Other Coming Events   

The performances will be fully staged, costumed, sung in Italian with English supertitles

  Rave Reviews!   

Note:  Review excerpts may list noncontiguous paragraphs one after another.  The text is from the reviews.  The highlighting in red italics was added by the webmaster .

Opera authority, North Bay Opera's General Director, Ms. Constance Lisec

Long time Opera Lovers, a married couple, from Marin County

Nancy Bauer in the [Vacaville, CA] "Daily Republic" wrote:

Opening might found [Thomas] Truhitte and [Keiko Kagawa-] Hamilton performing the leads, with outstanding performances by each. 

Keiko Hamilton ... made her North Bay Opera debut on opening night. Her performance as Butterfly was incredibly passionate and breathtaking.  As she sang, not a person whispered or moved, and her voice proved absolutely glorious.  (Be forewarned:  Bring tissue if you cry easily.  By the third act Hamilton's performance is so convincing, you will definitely need to use your hanky.)

"Madama Butterfly" is one of the most powerful and passionate operas ever written.  North Bay Opera's production of Puccini's classic is brilliantly performed and highly recommended.  If you see only one show this year, this is the one to buy tickets for.

Marilyn Mantay, Enterprise music critic in the [Davis, CA] "Davis Enterprise" wrote:

Popular opera uplifted by lead performance in ... production 

Beauty of voice, sincerity, gentleness, passion and eloquence marked Keiko Kagawa Hamilton's performance as Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" in its opening performance.... 

The acting was also excellent; feelings were projected and relationships seemed honest and lifelike.

Most of all, the singing and acting, and the recitatives and arias, melded skillfully.

Richard Bammer in the [Fairfield, CA] "Reporter" wrote:

... soprano Keiko Kagawa-Hamilton used her flexible voice intelligently in the major arias and duets , notably during the love duet ("Viene la sera") with Lt. Pinkerton (tenor Thomas Truhitte) at the end of act 1.  Of Japanese descent, Kagawa-Hamilton's voice matched Puccini's music on the showcase aria "Un bel di" ("One fine day").

Thin, graceful as a flowing silk kimono and delicate-looking as a cherry blossom, Kagawa-Hamilton moved and acted like the geishas she no doubt saw in her native country.

The Billings Outpost – Kris Rickels – November 8, 2000

The ability of the cast to convey the emotional depth of the story impressed me the most.  The vocal performances were amazing.  I was unsure the acting would fulfill my expectations, but instead it went way beyond them, providing the hook that kept my rapt attention for nearly three hours (with two intermissions).

Kagawa-Hamilton was amazing.  Her vocal performance was extraordinary, her acting perfect.  This is not the first time she played this role and it suits her beautifully.

Pacifica Tribune – Jean Bartlett – April 2000

But Kagawa-Hamilton’s Cio-cio-san so believes in her love for Pinkerton that she convinces all who hear her sweet song…

Butterfly…then bursts into her lovely song of hope, “Un bel di.”  Kagawa-Hamilton’s voice so beautiful, each note so perfect, the look in her eye so full of promise, that every audience member suspended belief and hoped, in desperation with her, for her.
 

When Kagawa-Hamilton rises from the dead, as it were, to take her bows, the audience gave rise to thunderous applause.  Her performance was so incredible that even as she was applauded and applauded, we thrilled in the fact that perhaps Cio-Cio-san did not die after all. 

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The Mail Tribune – Clive Twitchell – April 22, 2001

Sometimes everything just clicks.  It’s hard to imagine a better production than this weekend’s performance of “Madama Butterfly.”

Kagawa-Hamilton received a well-deserved standing ovation…  She received a well deserved standing ovation from the opening night audience.  She has played Cio-Cio-san (Butterfly) with a number of other opera companies and brings a power and emotion to the role, as well as a beautiful soprano voice.

Pacifica Tribune – Jean Bartlett – August 9, 2000

Delicious acting by both [Jere] Torkelson and Kagawa-Hamilton brought some serious sparks to the stage.  This, folks, is what great opera is all about.

Now Kagawa-Hamilton’s performance as Nedda; if you have a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being  the highest, Kagawa-Hamilton is a 20.  This woman’s voice is why opera was written; each note clear, riveting, sublime.  And she can act.  When Nedda was frightened, unsure, determined, filled with grief; audience faces registered each and every emotion in complete empathy.  While on stage, she is not only in full command of her character, Kagawa-Hamilton is her character.

Pacifica Tribune – Jean Bartlett – September 1 9, 2001

With her ability to convey fear, resolution, sorrow and desperate and abiding love with each heart rendering vocalization, each firm or quivering character step upon the stage, Kagawa-Hamilton in an unending well of operatic luxury. 
 

As for Kagawa-Hamilton, she is a performer who brings her audience along every beat of her character's heart.

One moment she is elegant, full of life and hope despite a worrisome cough, then all too soon she becomes the tragic yet heroic mask of death which arrives long before youth and beauty have [faded].  She was brilliant and able to coax tears from an audience well familiar with Verdi's tale of woe. 

She is a compelling reason to learn to love opera. 

  Past Performances   

• Hiroko Mizuno - Piano
• Bill Welch - Tenor
• Jere Torkelson - Baritone
• Students of Ayako Takahashi's School of Ballet