Monday, November 1 at 6pm – 7pm
Met Talks: New Productions of the 2010–11 Season
Don Carlo
Presented by Sarah Billinghurst at the Metropolitan Opera House
Nicholas Hytner’s new production of Verdi’s most ambitious opera won remarkable acclaim when it premiered in London. It arrives at the Met this fall conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, with Roberto Alagna in the title role alongside a stellar ensemble of singing actors. Sarah Billinghurst welcomes members of the cast and creative team for this panel discussion.
This production panel is also listed as part of the MetTalk series.
Price: $20; Met subscribers: $15; Guild members: $10
Wednesday, November 3 at 6pm – 7:15pm
THE SINGERS’ STUDIO: CANDID AND CASUAL CONVERSATION
In Studio: Mariusz Kwiecien
Presented by Oussama Zahr
Mariusz Kwiecien’s charismatic performing style and luxuriant baritone have made him a hands-down audience favorite in opera houses throughout the world. He speaks with Managing Editor Oussama Zahr about his plans and upcoming performances, including the return of his Dr. Malatesta in the Met’s Don Pasquale, which will be a Live in HD simulcast this season.
Price: $30; $35 at door
Thursday, November 4 at 2pm – 3:30pm
Masterly Singing
(Opera’s American revolution: Grand Opera Meets the Great White Way)
Guiding Light Opera
Presented by Ron Raines
From Victor Herbert and George Gershwin, to Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim, these composers have created a distinctly American style of opera and operetta, laying the foundation for the Broadway phenomenon. Join jack-of-all-trades daytime television, Broadway, and operetta star Ron Raines as he guides singers through the finer points of light opera.
Price: $20; $25 at door
Saturday, November 6 at 10am – 11:15pm
Beyond Boot Camp: For the Love of Opera
Unrequited Love
Presented by Dottie Allen
Love is a battlefield: affection is sometimes returned measure for measure, and sometimes scorned. Hopes and heartaches are illustrated through scenes and arias from works such as Turandot, Carmen, La Fille du Régiment, Aida, Madama Butterfly, and La Traviata.
Price: $16.00; $20 at door
Saturday, November 6 at 2pm – 3:15pm
OPERA EXPLORERS
Making Flute Magic
Young children (aged 5-8) discover the operatic arts with their families through these innovative and interactive workshops, tied to the Met’s abridged English-language production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. By combining hands-on experiential learning with physical and vocal activity, workshop participants learn to follow a complex operatic plot, and understand the power of music, acting, and design to tell a story. Workshop registration includes an orchestra seat to a Met performance of The Magic Flute. As this is a family workshop, at least one adult and one child aged 5-8 must be in each party.
Price: $60; $75 at the door
Sunday, November 7 at 4pm – 5:15pm
Family Ties: Verdi’s Fathers and Daughters
Rigoletto: A Father’s Curse Fulfilled
Presented by Nimet Habachy
Fathers want what’s best for their children, and hope to keep their loved ones free from harm. When the courtly jester’s jokes are rewarded with a curse, he scoffs at first – only to have his worst fears realized through Gilda’s child-like crush on the wrong fellow. Nimet Habachy explores this family’s tragic fate.
Price: $16; $20 at door
Monday, November 8 at 6pm – 7pm
Verdi’s Touch of the Poet: Seminal Works Inspired by Byron, Hugo, Schiller, and Shakespeare
Verdi and Hugo
Moderated by Jesse Cohen; presented by Marion Lignana Rosenberg
More than one thousand musical works are inspired by the poetic output of Victor Hugo, including over one hundred operas. Best known of these are Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia, Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, and Verdi’s Ernani and Rigoletto. These different interpretations of the poet’s work shed light on the literary and musical genius of these two artists.
Price: $20.00; $25 at door
Tuesday, November 9 at 6pm – 7:15pm
OPERA OUTLOOKS: PRE-PERFORMANCE LECTURES
Così fan tutte: All Women Are Not Like That
Presented by Desirée Mays
Così fan tutte is a great opera with a prickly premise: the idea that all women are fickle and untrustworthy. Desirée Mays explores the hidden complexities of Mozart’s marvelous women from flirts to independent noblewomen. Mozart’s defense of and insights into the psyche of women may all be discovered in his music.
Price: $16; $20 at door
Wednesday, November 10 at 6pm – 7:15pm
OPERA OUTLOOKS: PRE-PERFORMANCE LECTURES
Gender and the Generation Gap in Don Pasquale
Presented by Desirée Mays
The plot of Donizetti’s comedy Don Pasquale hinges on the generation gap between the beautiful young Norina and the elderly bachelor who seeks her hand in marriage. Desirée Mays takes a look at how composers present the challenges of such relationships: with more than a touch of sympathy for man’s foolish aspirations.
Price: $16; $20 at door
Saturday, November 13 at 10am – 11:15pm
Beyond Boot Camp: For the Love of Opera
Tragic Turns
Presented by Dottie Allen
The bittersweet tragedy of certain operas can illustrate many essential truths of human emotion. These musico-dramatic climaxes, clothed in poignancy or madness, show the darker, complex underpinnings of great works of the lyric stage such as Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto, Madama Butterfly, Eugene Onegin, and others.
