"Above all, I urge you to concentrate on expressive characterization: consider well the meaning and the energy of the words, put yourself quite seriously into the situation and the emotional state of Andromeda, and imagine yourself to be that very person" Mozart to Aloisia Weber (July 30, 1778). As we approach opening night, I can't help but think about the rehearsal process over the past couple of weeks. The professionalism of the artists and administration has been life-changing for a young artist. As a newcomer to Opera Birmingham and to professional opera theatre, I have been exposed to individuals who spend every minute of every single day as an artist. They wake up and they are artists. They go to sleep and they are artists. Servants to their art and the people who love it. As a past student (though we are always students) of music and theatrical arts, it is enriching to see individuals strive to accurately communicate words through music. I have been changed for the better....focused and ready to work. It is pure joy!

Puccini provides the color palatte. "Butterfly" is an opera that exemplifies honesty both in text setting and musical drama. The colors are so vivid and pure. The words and music touch the depths of human emotions. (You can't help but literally feel love, beauty and pain). Our stage director, Dona D. Vaughan and conductor, Israel Gursky, use their handmade paintbrushes to paint a visual and aural picture on a blank canvas (the bare stage). A picture that is created not only with the original color palatte, but also a mixing of colors (which happens naturally as their paintbrushes collaborate on the canvas and the artists communicate their interpretation of the character). Everyone involved in this production has put themselves "quite seriously into the situation and the emotional state" of the character. Will you join us?