Madame Butterfly

Jun Kaneko has designed three opera productions, which have each toured throughout the United States. His opera designs are noted for their modernist aesthetic, kinetically animated video projections, and vividly colored costumes. His first foray into opera was for a production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, commissioned by Opera Omaha for their 2006 season. Writing of this first operatic endeavor, Kaneko says, “One of the most difficult aspects of the opera for a person more familiar with sculpture and painting, which do not traditionally move around during an exhibition, is that nothing stays the same. There is constant movement in the music, singers’ positions on the stage, and vivid lighting variations.”

Kaneko spent nearly three years designing the minimalist sets, colorful costumes, animated projections, and an array of props. His designs were created simultaneously, with careful consideration given to the interplay among various elements of the production. The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, where he had previously done a residency, assisted Kaneko with the creation of original fabrics and design elements for the costumes. This enabled the artist to incorporate the gestural brushwork and hand-painted design elements for which he has come to be known. Construction of the costumes was then carried out with the assistance of the Costume Shop of the Utah Symphony and Opera. 

Performances of Kaneko’s Madama Butterfly include: Opera Omaha, Omaha, NE (2019); Washington National Opera, Kennedy Center, Washington D.C. (2017); San Francisco Opera, San Francisco, CA (2016); San Francisco Opera, San Francisco, CA (2014); Opera Omaha, Omaha, NE (2011); Opera Memphis, Memphis, TN (2010); Vancouver Opera, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (2010); Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA (2009); Madison Opera, Madison, WI (2008); Atlanta Opera, Atlanta, GA (2008); Hawaii Opera Theater, Maui, HI (2007); Hawaii Opera Theater, Honolulu, HI (2007); Dayton Opera, Dayton, OH (2006); Opera Omaha, Omaha, NE (2006)