This fall, two singers make their Canadian Opera Company debuts in the role of a teenage girl whose passion, heartbreak and sorrow requires the power and emotions of a rich soprano. Singing six of these performances is a woman who has built her career upon this role and made it her own: Patricia Racette!

What she's doing with us: American soprano Patricia Racette makes her COC debut as the tragic Cio-Cio San in one of the best-loved operas of all time, Puccini's Madama Butterfly. 

Where you might have seen her: Patricia has performed at many of the world's great opera houses including Covent Garden; English National Opera; Teatro alla Scala, Opéra national de Paris, Wiener Staatsoper and Gran Teatre del Liceu, and you might have seen her in the Met HD broadcast of Anthony Minghella's Madama Butterfly in 2009.

In addition to regular appearances with the Metropolitan Opera, she frequently performs with the San Francisco Opera, the company that helped launch her career. Patricia recently saved the day for San Francisco Opera's world premiere of Dolores Claiborne when she stepped into the title role at the very last minute after the original singer left the production.

After singing Cio-Cio San with the COC, she takes the role to Bueños Aires for her debut with Teatro Colón.

Interviews and profiles:  She earned rave reviews for a recent San Francisco Opera Butterfly production; chats with Curve Magazine about Madama Butterfly and her decision to publicly come out as a lesbian; and talks to the Wall Street Journal and Contra Costa Times about performing Dolores Claiborne on very short notice.

Sneak peek: See Patricia perform her signature role in the Met's 2009 production of Madama Butterfly, directed by Anthony Minghella. (Watch closely for Dwayne Croft as Sharpless, who will reunite with Patricia in the COC's production!)

 

You can follow Patricia Racette on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and learn more about her on her website.

 

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Madama Butterfly runs from October 10 to 31, 2014 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, and Patricia Racette performs Oct. 10, 15, 18, 21, 24 and 30. Learn more at www.coc.ca/Butterfly

 

Photos: (top) Patricia Racette; Photo by Gary Mulcahey