|
Pacific Rim Cultural Exchange
The San Francisco Opera Center has become the most active performing arts organization in the Pacific region due to an ongoing cultural exchange with several foreign countries. In 1987, Western Opera Theater became the first American professional opera company to perform in the People's Republic of China when it presented La Bohème in Shanghai. A return visit in 1988 included first performances of Tosca ever given in China. In 1989, the Opera Center toured Japan, studying and performing the Brescia edition of Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Singers also performed in Guam and Saipan. The Center has returned to Japan twice for collaborations with local orchestras and choruses in Carmen (1991) and La Bohème (1993). In 1989, the Center represented the first professional group of entertainers to visit the island of Pohnpei, in addition to performances of Don Pasquale at the Shanghai Conservatory. The Company has returned to Guam, Saipan and Pohnpei annually since 1993. |
|
