When:
Wednesday Oct 9 @ 5:30pm
Rsvp: Email events@florentineopera.org to rsvp and for any questions about the event.
Madama Butterfly is a timeless Puccini masterpiece, where Japanese traditions meet American dreams. Join us for an opportunity to hear from our stage director, conductor, and lead soprano about the exquisite melodies, exploration of love, sacrifice, and cultural collision in this production!
About Versed
We build operas over the course of a few years! In that time, dozens of creatives work on costuming, lighting effects, historical juxtapositions and casting. For each mainstage production, we offer a Versed experience for the Milwaukee community (and beyond). Come to hear about the work's history, stay to experience a sneak-peek performance featuring a lead artist and conductor!
Our Versed series takes place as an intimate gathering in our very own Lueders Opera Center in the Riverwest neighborhood. These are FREE and open to the public.
Please RSVP at events@florentineopera.org
Featuring
Francesco Milioto
Conductor
Francesco Milioto continues to establish himself in opera houses as an incredibly gifted "singer’s" conductor. His interpretation of each score is fueled by a philosophy of collaboration in service of the overall experience for artists, creators, and audience.
Maestro Milioto currently serves as Music Director of OPERA San Antonio, Music Director Designate to The Florentine Opera, and Music Director of Holy City Arts and Lyric Opera. Highlights of Mr. Milioto's most recent acclaimed performances, outside of his home companies, include at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera and Tulsa Opera. He is a member of the music staff at the world-renowned Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Santa Fe Opera.
Mr. Milioto began the season leading a successful production of Romeo and Juliet at The Florentine Opera, before heading to San Antonio to conduct their performances of Pagliacci. He then made his debut with Ballet San Antonio conducting several performances of The Nutcracker in collaboration with the Classical Music Institute Orchestra. The new year began with a recital in Charleston for HALO, followed quickly by a last-minute substitution with Tulsa Opera for their gala performance of Verdi's Aida. Mr. Milioto will end the season with a return to San Antonio to lead OSA’s production of Romeo and Juliet.
This season also included his work on productions of Ernani and Hansel and Gretel at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Maestro Milioto is an avid coach and much sought after master teacher. In addition to his work with young artists at OPERA San Antonio and The Florentine Opera he recently gave masterclasses for the Detroit Opera Studio and Mexico Opera Studio in Monterrey, Mexico.
As a Music director and guest conductor Mr. Milioto has thrived in Chicago and beyond. Over his many years in Chicago, he claimed the title of Music Director to the New Millennium Orchestra, the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Highland Park Strings, Access Contemporary Music and the Chicago Cultural Center Summer Opera. As a guest conductor he has amassed several critically acclaimed productions with Chicago Opera theater and has collaborated with many professional local orchestras. His work with the New Millennium Orchestra and Chicago Opera theater were each named to the Chicago Sun-Times list of the “10 best performances of the year.” Mr. Milioto is particularly proud of his work with the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago, which he co-founded in 2005. The NMO had an incredible range of repertoire, playing everything from classical music and opera, to collaborations with jazz and hip-hop artists. His highly acclaimed work over ten seasons with both the Highland Park Strings and Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra ranged from early music to contemporary works and often featured world-renowned soloists. As Artistic Director/Conductor of Access Contemporary Music, Mr. Milioto led the brilliantly vibrant ensemble Palomar which has been featured on the radio and in performances throughout the city and abroad. He has also conducted successful productions with The Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Opera Southwest, Elgin Opera, and Opera on the James.
Karen Chia-Ling Ho
Soprano
In the 2023/24 season, Karen Chia-ling Ho made debuts with Opera Philadelphia, Boston Lyric Opera, and Virginia Opera in the title role of Madama Butterfly. Other engagements that season included a return to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Mimì in La Bohème and San Francisco Opera to cover Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly.
Following her debut with the Hong Kong Arts Festival in Bright Sheng’s Dream of the Red Chamber, Ms. Ho reprised the role of Princess Jia in her San Francisco Opera debut. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Meretaten in Philip Glass’ Akhnaten and Apparition in Macbeth. She sang Liù in Turandot with St. Petersburg Opera and Tosca in Hong Kong at the More Than Music Festival, under the direction of Nic Muni. She also sang staged performances of La Traviata as Violetta at the Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater with the Philharmonia Orchestra of New York. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with the American Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Leon Botstein, in Ernst Krenek’s Der Diktator as Maria.
Other engagements include, performances with Hawaii Opera Theater in Madama Butterfly and the New Jersey Festival Orchestra in the “Yellow River Cantata” and Strauss’ Op. 27, along with operatic selections of Verdi. Ms. Ho was presented in concert with the American Composers Orchestra in Washington, D.C. in music by Chinese composer Li Shaosheng and appeared in concerts with both the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra in China.
Mo Zhou
Director
Mo Zhou is a versatile director whose career encompasses opera, theater, dance, and film. As a faculty member at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, she is dedicated to revitalizing the classical canon while championing new and innovative works. Her artistic endeavors have been showcased by esteemed companies, including Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in China, Santa Fe Opera, and Minnesota Opera.
In the 2023-2024 season, Ms. Zhou directs the world premiere of 'The Big Swim' at Houston Grand Opera, further cementing her reputation as a trailblazing AAPI artist in the industry. She also directs 'Madame Butterfly' at Virginia Opera, 'Tosca' with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and 'La Calisto' at the Glimmerglass Festival.
Highlights from the 2022-2023 season include a sold-out run of 'Rinaldo' at Minnesota Opera, selected by the StarTribune as one of the top 10 best classical music events of 2022. Her innovative production of 'Iphigénie en Tauride' with Boston Baroque was streamed globally on IDAGIO and received widespread acclaim, including a special mention in Forbes. She also conceived and directed 'La bohème' at the Music Academy in Santa Barbara, set during the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City.
Ms. Zhou has worked as part of the directing staff at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and other renowned institutions. Her passion for artistic growth and development led her to prominent directing fellowships at The Juilliard School, Wolf Trap Opera, WP Theater, Merola Opera Program, and The Glimmerglass Festival. Notably, she was honored with the prestigious OPERA America Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize and received the 2023 OPERA America Grants for Women Stage Directors and Conductors for her directing debut with Boston Baroque.
Her expertise extends to the realm of education, as she has taught at institutions including Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, and NYU. She holds a B.A. in English and theater from Bowdoin College, an M.F.A. in stage directing from Columbia University, and a certificate in diversity and inclusion from Cornell University.
Mo Zhou's multifaceted background, from her formal training to her extensive experience in various artistic disciplines, has shaped her into a dynamic force within the opera industry. Her commitment to pushing boundaries and fostering artistic excellence continues to have a profound impact on the global stage.