On Nov. 17, Oksana Volkova jumped into the Metropolitan Opera’s production of “Carmen.” The mezzo replaced Isabel Leonard, who was suffering from a back spasm. Volkova took to social media and said, “Today my biggest dream came true! I sang Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera!❤️” She also posted the curtain call. Volkova made her Met debut in 2013 as Maddalena {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard) The Metropolitan Opera’s ticket sales continue to struggle during the 2024-25 season. The AP is reporting that the Met attendance was 70 percent of available tickets in the season’s first half, down from 73 percent at the same point last year. However, the Met is projecting that the season finish with 75 percent of available tickets which {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard) Russell Thomas has canceled the final performance of “Don Carlo” at the Metropolitan Opera on Dec. 3. As the result, the company has announced that Rafael Dávila will sing the title role. This is the third time that Dávila takes the stage in this production. He also replaced Thomas on Nov. 7, 2022 and Nov. 30, 2022. {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for its revival of “La Bohème.” The company noted that Yusif Eyvazov, who was scheduled to sing the role of Rodolfo has withdrawn due to illness. As a result, three tenors will replace him. Matthew Polenzani will sing on May 16 and 24 while Stephen Costello will sing on May 20. Finally, Russell {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera has named baritone Will Liverman the winner of the 2022 Beverly Sills Artist Award. The annual $50,000 award recognizes a gifted singer with a rising Met career. The award was established in 2006 by an endowment gift from the late Agnes Varis, a former Met board member. In a statement, Liverman {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is set to celebrate the holiday season with its family-friendly version of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” for nine performances. The opera, which opened on Dec. 10, 2021, is set to run until Jan. 5, 2022. The English-language adaptation of the classic fairy tale, performed in a 115-minute abridged version is directed by Julie Taymor. The production will {…}
Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most essential topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. Two weeks ago, AGMA, working for the Met chorus, dancers, and soloists, finished negotiations with the Metropolitan Opera and agreed on a final deal for all the groups of artists {…}
Yannick Nézet-Séguin is speaking out about the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra not being paid for nearly a year. In a letter sent to leaders at the Met including Peter Gelb, Nézet-Séguin noted that the lack of pay for the orchestra and chorus for the past months was “increasingly unacceptable.” In his letter obtained by the New York Times, the conductor wrote, {…}
(Credit: Richard Termine / Metropolitan Opera) On Feb. 15, 2020, the Metropolitan Opera raised the curtain on this season’s run of Mozart’s “Così Fan Tutte.” Phelim McDermott’s dazzling Coney Island production added a large amount of spectacle to what is the least staged of the operas born from the partnership of Mozart and Da Ponte. The afternoon saw a solid {…}
PBS will showcase Puccini’s “La Bohème” from the Metropolitan Opera as part of its Great Performances Series on Sunday, May 20, 2018. The broadcast will kick off at 12 p.m. EDT and will showcase soprano Sonya Yoncheva as the tragic Mimì. This was the second of Yoncheva’s big season, during which she appeared on three Live in HD broadcasts. Her {…}