For the past seven years, conductor Atsushi Yamada of the New York City Opera has dreamed of seeing his company on a Japanese stage.
He will finally get his chance next May when he conducts the Giacomo Puccini opera "Madame Butterfly" at the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture.
The 40-year-old Japanese-born conductor and his colleague, Matthew Price, an executive assistant to the general and artistic director, have been trying since last November to arrange a trip to Japan.