The Metropolitan Opera has announced its 2019 Summer Encores series which will feature four total operas over the years. First up will be “Roméo et Juliette” which features Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo in the title roles. This was transmitted live on Jan. 21, 2017, but this summer will appear in the U.S. on June 19, 2019 and in Canada {…}
In 2018-19, the Metropolitan Opera arguably saved the best for last. After opening the season with seeming inconsistency in terms of overall quality, the company seemed to get into the rhythm of things, producing a solid second half to the season that seemingly got better as we approached the end. And the company arguably reached the creative apex of its {…}
The Metropolitan Opera’s General Manager Peter Gelb will be among those receiving honorary doctorates of Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music during its commencement ceremony on Friday, May 10, 2019. Gelb will also give a Commencement address at the Ceremony, which is part of the institution’s 100th anniversary celebration. Gelb will be honored alongside conductor Jane Glover, composer {…}
The Met Opera will close its season and its 2018-19 Live in HD series with a performance of Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmélites.” The broadcast, which kicks off 11:55 a.m. Eastern time, will be headlined by Isabel Leonard in her second HD broadcast of the year. Leonard is now onto her seventh HD broadcast following appearances in “Roméo et Juliette,” “The {…}
This weekend has a ton of incredible productions to behold. The New York Opera Festival is in full swing as some of the major companies from around the country start to close their doors for the summer. The Rape of Lucretia – New Camerata Opera The Britten piece gets a unique new production directed by Bea Goodwin that will also {…}
On the evening of April 26, 2019, guests excitedly filed into the Metropolitan Opera’s grand auditorium, eager to experience Verdi’s masterpiece “Rigoletto.” Returning to the stage for its second run of performances this season with a new principal cast, Michael Mayer’s production sets the tragic opera in Las Vegas in the 1960s. With the audience seated and Maestro Nicola Luisotti standing ready {…}
“Dialogues des Carmélites” returns to the Metropolitan Opera for what will be its 58th performance on Friday, May 3. The opera is one of the beloved in the canon, even if its performances have not been as common at the Met over the ages. The work first premiered with the company on Feb. 5, 1977 and has only seen one {…}
The Metropolitan Opera’s first Ring Cycle of the 2018-19 season came to a glorious end with “Götterdämmerung” in a production featuring a tremendous cast. In some ways, this might have been the most satisfying evening of the entire cycle, with a luxurious cast of true singing actors against a production that, at times, had something to say. A Hero Above {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its 2019 Summer Recital Series. The series, now in its 11th year, will feature six free concerts and will be presented in collaboration with City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage Festival. The first two concerts will take place on Monday, June 10 at Central Park SummerStage and Wednesday, June 12 at Brooklyn Bridge Park; they will feature {…}
It seems like this is the weekend of the year. While the entire planet is engaged with the cinematic event of the decade (Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame”), opera companies from around the continent are lining up some of their most exciting productions. As a result, this was one of the most challenging lists to create in quite some time. But we {…}
Aida Garifullina will no longer be performing in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2019-20 production of “Werther.” Despite being originally announced to perform the role of Sophie when the Met Opera’s season was announced, the official website no longer lists her among the cast members for the Massenet opera, which will be conducted by the Met Opera’s music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. This {…}