan performed in a reading of a new musical on the life of Lorenzo da Ponte in America and appeared as Mr. Blushington in Utopia Opera’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Utopia Limited. Over the years he performed in many roles with Amato Opera and Opera Theatre of Montclair (where he was assistant conductor/chorus master) in addition to many other companies. Currently he is President of the Board of Amore Opera.

Alex is five years old, and this is her first introduction into opera. She loves her acting school The Actor’s Garage, where she has sung songs from Frozen, The Little Mermaid, and Encanto. She recently appeared as Baby Moana in an older kid’s cast of Moana. Alex also enjoys playing the piano, taking lessons from our very own Butterfly. She loves dance and gymnastics as well. Her favorite thing in the world, aside from her family, is all things Wicked.

Tenor Yulin Wang, born in 2000, hails from China. This afternoon’s performance of Madama Butterfly marks Yulin’s debut with Amore Opera. Mr. Wang, a laureate of several vocal competitions, is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music. His performance repertoire includes Rodolfo (La bohème), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), and Alfredo (La traviata). Yulin recently performed the title role in Romeo et Juliet with Maestro Pierre Vallet of the Metropolitan Opera. In late 2025 Mr. Wang will become a fellow at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California.

Xavier Yunxuan Zhu, a New York City-based tenor studying under Michael Paul, makes his NYC debut here as Goro in Madama Butterfly. He has appeared as Theo (Empress Matilda) and Paul (Wild Flower) with the International Brazilian Opera Company. Last season, he stepped in as Goro for New Jersey Lyric Opera with two days’ notice and performed as the Buddhist Priest (Murasaki’s Moon), the Baker, and the Cat (Brundibár). Other roles include Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), Stan (Soup Stone), David (If I Were You), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), and Basilio (Le nozze di Figaro). Born in China and raised in Singapore as a child actor, Xavier brings a rich, multicultural perspective to the stage.

Elizabeth Hastings has had a diverse career as accompanist, conductor, and stage director. She has conducted for the Washington (National) Opera (The Impresario and Abu Hassan), Sarasota Opera (Die Zauberflöte), the New York City Opera National Touring Company (The Marriage of Figaro), Toledo Opera (The Merry Widow), New Rochelle Opera (Die Fledermaus), Opera Theatre of Montclair (Hansel and Gretel), and the innovative Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis (La Cenerentola and La Bohème). Last spring she conducted Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi at NYU Steinhardt., where she is on the faculty. She served as both conductor and stage director for Queens College Opera’s productions of Die Fledermaus, Le nozze di Figaro, and The Magic Flute, and most recently for Regina Opera’s La Bohème. This summer will mark her 30th season at the College Light Opera Company, where she will conduct her 75th production; a personal favorite, Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore.

Amore audiences may remember her as the conductor of Nathan Hull’s clever Scrooge & Gilbert & Sullivan some years back. Interestingly, in 2005 she conducted Madama Butterfly for the Harrisburg Opera Association, working in collaboration with tonight’s directing team on the seminal version of the production that you see tonight.

Tami Swartz has been a performing artist and a director for over 30 years. She currently serves as Artistic and Executive Director of Harrisburg Opera Association. She directs Harrisburg Opera Association's annual educational outreach concert series “Opera in the Park” and mainstage productions include: Goldie Locks and the 3 Bears: an Opera for Children by Adam C J Klein, An Artist’s Journey – with the works Still Breathing by Adam C J Klein and Mixed Impressions by Ms. Swartz explore the artist’s life and experiences of otherness; Paris 1959 – an original crossover program that Ms. Swartz conceived combining Puccini’s Il tabarro with a jazz quartet; Puccini’s An Historically Accurate Madama Butterfly and an original adaptation of Mozart’s The Magic Flute with Adam C J Klein. Additional directing credits include Charleston Chamber Opera's Pilot Season - a program Ms. Swartz conceived, for the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, The Hellenic Music Foundation, The Co-OPERAtive Opera Company, and The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.

 Tami’s performing credits include for opera: Cho-cho-san in Madama Butterfly, Musetta in La Bohème, Heloise in Offenbach’s Bluebeard, Gilda in Rigoletto and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Metro Lyric Opera; Late Evening Productions (Dallas Opera); Connecticut, Ft. Lauderdale, Long Beach opera companies; and Harrisburg Opera Association. Off-Broadway theater credits include Polly in Duke Ellington’s Beggar’s Holiday at York Theatre Company. Regional theater credits include Lady Thiang in The King and I with Dallas Summer Musicals, Sacramento Music Circus, Music Theatre Wichita. Workshops include the role of Hanako in the Broadway musical Allegiance starring George Takei. Film credits include the role of the Forensics Officer in Ice-T’s Equal Standard, The Guest in The Owner Is In which won best short film of 2019 at the Williamsburg Independent Film Festival, and Woman 1 in Miniature Chess which won multiple awards including outstanding experimental film at the 2021 Sherman Oaks Film Festival. She holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees from The Juilliard School and Northwestern University. Tami is grateful to everyone at Amore Opera and Elizabeth Hastings for her directing debut here.

Websites: www.tamiswartz.com, www.harrisburg-opera.org

Facebook: @tamiswartzpage Instagram: @tamiswartz1

Adam C J Klein, first boy soprano to perform Yniold in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande at the Metropolitan Opera, has had a five-decade career which includes Tristan und Isolde with Seattle Opera; Auctioneer/Taylor in the world premiere of Omar by Rhiannon Giddens & Michael Abels at Spoleto Festival USA; Don José in 65 performances of Carmen in 16 different North American productions; Schubert's Winterreise in a film by Eric Solstein; and fifteen consecutive years as a Met Principal Artist during which he performed Loge (Das Rheinfold), The Witch (Hansel and Gretel), Yaryshkin (The Nose), Chevalier Delaforce (Dialogues des Carmelites), Third Jew (Salome), Chekalinsky (Queen of Spades) and many other roles, and covered many other leads as well.

He was titular Director, co-creator and Pinkerton in An Historically Accurate Madama Butterfly, produced by Harrisburg Opera Association in 2005; he also co-directed Die Zauberflöte with HOA in 2007, and directed and coached La Bohème at the AAMS International Summer Music Institute in Seoul, South Korea.

Klein composed a children's opera, Goldie Locks & the 3 Bears, which received its world premiere with Harrisburg Opera Association in 2024; and a grand opera, Leithian, done in concert 2006-7 in NYC. Klein is married to singer/actor/director Tami Swartz.