Madama Butterfly at Vancouver Opera

The Vancouver Opera puts on multiple mainstage shows each year and is regarded as one of the finest opera orchestra companies in Canada.

The final production of the 2024/2025 season is Madama Butterfly which runs from April 26th to May 4th. During the same week, on May 2nd, Vancouver Opera hosts its 65th Annual Gala at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. As of early April, tickets for that were already 85% sold out!

For tickets and full details about the opera and its performances, see the vancouveropera.ca website.

This article contains the following information about Vancouver Opera:

The Vancouver Opera Company Shows

Vancouver Opera is the second biggest opera company in Canada, the first being the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto. Vancouver Opera started in 1958 and has since grown into one of the premier performing arts organizations in not just the Lower Mainland but all of Canada.

Nearly all the mainstage productions for Vancouver Opera are held at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The theatre is located at 630 Hamilton Street downtown and seats nearly 3,000 people.

In addition to the standard performances, Vancouver Opera also runs various other programs. There is Vancouver Opera in Schools which tours throughout BC with professional quality opera performances for students. There are also summer camps and other youth programs on offer.

For tickets and the company’s official website see vancouveropera.ca.

What to Expect

Vancouver Opera puts on three different productions most years. They are usually in Italian, but sometimes French or German. Often one of them is in English. The shows involve operatic singing (of course), and beautiful costumes and sets.

Regardless of the language of the performance, there are English surtitles (like subtitles or closed caption text) projected above the theatre’s stage. This is very helpful, especially when the singing is in a language you don’t understand.

In the fall of 2024 Die Fledermaus was in German, but with English surtitles. In early 2025 Flight was sung in English and Madama Butterfly is in Italian (but again with English surtitles).

At Vancouver Opera productions expect the singing to be amazing! They are an exceptional opera company and Vancouver is very lucky to have them!

There is usually an intermission of 25 or so minutes in the middle of each performance, but also a pre-show talk before and a post-show talk after. Both of the talks are short and very interesting. We recommend them, especially if you are new to opera.

The pre-show talk lasts for about 15 minutes or so. Two speakers provide background to the show and describe its history. The talks usually take place upstairs in the Mezzanine an hour before the main performance begins.

The post-show talk takes place shortly after the opera’s finale, after most of the audience has left the auditorium. Those who wish can stay and go down to the seats at the front of the stage. The main actors then come out and audience members can ask them questions.

For tickets and full details about the shows, see the Vancouver Opera‘s website.

The 2025 Performances

There are two performances scheduled in the first half of 2025. They are Flight (in English) and Madama Butterfly (in Italian with English surtitles). Show dates and descriptions are below.

Flight

Sung in English and written by Jonathan Dove, Flight is a funny opera set at an airport. It’s inspired by the true story of an Iranian refugee who lived at an airport for 18 years.

A number of characters and their stories intertwine in an airport departure lounge when a storm delays flights. The character of The Refugee is at the centre of the show, as plenty of other action swirls around them. There’s a childbirth, cheating and other scandalous activities. The show is a comedy with plenty of humorous moments, although it’s also a moving piece with an emotional punch.

Flight is one of the most successful modern operas. It plays at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on February 8th, 13th and 16th in 2025.

For tickets and full details about the opera, click Flight 2025.

Madama Butterfly

Composed by Giacomo Puccini, Madama Butterfly is an Italian opera with English surtitles. It’s a tragic tale of a young Japanese girl who marries an American naval officer. Shortly after their marriage, the American leaves and returns a few years later. However, he returns with a new wife.

The show is at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on April 26th and 27th, 2025, and then again on May 1st, 3rd and 4th.

For tickets and more information about this show, click Madama Butterfly in 2025.

For tickets and the company’s official website see vancouveropera.ca.

Next Season’s Shows

While the current season is not yet over, the 2025-26 season of Vancouver Opera performances has already been announced!

Once again there will be three productions, one in the fall of 2025 and two in the first few months of 2026. All three are sung in Italian with English surtitles.

Rigoletto

The first show of the season is Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto, which plays at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on October 25th, October 30th, and November 2nd, 2025. It tells the story of the hunchbacked court jester of a corrupt duke, and also the daughter of the jester who gets wrapped up in a curse.

The opera was immediately popular when it debuted in Italy in the mid-19th century, and is considered today to be one of the masterpieces of Verdi’s career. It’s based on the French play Le roi s’amuse, written by Victor Hugo.

Così fan tutte

This show is a comedic opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The title is typically translated into English as “Women are like that”.

The opera is centred around two engaged couples, where the two men disguise themselves in order to try and woo the other’s fiancée, as part of a bet to see whether or not they will stay faithful no matter what.

The show takes the stage at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on February 7th, 12th and 15th, 2026.

La bohème

Like Madama Butterfly in 2024-25, the final opera of this upcoming season was composed by Giacomo Puccini. It’s one of the most popular Italian operas ever created and one of the most commonly performed around the world.

The tragic love story begins with a group of four poor artists who live together in Paris and struggle to make ends meet. One day, one of them meets a seamstress who lives nearby and they fall in love, only to have their relationship tested by their poverty and her poor health.

The production plays at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on April 25th, 26th and 30th, and May 2nd and 3rd, 2026.

Vancouver Opera in Schools and Other Programs

Vancouver Opera in Schools provides professional opera performances in schools throughout BC. It’s one of the biggest programs of its kind in the country. These shows are sung in English (as opposed to Italian or French like the mainstage productions) and serve as a way to help introduce students to opera as an art form.

Vancouver Opera also offers specific programs for youth of various school ages. There is Project Opera for elementary students. It offers teachers different ways to bring in Vancouver Opera artists to their classrooms. There are also mentorship programs for high school students and summer camps.

Finally, there are programs for adults as well like Opera 101. It’s a five-part course taught over Zoom that serves as an introduction to the history and modern world of opera.

Tips and Advice

Below are some suggestions and extra information to help you make the most out of your opera experience.

Things to Know In Advance

TIP #1: Arrive early. Don’t risk getting there late because of traffic!

TIP #2: Consider joining the pre-show talk before the main performance begins, especially if you are new to opera or not familiar with the particular production. The background information is very interesting and can be helpful in understanding the story.

TIP #3: Except for the fact that you have to look up extra high to see the screen with the surtitles, the best seats in the house, arguably, in our opinion, are at the very front of the theatre, and in the middle of the auditorium. There you can see the full stage, and the actors up close (which is a wonderful and amazing experience).

Post Show Talk and Interviews — Post-Show Talk at HMS Pinafore

Things to Know about the Show

TIP #1: If the production is in Italian, French or German, and you aren’t fluent in that particular language or already familiar with the story, then consider reading up on on the plot in advance. This will help you understand and follow the story better and enhance your experience.

TIP #2: Don’t forget that the words of the singing are projected (in English) on a screen above the stage. Consequently, even if you don’t understand Italian, you can still understand the story and what the actors are singing. Even when the production is in English, the subtitles can still be helpful.

TIP #3: The subtitles are easy to see from pretty much everywhere in the theatre. If you plan to rely on them heavily, however, you might not want to sit in the first few rows, especially if you have a bad neck.

TIP #4: Photos and video are not permitted during the performance, except for at the very end when the actors are taking their bows, at which point the audience is invited to take out their cameras and phones to take pictures.