New York, NY (April 22, 2009, rev. June 16) – The Metropolitan Opera announced plans for its free outdoor events this summer, which will take place in the Lincoln Center Plaza and in parks throughout New York City. In a brand new initiative, the Met’s Summer HD Festival will feature screenings of ten productions from the Met’s Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Live in HD series in Lincoln Center Plaza on consecutive nights, beginning Saturday, August 29. The series opens with Laurent Pelly’s acclaimed production of La Fille du Régiment, starring Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Flórez, and closes with Anthony Minghella’s staging of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, featuring Patricia Racette and Marcello Giordani, on Labor Day. Three of the HD productions to be shown are conducted by Met Music Director James Levine. The Met’s Summer HD Festival is sponsored by Bank of America with additional support from the Metropolitan Opera Guild.
The Met’s Summer Recital Series, presented in collaboration with City Parks Foundation, includes six concerts in all five boroughs from July 13 through August 14. The opening recital kicks off at Central Park SummerStage at 8:00 pm with baritone Paulo Szot, joined by rising opera stars Lisette Oropesa, soprano, and Alek Shrader, tenor, and pianist Vlad Iftinca. Szot, currently starring in South Pacific at Lincoln Center Theater, will make his Metropolitan Opera debut next season in William Kentridge’s new production of Shostakovich’s The Nose.
“For more than 40 years, the Met has presented free summer events in the city, a record that makes us proud,” said Met General Manager Peter Gelb. “We thank Bank of America and the Guild for helping to increase the public’s access to the Met with our new Summer HD Festival.”
In addition to Fille (August 29) and Butterfly (September 7), the Met’s Summer HD Festival will include HD presentations of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette with Anna Netrebko and Roberto Alagna (August 30); Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin starring Renée Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky (August 31); Verdi’s Macbeth with Maria Guleghina and Željko Lučić, conducted by Levine (September 1); Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Joyce DiDonato and Flórez (September 2); Britten’s Peter Grimes starring Anthony Dean Griffey and Racette (September 3); La Bohème featuring Angela Gheorghiu and Ramón Vargas (September 4); Orfeo ed Euridice featuring Stephanie Blythe and Danielle de Niese, with Levine conducting (September 5); and Puccini’s Il Trittico, which consists of three one-act operas, also conducted by Levine (September 6).
All screenings are free with no tickets required; 2800 seats will be available each night on a first-come, first served basis. There are no rain dates. Screening start times range from 7:30pm to 8:00pm; specific start times for each showing are listed at the end of the release.
The Met’s Summer Recital Series
Following the SummerStage program on July 13, subsequent performances of the Met’s Summer Recital Series will take place on Friday evenings from July 17 to August 14 at 7:00 pm. Performers will include sopranos Joyce El-Khoury and Ashley Emerson, baritone John Moore, and bass Keith Miller, accompanied by Iftinca. The city park venues are Crotona Park (Bronx), Queensbridge Park (Queens), East River Park (Manhattan), Coffey Park (Brooklyn), and Tappen Park (Staten Island). Actor/conductor Damon Gupton, a Juilliard graduate, will host several of the parks concerts.
“City Parks Foundation is thrilled to help bring the Met’s Summer Recital Series to new audiences throughout New York City,” says David Rivel, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation. “City Parks Foundation has a long history of bringing free performances right into neighborhood parks, and this series will only further connect people with their park through the arts.”
The Met’s Summer Recital Series is presented in partnership with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Commissioner Kate D. Levin, and the Department of Parks & Recreation, Commissioner Adrian Benepe.
“The Met’s Summer Recital Series and the Summer HD Festival are two more examples of the Metropolitan Opera’s commitment to broadening access and building audiences,” said Commissioner Levin. “This summer’s program of concerts in all five boroughs, and screenings at Lincoln Center, will offer all New Yorkers a unique chance to hear some of the most dynamic performers working in opera today.”
“The Metropolitan Opera in New York City’s parks is a summertime tradition stretching over 40 years,” said Commissioner Benepe. “I would like to thank the Met and City Parks Foundation for bringing world-class performances to free and unique outdoor settings in neighborhood parks across the city. This year’s program is sure to be music to the ears of a whole new generation of opera lovers.”
