COC returns to Saturday Afternoon at the Opera with Madama Butterfly tomorrow, followed by live Web chat

One of the pleasures of going to a live performance is talking about it afterwards. The Canadian Opera Company, which returns to the airwaves tomorrow afternoon with a broadcast of its recent production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly on CBC Radio 2, is hosting chat on its website. As the reader comment suggests, it's supposed to happen during the show, which sounds a bit distracting to me. (If you're listening on the Internet, try the COC first. I find the CBC's site very difficult to navigate.)

James Westman (who sings the role of Sharpless), Peter Barrett (Prince Yamadori) and costume designer Susan Benson will be part of the chat, sharing some anecdotes, as well as answering questions.

Once Saturday's broadcast is over, Madama Butterfly goes into streaming on demand for 12 months on the CBC and COC websites.

Next Saturday, it's the turn for The Nightingale and Other Fables, the fabulous Stravinsky compendium staged by Robert Lepage.

The COC has, over the last year, added a lot of content to its website, including a lot of background information on its productions and resources for further reading and listening. General director Alexander Neef also keeps a blog.

Comments

[Kate]

Can't wait. Just a correction though - the chat takes place DURING the production, starting at 1PM and concluding at 5PM. It does not take place post-performance. Thanks!