Ailyn Pérez is the perfect Butterfly in the Met’s revival

Ailyn Pérez (Cio-Cio-San) and Hyona Kim (Suzuki)

Dancer Hsin-Ping Chang in Madama Butterfly

SeokJong Baek (Pinkerton) and Andrzej Filończyk (Sharpless)

Ailyn Pérez (Cio-Cio-San)

Madama Butterfly

Ailyn Pérez (Cio-Cio-San)

By Robert Levine, 16 January 2026

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“good Butterflys are not that difficult to come by but great ones are very very rare”

Reviewed at Lincoln Center: Metropolitan Opera House, New York City on 13 January 2026

Puccini, Madama Butterfly

Metropolitan Opera

Marco Armiliato, Conductor

Anthony Minghella, Director

Michael Levine, Set Designer

Han Feng, Costume Designer

Peter Mumford, Lighting Designer

The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

The Metropolitan Opera Chorus

Carolyn Choa, Revival Director, Choreography

Ailyn Pérez, Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly)

SeokJong Baek, Pinkerton

Andrzej Filończyk, Sharpless

Hyona Kim, Suzuki

Rodell Rosel, Goro

Jeongcheol Cha, Prince Yamadori

Robert Pomakov, The Bonze

Hannah Jones, Kate Pinkerton

Paul Corona, The Imperial Commissioner

Blind Summit Theatre, Puppeteer

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Robert Levine

Robert T. Levine is a New York born-and-bred music writer with a particular interest in music for the voice. His work has appeared in many periodicals and newspapers. He is the author of many books, including The Story of the Orchestra, four volumes in the Black Dog & Leventhal Opera Library, and, most recently, Maria Callas: A Musical Biography.