New York City Opera Performs At Japan's 2005 World Expo

TOKYO - MAY 21: A scene from "Madama Butterfly" is rehearsed by members of the New York City Opera in Kosei Nenkin Hall May 21, 2005 in Tokyo, Japan. Japanese subtitles are projected on the sides of the proscenium. The New York City Opera has just returned home to Lincoln Center from a first-ever tour of Japan. Dedicated to presenting the best opera, both from the traditional and the contemporary repertoires to the widest audiences, the City Opera was an official participant in the 2005 World Expo, which is headquartered in Aichi, Japan. The City Opera's contribution to this cultural exposition, which lasts until September 25, 2005 and is expected to attract as many as 15 million visitors, were two performances of Giacomo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" on May 22 and 26, conducted by the company's first Japanese conductor, Atsushi Yamada, and two performances of the company's artist-in-residence, composer Mark Adamo's "Little Women" on May 19 and 28, conducted by George Manahan, City Opera's Music Director. The pair of operas, which are perfect samples of the traditional and contemporary repertoires, were performed first in Tokyo's Kosei Nenkin Kaikin and then at the Aichi Prefecture Cultural Center in Nagoya. (Photo by Joe McNally/Getty Images)