(Credit: Jonathan Tichler / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera’s financial situation has taken another turn with its debt rating downgraded. According to a report in Bloomberg, the company’s Moody’s Rating cut the Met Opera’s debt rating further into junk, lowering it to Caa1 from B3 with a negative outlook. The downgrade was due to the organization’s “pronounced structural deficit” and {…}
(Photo Credit: Natalie Powers / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera has announced the 10 singers that have advanced to the final round of the 2026 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. The 2026 finalists are soprano Shannon Crowley (Great Lakes, Virginia Beach, VA), soprano Elizabeth Hanje (Northwest, Vestavia Hills, AL), soprano Song Hee Lee (Eastern, Seoul, South Korea), soprano {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is set to present Gabriela Lena Frank’s “El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego” with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Nilo Cruz. The opera will be directed by Deborah Colker and conducted by Music Director, Yannick Nezet-Seguin. The opera will star Isabel Leonard stars as Kahlo alongside Baritone Carlos Álvarez as Rivera. They will be joined by soprano {…}
The Metropolitan opera has announced a second cast change for its production of “Eugene Onegin.” The company said that mezzo-soprano Larissa Diadkova will sing the role of Filippyevna, replacing Stephanie Blythe, who has withdrawn. Diadkova made her company debut in 1996 singing Madelon in Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier” and has since performed Azucena in Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” Amneris in Verdi’s “Aida,” Herodias {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for its production of “Eugene Onegin.” The company said that Ukrainian Baritone Iurii Samoilov will sing the title role, replacing the originally scheduled Russian baritone Igor Golovatenko. Golovatenko also recently canceled a new production of “Rigoletto” at the Bayerische Staatsoper and “Un Ballo in Maschera” at the Paris Opera. Samoilov made his {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond) In his book, “A New Philosophy of Opera,” director Yuval Sharon notes that “Tristan und Isolde,” alongside “Pelléas et Mélisande” are not only two of the most difficult operas to stage, but “seem like a losing proposition” for any director to take on. He reflects on how oftentimes, director’s attempt to “find physical form for what the {…}
On March 9, the Metropolitan Opera will reopen for the back-half of its 2025-26 season. At the core of that reopening will be its new production of “Tristan und Isolde,” headlined by Lise Davidsen and selling so well that another show had to be added. While that would suggest a wave of positivity for the company heading into the final {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announce the 23 semifinalists for the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. The semifinals, which are set to be held on March 15, 2026, will be held on the Met stage before a panel of judges and will also be available for public viewing via livestream. Laffont alumni Brittany Olivia Logan and Miles Mykkanen will {…}
(Credit: Gregor Hohenberg) The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for its production of “Madama Butterfly.” The company said that “soprano Aleksandra Kurzak will sing the role of Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s ‘Madama Butterfly,’ replacing Sonya Yoncheva, who has withdrawn from the run due to family reasons.” Kurzak will perform on March 14, 18, 21, and 27, 2026 alternating with {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has released numbers for its first half of its 2025-26 season. According to a report from the Associated Press, the first half of the 2025-26 season has seen ticket sales rise to 72 percent from 70 percent in the first half of 2024-25. General Manager Peter Gelb noted that the sales have come back to what they {…}
Peter Gelb has announced that he plans to retire at the end of the 2030. The news comes as the Metropolitan Opera has announced its 2026-27 season and as he marks his 20th anniversary with the company. According to the Associated Press the General “says he intends to retire when his current contract expires in 2030.” He said, “That certainly {…}