Monday, July 13, 2009 at 8:00 pm: Central Park SummerStage
Paulo Szot, baritone
Lisette Oropesa, soprano
Alek Shrader, tenor
Vlad Iftinca, pianist
Friday, July 17, 2009 at 7:00 pm: Crotona Park (Bronx)
John Moore, baritone
Ashley Emerson, soprano
Vlad Iftinca, pianist
Damon Gupton, host
Friday, July 24, 2009 at 7:00 pm: Queensbridge Park (Queens)
John Moore, baritone
Ashley Emerson, soprano
Vlad Iftinca, pianist
Damon Gupton, host
Friday, July 31, 2009 at 7:00 pm: East River Park (Manhattan)
Joyce El-Khoury, soprano
Keith Miller, bass
Vlad Iftinca, pianist
Francois Battiste, host
Friday, August 7, 2009 at 7:00 pm: Tappan Park (Staten Island)
Joyce El-Khoury, soprano
Keith Miller, bass
Vlad Iftinca, pianist
Damon Gupton, host
Friday, August 14, 2009 at 7:00 PM: Coffey Park (Brooklyn)
Joyce El-Khoury, soprano
Keith Miller, bass
Vlad Iftinca, pianist
Damon Gupton, host
All recitals are free and no tickets are required, except for the performance at SummerStage. SummerStage tickets are free and will be available at the Met box office from Monday, July 6, to Friday, July 10, 10:00 am – 8:00 pm. Tickets, which are required, are general admission and made available on a first come/first served basis, with a maximum of four tickets per person. For additional information, please call (212) 362-6000 or visit the Met website at www.metopera.org/parks. There will be no rain dates for these performances.
NY1 is the official media sponsor for the Met’s Summer HD Festival and the Summer Recital Series.
The Met’s 2009 Summer HD Festival Schedule
Start times range from 7:30pm to 8:00pm.
Saturday. August 29, 8:00pm: LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT – Donizetti’s comic opera La Fille du Régiment stars Natalie Dessay as Marie, Juan Diego Flórez as Tonio, Felicity Palmer as the Marquise of Berkenfield, Alessandro Corbelli as Sulpice, and Marian Seldes in the speaking role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Marco Armiliato conducts. Approximate running time: 140 minutes.
Sunday, August 30, 7:30pm: ROMÉO ET JULIETTE – Plácido Domingo conducts Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette starring Anna Netrebko and Roberto Alagna as the star-crossed lovers, Isabel Leonard as Stéphano, Nathan Gunn as Mercutio, and Robert Lloyd as Frère Laurent. Approximate running time: 175 minutes.
Monday, August 31, 7:45pm: EUGENE ONEGIN – Valery Gergiev conducts Tchaikovsky’s most beloved opera, Eugene Onegin, with Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the title role opposite Renée Fleming as Tatiana, with tenor Ramón Vargas as Lenski. Approximate running time: 160 minutes.
Tuesday, September 1, 8:00pm: MACBETH – Met Music Director James Levine conducts Verdi’s Macbeth, featuring Maria Guleghina as Lady Macbeth, Željko Lučić as Macbeth, Dimitri Pittas as Macduff, and John Relyea as Banquo. Approximate running time: 145 minutes.
Wednesday, September 2, 7:45pm: IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA – Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, in a production by Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher, features Joyce DiDonato as Rosina, Juan Diego Flórez as Count Almaviva, Peter Mattei as Figaro, John Del Carlo as Dr. Bartolo, and John Relyea as Don Basilio. Maurizio Benini conducts. Approximate running time: 165 minutes.
Thursday, September 3, 7:45pm: PETER GRIMES – Anthony Dean Griffey sings the title role of Britten’s Peter Grimes, with Patricia Racette as Ellen Orford and Anthony Michaels-Moore as Balstrode. Donald Runnicles conducts. Approximate running time: 150 minutes.
Friday, September 4, 8:00pm: LA BOHÈME – Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Puccini’s La Bohème features Angela Gheorghiu as Mimì, Ramón Vargas as Rodolfo, Ainhoa Arteta as Musetta, Ludovic Tézier as Marcello, Quinn Kelsey as Schaunard, Oren Gradus as Colline, and Paul Plishka in the dual roles of Benoit and Alcindoro. Nicola Luisotti conducts. Approximate running time: 130 minutes.
Saturday, September 5, 8:00pm: ORFEO ED EURIDICE – Mark Morris’s production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, stars Stephanie Blythe as Orfeo with Danielle de Niese as Euridice. Heidi Grant Murphy is Amor. James Levine conducts. Approximate running time: 100 minutes.
Sunday, September 6, 7:30pm: IL TRITTICO – James Levine conducts Tony Award-winning director Jack O’Brien’s production of Puccini’s Il Trittico, which consists of three one-act operas: Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi. In Il Tabarro, the three principal characters caught in a deadly love triangle are portrayed by Maria Guleghina, Salvatore Licitra, and Juan Pons. Barbara Frittoli is the young nun Angelica, with Stephanie Blythe as the Princess in Suor Angelica, and the comedy Gianni Schicchi features Alessandro Corbelli in the title role. Approximate running time: 170 minutes.
Monday, September 7, 8:00pm: MADAMA BUTTERFLY – Academy Award-winning film director Anthony Minghella’s production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly stars Patricia Racette as Cio-Cio-San, Marcello Giordani as Pinkerton, Dwayne Croft as Sharpless, and Maria Zifchak as Suzuki. Patrick Summers conducts. Approximate running time: 145 minutes.
The Met: Live in HD, produced in association with PBS and WNET.org, is made possible by a generous grant from the Neubauer Family Foundation.
