Tu tu piccolo iddio

Leona Mitchell (born October 13, 1948, [Enid, Oklahoma], is an [African-American] and [Chickasaw][operatic] [Soprano] and an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee. She is also a [Grammy Award]-winning soprano who sang for 18 seasons as a leading spinto soprano at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In her home state of Oklahoma, Miss Mitchell has been awarded many honors. These include The Oklahoma Hall of Fame, The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, The Women's Hall of Fame and The Jazz Hall of Fame. Her home town of Enid has a street named after her called Leona Mitchell Boulevard, as well as a Museum named in her honor called "The Leona Mitchell Southern Heights Heritage Center and Museum". The Honorable Governor Brad Henry of Oklahoma made her Oklahoma's State Cultural Ambassador. In late 2014, Miss Mitchell was inducted into The Oklahoma African Hall of Fame. Miss Mitchell was a leading Soprano with The Metropolitan Opera of New York for 18 seasons. Many of her roles at the Met were varied and illustrious. She essayed in many new productions: Ernani, Turandot, and Aida. Some other roles at the Met were: Micaela, Manon from Manon Lescaut, Leonora from La Forza Del Destino and Il Trovatore, Amelia, The Masked Ball, Delilah from Handel's Samson, Pamina, Madame Butterfly, Mimi & Musetta, La Boheme, Lauretta, and Madame Lidouine in French and English. She has also appeared with many worldwide major symphony orchestras including those in London, Japan, New York, Los Angeles, Israel, Chicago, Monte Carlo, Philadelphia, Edinburgh, Florence, Pittsburg, Cleveland and others. Miss Mitchell has performed Recitals all over the world: Alice Tully Hall, New York Australia, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Japan, Madrid, Sydney, Ottawa, Sardenia, Hawaii, Korea and all across The United States. Miss Mitchell also toured Japan with The Florence Opera and Zubin Mehta and Covent Garden. Leona Mitchell has performed for four US Presidents: Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton & Vice President George Bush along with many dignitaries which include Prince Charles, Princess Anne, The Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor, and Bishop Tutu. On July 5, 1986, she performed on the [New York Philharmonic's] tribute to the 100th Anniversary of the [Statue of Liberty], which was televised live from Central Park on [ABC Television]. She sang the [aria] 'Un bel difrom [Puccini]'s Madama Butterfly and the American |spiritual [He's Got the Whole World in His Hands]. Miss Mitchell has appeared in a production with each one of the Three Tenors: Ernani with Luciano Pavarotti, Turandot with Plácido Domingo, and "Carmen" with José Carreras, each of which has been recorded on DVD. In addition, She has appeared on many televised broadcasts, including The Merv Griffin Show," The Dick Cavett Show, The Jerry Lewis Telethon,[Good Morning America], CBS Night watch, The Charlie Rhodes Show, Public Television along with many PBS "Live from Lincoln Center Broadcasts","Live from the Met series" and The Kennedy Center Honors.


Lyrics & English Translation

Butterfly [softly reading the words inscribed on it]
Death with honour is
better than life with dishonour.
[points the knife sideways at her throat]
[The door on the left opens, showing Suzuki's arm pushing in the child towards his mother: he runs in with outstretched hands. Butterfly lets the dagger fall, darts toward the baby, and hugs and kisses him almost to suffocation]
Butterfly
You? you? you? you? you? you? you?
Belovèd Idol!
Ador'd, adorèd being,
Fairest flower of beauty.
[taking the child's head in her hands, she draws it to her]
Though you ne'er must know it
`Tis for you, my love, for you I'm dying,
Poor Butterfly
That you may go away
Beyond the ocean,
Never to feel the torment when you are older,
That your mother forsook you!
[exaltedly]
My son, sent to me from Heaven,
Straight from the throne of glory,
Take one last and careful look
At your poor mother's face!
That it's memory may linger,
One last look!
Farewell, beloved! Farewell, my dearest heart!
Go, play, play.
Butterfly takes the child, seats him on a stool with his face turned to the left, gives him the American flag and a doll and urges him to play with them, while she gently bandages his eyes. Then she seizes the dagger, and with her eyes still fixed on the child, goes behind the screen.
The knife is heard falling to the ground, and the large white veil disappears behind the screen.
Butterfly is seen emerging from behind the screen; tottering, she gropes her way towards the child. The large white veil is round her neck; smiling feebly, she greets the child with her hand and drags herself up to him. She has just enough strength left to embrace him, then falls to the ground beside him.


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I send my kind and warm regards,