In January 1999, Operama's Maestro Giuseppe Raffa stunned over 30,000 spectators at the Loftus rugby field in Pretoria with his spectacular visual approach to Verdi ‘s opera, Aïda. Big Concerts recently announced that Operama would return to South Africa with another well-loved opera, Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Featuring a 70-piece orchestra and a chorus of 80, the glittering line-up of opera soloists will be led by renowned Japanese soprano Mina Yamazaki in the role of Cio-Cio-San. As with Aida, audiences are promised an unforgettable experience of high-tech acoustics, computerised projections on a gigantic 70m by 20m screen and spectacular lighting effects.

Maestro Raffa's production of Madame Butterfly received its world premiere in July at Italy's legendary Arena di Verona and the seven sold-out performances in the historic Roman amphitheatre received universal acclaim.

The production is presented in Stellenbosch on January 22 at 20h30 at the Danie Craven Rugby Stadium and in Pretoria on January 29 at 19h30 at the Minolta Loftus Superstadium. Booking exclusively at Ticketweb at http://www.ticketweb.co.za or by phoning 0861 400 500 or outlets at Selected Musica Stores, Edgars and Engen Stations. Tickets range from R100 to R600 (excl. of TicketWeb's booking fee)