PORTLAND – PCA Great Performances will bring the Teatro Lirico d’Europa production of Giacomo Puccini’s popular opera “Madama Butterfly” to Merrill Auditorium Wednesday, March 7.

The three-act performance, scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., will be sung in its original Italian with English supertitles, displayed above the stage during the performance.

Soloists of Teatro Lirico d’Europa will be accompanied by the 50-piece Sofi a (Bulgaria) Symphony Orchestra and its 40-voice adjunct chorus. This large orchestra lends a full, rich sound to this fully staged production.

Teatro Lirico d’Europa was founded in 1988 by the late Yves Josée, a ballet divo, and Giorgio Lalov, a young opera singer who made his debut at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala at the age of 25. This partnership was an instant success, soon resulting in acclaimed, successful tours with more than 250 performances a season.

Lalov manages the company to this day, overseeing the design of its productions, directing and managing the company on its tours.

Maine audiences are familiar with Teatro Lirico d’Europa. In recent years, PCA Great Performances has presented its productions of “Rigoletto,” “The Barber of Seville,” “La Bohème,” “Aida,” “Turandot” and “Il Trovatore.”

Set in Nagasaki in the early 20th century, “Madama Butterfly” is the heartbreaking story of a young geisha, Cio-Cio San, and her ill-fated romance with an American sailor, Navy Lt. B. F. Pinkerton. Puccini’s famous score is filled with haunting arias and gripping East-meets-West musical motifs.

Tickets for the performance are priced at $38, $46 and $53 and are available through PortTix, the box office at Merrill Auditorium, and by calling 842.0800.

A free “PCA Offstage” precurtain lecture with Bates College professor Dr. James Parakilas will be offered backstage before the performance at 6 p.m.

For more information, go online to www.pcaGreatPerformances.org.