Madama Butterfly Available On Demand Exclusively on the RTÉ Player

Irish National Opera and RTÉ are proud to launch a brand new RTÉ Player Exclusive: Irish National Opera’s critically-acclaimed production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, starring Celine Byrne, presented in association with the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, in partnership with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

Ben Barnes’s new production of an old favourite thrilled audiences during performances at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and the Cork Opera House, and now, from Saturday 6 April, viewers worldwide can discover the “simply extraordinary” Celine Byrne as Madama Butterfly for themselves, exclusively on RTÉ Player.

Irish National Opera’s artistic director, Fergus Sheil, said “Irish National Opera is delighted to partner with RTÉ to broadcast Puccini’s great opera. Madama Butterfly is one of our largest productions of 2019, and we are enormously proud of the achievement of the cast, chorus, creative team and of course the magnificent RTÉ Concert Orchestra who play with such passion and precision.”

This RTÉ Player Exclusive marks an exciting new venture between INO and RTÉ that will bring Irish National Opera productions to digital audiences at home and abroad via the newly-revamped RTÉ Player. Audiences will be able to access world-class Irish-produced opera through their smartphone, tablet or TV, making Irish Opera productions more readily available than ever before. In addition to being able to watch the entire opera on RTÉ Player, audiences will have a chance to enjoy Celine Byrne’s powerful performance on RTÉ lyric fm’s Opera Night on Saturday 18 May at 7pm.

RTÉ Director General, Dee Forbes said, "RTÉ is delighted to embrace another exciting opportunity to demonstrate how our television, radio and online services can uniquely combine to bring special live performances, such as this wonderful Irish National Opera production of Madama Butterfly, to new audiences, nationally and internationally. We are proud to be involved."

This new production of Madama Butterfly stars Celine Byrne (Cio-Cio-San/Madama Butterfly), Julian Hubbard (B.F. Pinkerton), Brett Polegato (Sharpless) and Doreen Curran (Suzuki) along with a host of Irish and international singers and the Irish National Opera Chorus. The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is conducted by Timothy Redmond. The opera is directed by Ben Barnes with set designs by the award-winning Todd Rosenthal and costumes by Joan O’Clery.

Fergus Sheil said, “As a new national opera company (founded in 2018) we are always looking for ways to reach new opera audiences both at home in Ireland and also internationally. We have achieved this by performing in 21 different Irish venues to date in theatres large and small and in venues from Dublin to Letterkenny and Wexford to Tralee. Radio and online broadcasts enable us to reach even larger audiences, and this new collaboration with RTÉ is an important opportunity for us to bring the beauty of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly to audiences around the world.”