The opportunity came as a shock.
Jun Kaneko had been a sculptor and painter for decades. But when the invitation came to create sets and costumes for an opera - "Madama Butterfly" - he wasn't even sure it was serious. He knew nothing about opera and had never designed for the stage.
That began a journey he's still on. Since spending three years on Puccini's ever-popular "Butterfly" - which Opera Carolina will perform beginning Saturday, using Kaneko's creations - he has turned to two more operas. He's now finishing "The Magic Flute," Mozart's fairy-tale opera, for Charlotte's opera company and two others.
Obviously, Kaneko said yes to the invitation for "Butterfly" - the story of a geisha whose marriage to an American sailor ends tragically. But the project's attraction was one you might not guess. (charlotteobserver.com)
The opportunity came as a shock.
Jun Kaneko had been a sculptor and painter for decades. But when the invitation came to create sets and costumes for an opera - "Madama Butterfly" - he wasn't even sure it was serious. He knew nothing about opera and had never designed for the stage.
That began a journey he's still on. Since spending three years on Puccini's ever-popular "Butterfly" - which Opera Carolina will perform beginning Saturday, using Kaneko's creations - he has turned to two more operas. He's now finishing "The Magic Flute," Mozart's fairy-tale opera, for Charlotte's opera company and two others.
Obviously, Kaneko said yes to the invitation for "Butterfly" - the story of a geisha whose marriage to an American sailor ends tragically. But the project's attraction was one you might not guess. (charlotteobserver.com)