Asian performers have become a fixture in Western concert halls in recent years, with talents from China, Japan and South Korea regularly giving recitals and master classes at major cities in Europe and the U.S.
But Asian cast members remain a relative rarity in opera — the 400-year-old Western art where productions are judged not only by performers' voices but also by their acting and appearance, which are expected to be convincingly European.
Japanese-born soprano Asako Tamura is one of the few who has managed to break such a barrier, reaching beyond the so-called bamboo ceiling that seems to keep Asians from reaching the very top of this quintessentially European art.
"If you only look for the opera roles cut out for Asians, Madame Butterfly will be about the only thing," Tamura said.