IATSE has announced that after nearly round-the-clock negotiations at the end of June that lasted into the July 4th holiday weekend, negotiators for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local One and the Metropolitan Opera reached a tentative agreement for a new contract. OperaWire first reported the news on July 3rd and this morning stage and shop crew members {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced several new additions to its conducting roster for the 2021-22 season. Kazem Abdullah will return to the Met on the Oct. 8 performance of Terence Blanchard and Kasi Lemmons’ “Fire Shut up in My Bones,” while Patrick Furrer will make his Met debut during the March 18 performance of Verdi’s “Don Carlos.” Abdullah made his {…}
(Credit: Jonathan Tichler/Metropolitan Opera) The Metropolitan Opera and IATSE have reached an agreement that will allow workers to return in preparation for the 2021-22 season. Per information supplied to OperaWire, the agreement was struck early on Saturday morning and includes a three percent wage cut and a 4 1/2 percent annuity cut for three years. There will also be a {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced the 69th straight week of streams. Per a press release, this week’s streams, which will be dedicated to the operas of Richard Strauss, will include several first-time broadcasts. Here is a breakdown of the schedule. Week 69 – Strauss Week Monday, July 5 – Strauss’s “Der Rosenkavalier” Starring Kiri Te Kanawa, Tatiana Troyanos, Judith Blegen, Luciano Pavarotti, Derek Hammond-Stroud, and Kurt {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced a mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy for its employees. In an email sent to its employees and obtained by OperaWire, the Met noted that in order to ensure the health and safety of its employees, their families, and members of its community the Met will require that all employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine and be fully-vaccinated {…}
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees is taking the fight against the Metropolitan Opera lockout online with a virtual picket line. The picket line can be seen on MetOperaPicketLine.com and stagehands, costumer and wardrobe employees, lighting designers and technicians, set designers and craftsmen, make-up artists, broadcast technicians, and ticket sellers, along with other supporters, are taking part. In a {…}
The Metropolitan Opera’s tax returns for 2020 were released on Thursday and show a positive $31 million. However, according to the Associated Press, the company is claiming that that money comes from pledges for future seasons that the company does not have yet. Moreover, the release shows that revenue fell by $13 million for the season from $307 million in {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its next three weeks of nightly streams. The first week will center on Father’s Day, and the following week will celebrate Pride Month, highlighting great performances by artists from the LGBTQ+ community. The final week will be focused on American composers. Additionally, the 1997 telecast of Britten’s “Billy Budd,” featuring Philip Langridge, Dwayne Croft, and {…}
The AGMA Board of Governors has ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Metropolitan Opera. But it wasn’t a victory for all. In a press statement Len Egert, National Executive Director of AGMA, and the co-lead negotiator of the Met/AGMA contract said, “Considering what the Met was originally publicly seeking in concessions, which was around 30 percent, this comprehensive {…}
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) has announced that it has reached an agreement to meet for a week of “intensive bargaining” with the Metropolitan Opera. Per a press release, IATSE Local One asserts that the Met Opera has stated that without stagehands working in the opera house by June 14, the company’s 2021-22 season, which is set {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its Summer Encore Live in HD series. The Summer Encore titles in the United States will be Gershwins’ “Porgy and Bess,” Bizet’s “Carmen,” and Puccini’s “Tosca.” “Porgy and Bess” will be showcased on July 14 starring Angel Blue and Eric Owens while “Carmen” will be in movie theaters on Juky 28 starring Elīna Garanča and {…}