About the Met
Under the leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb and Music Director James Levine, the Met has a series of bold initiatives underway that are designed to broaden its audience and revitalize the company’s repertory. The Met has made a commitment to presenting modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, with highly theatrical productions featuring the greatest opera stars in the world.
The Met’s recently announced 2009-10 season will feature eight new productions, four of which are Met premieres. Opening night will be a new production of Tosca starring Karita Mattila, conducted by Levine and directed by Luc Bondy. The four Met premieres are: Janáček’s From the House of the Dead, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen and directed by Patrice Chéreau, both in Met debuts; Verdi’s Attila starring Ildar Abdrazakov, conducted by Riccardo Muti and directed by Pierre Audi, with set and costume design by Miuccia Prada, Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, all in their Met debuts; Shostakovich’s The Nose featuring Paulo Szot, conducted by Valery Gergiev and directed and designed by William Kentridge in his Met debut; and Rossini’s Armida with Renée Fleming, conducted by Riccardo Frizza and directed by Mary Zimmerman. Other new productions are Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann starring Joseph Calleja and Anna Netrebko, conducted by Levine and directed by Bartlett Sher; Carmen with Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and directed by Richard Eyre, both in Met debuts; and Thomas’s Hamlet with Natalie Dessay and Simon Keenlyside, conducted by Louis Langrée and directed by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser in their Met debuts.
The Metropolitan Opera’s 2008-09 season pays tribute to the company’s extraordinary history on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, while also emphasizing the Met’s renewed commitment to advancing the art form. The season features six new productions, which include the company premiere of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic, the Met’s first staged production since 1906 of Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust, Massenet’s Thaïs, Puccini’s La Rondine, Verdi’s Il Trovatore, and Bellini’s La Sonnambula. The 2008-09 season also features 18 revivals as well as the final performances of Otto Schenk’s production of Wagner’s Ring cycle conducted by Levine, and two gala celebrations, including a 125th anniversary celebration on March 15.
Building on its 77-year old radio broadcast history – currently heard over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network – the Met now uses advanced media distribution platforms and state-of-the-art technology to attract new audiences and reach millions of opera fans around the world.
The Emmy and Peabody Award-winning The Met: Live in HD series expanded to feature 11 live transmissions in the 2008-09 season, selling more than 1.7 million tickets; the productions are seen this season in more than 868 theaters in 36 countries around the world. These performances began airing on PBS in March 2008, and nine of these HD performances are now available on DVD. The most recent, The Magic Flute, was released by the Met and is available at the newly renovated Met Opera Shop. The Met: Live in HD returns for its fourth season in 2009-10 with nine transmissions, beginning October 10 with a new production of Puccini’s Tosca starring Karita Mattila and ending with a new production of Rossini’s Armida starring Renée Fleming on May 1.
HD Live in Schools, the Met’s program offering free opera transmissions to New York City schools in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and the Metropolitan Opera Guild, expanded during the 2008-09 season to reach public school students and teachers in 18 cities and communities nationwide.
Continuing its innovative use of electronic media to reach a global audience, the Metropolitan Opera recently introduced Met Player, a new subscription service that makes much of its extensive video and audio catalog of full-length performances available to the public for the first time online, and in exceptional, state-of-the-art quality. The new service currently offers over 150 historic audio recordings, and almost 100 full-length opera videos are available, including 20 of the company’s acclaimed The Met: Live in HD transmissions, known for their extraordinary sound and picture quality. New content, including HD productions and archival broadcasts, are added monthly.
Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Radio is a subscription-based audio entertainment service broadcasting an unprecedented number of live performances each week throughout the Met’s entire season, as well as rare historical performances, newly restored and remastered, spanning the Met’s 77-year broadcast history.
In addition to providing audio recordings through the Met on Rhapsody on-demand service, the Met also presents free live audio streaming of performances on its website once every week during the opera season with support from RealNetworks®.
The company’s groundbreaking commissioning program in partnership with New York’s Lincoln Center Theater (LCT) provides renowned composers and playwrights with the resources to create and develop new works at the Met and at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater. The Met’s partnership with LCT is part of the company’s larger initiative to commission new operas from contemporary composers, present modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, and provide a venue for artists to nurture their work.
The Met has launched several audience development initiatives such as the company’s Open House Dress Rehearsals, which are free and open to the public; the Arnold and Marie Schwartz Gallery Met, which exhibits contemporary visual art; the new $25 Weekend Tickets program; the immensely successful Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Rush Ticket program; and an annual Holiday Presentation for families. Following Julie Taymor’s abridged, English-language production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute this season, next season’s Holiday Presentation will be Richard Jones’s English-language production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.
About City Parks Foundation
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2009, City Parks Foundation (CPF) is the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. CPF works in over 750 parks citywide, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports, and education programs, and empowering citizens to support their parks on a local level. Our programs and community building initiatives reach more than 600,000 people each year, contributing to the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout New York City.