Voice Professor Sings Tenor Lead in D.C. Production of Butterfly

Dr. Brian Arreola, associate professor of voice, is singing the role of “Pinkerton” in an updated production of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly in Washington, D.C. The In Series production, called simply Butterfly, opened September 5 and runs through September 22.

In Series is an experimental opera company that creates innovative and intimate productions. Seeking to remove the racial and cultural stereotypes that are fundamental to traditional presentations, the In Series production has significantly reworked the opera, placing the action in a minimalist institutional room, where Butterfly waits and remembers, and dreams and reality converge.

Dr. Arreola, a tenor, performs regularly in and outside of Charlotte, including frequent roles at Opera Carolina. In 2013, he sang the role of Pinkerton in the Grachtenfestival production of Madame Butterfly in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He director of the Opera Workshop program at UNC Charlotte.

Pictured: Amanda Palmeiro as Butterfly, left, and Brian Arreola as Pinkerton.