Price: $16.00; $20 at door
Saturday, November 13 at 2pm – 3:15pm
OPERA EXPLORERS
Making Flute Magic
Young children (aged 5-8) discover the operatic arts with their families through these innovative and interactive workshops, tied to the Met’s abridged English-language production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. By combining hands-on experiential learning with physical and vocal activity, workshop participants learn to follow a complex operatic plot, and understand the power of music, acting, and design to tell a story. Workshop registration includes an orchestra seat to a Met performance of The Magic Flute. As this is a family workshop, at least one adult and one child aged 5-8 must be in each party.
Price: $60; $75 at the door
Sunday, November 14 at 4pm – 5:15pm
Family Ties: Verdi’s Fathers and Daughters
Father Figures in La Traviata and La Forza del Destino
Presented by Jane Marsh
Drawn in to love, lust, or redemption, Violetta and Leonora are propelled forward into harsh futures through their own acts – and the persuasion of a prominent father figure. Verdi composed music that combines tension and tenderness to tease out the emotional intensity and passion of these complex relationships, as examined by Jane Marsh.
Price: $16; $20 at door
Monday, November 15 at 6pm – 7pm
Verdi’s Touch of the Poet: Seminal Works Inspired by Byron, Hugo, Schiller, and Shakespeare
Verdi and Schiller
Moderated by Jesse Cohen; presented by Lucy Arner and David Herskovits
Friedrich Schiller is beloved as one of Germany’s most influential classical playwrights. His innovative use of dramatic structure inspired operatic creations including Verdi’s Giovanna d’Arco, I Masnadieri, Luisa Miller, and Don Carlo. Cross-references of the libretti and original literary sources yield surprising insight into the complicated process of synthesizing music and theater.
Price: $20.00; $25 at door
Thursday, November 18 at 6pm – 7:15pm
THE SINGERS’ STUDIO: CANDID AND CASUAL CONVERSATION
In Studio: Miah Persson, Isabel Leonard, and Danielle de Niese
Presented by Adam Wasserman
Miah Persson, Isabel Leonard, and Danielle de Niese, the three youthful ladies starring in Così fan tutte, come together for a conversation with Opera News Online Editor Adam Wasserman.
Price: $30; $35 at door
Saturday, November 20 at 10am – 11:15pm
Beyond Boot Camp: For the Love of Opera
Happily Ever After
Presented by Laura Day Giarolo
Whether riding off into the sunset together or being saved by a knight in shining armor, happy endings of works like Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Le Nozze di Figaro, Turandot, Die Zauberflöte, and La Fille du Régiment bring joy to opera audiences around the world.
Price: $16.00; $20 at door
Saturday, November 20 at 2pm – 3:15pm
OPERA EXPLORERS
Making Flute Magic
Young children (aged 5-8) discover the operatic arts with their families through these innovative and interactive workshops, tied to the Met’s abridged English-language production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. By combining hands-on experiential learning with physical and vocal activity, workshop participants learn to follow a complex operatic plot, and understand the power of music, acting, and design to tell a story. Workshop registration includes an orchestra seat to a Met performance of The Magic Flute. As this is a family workshop, at least one adult and one child aged 5-8 must be in each party.
Price: $60; $75 at the door
Sunday, November 21 at 4pm – 5:15pm
Family Ties: Verdi’s Fathers and Daughters
Fathers, Pharaohs, and Princesses in Aida
Presented by Nimet Habachy
Does the love for a king, slave, warrior, nation, or father win out in the epic story of Aida? Gain new insight into the patriarchal pressures placed upon Aida. Nimet Habachy guides us through this beloved heroine’s tale of love and loss.
Price: $16; $20 at door
Monday, November 22 at 6pm – 7pm
Verdi’s Touch of the Poet: Seminal Works Inspired by Byron, Hugo, Schiller, and Shakespeare
Verdi and Shakespeare
Moderated by Jesse Cohen; presented by Lucy Arner and Dr. Alan Stewart
Verdi’s fascination with Shakespearian drama is well-documented, and can be readily seen and heard through his Macbeth, Otello, and his final masterpiece Falstaff. Shakespeare’s works are also showcased by other operatic composers, as well as in ballet and symphonic renderings. What is it about these great works that still inspires us today?
Price: $20.00; $25 at door
Tuesday, November 23 at 6pm – 7:15pm
OPERA OUTLOOKS: PRE-PERFORMANCE LECTURES
Don Carlo’s Character-Defining Melodies
Presented by Joseph Colaneri
Verdi’s lyrical style is clearly heard through the character-defining melodies of his Don Carlo. These scenes and arias reveal the true nature of Elisabetta, Eboli, Carlo, and Rodrigo, as well as the composer’s unparalleled ability to bring human emotion to life through music. Joseph Colaneri leads a musical inquisition into the melodies of this mature Verdi work.
Price: $16; $20 at door
Weekdays at 3:30pm and most Sundays at 10:30am and 1:30pm
BACKSTAGE TOURS
Go behind the scenes for an exclusive look at what it takes to make onstage magic at the Met!
Tours begin and end in the Met lobby during the Met performance season. Backstage Tours offer a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the Met, and visit the expansive scenic and carpentry shops, where sets are built and painted; the costume, wardrobe, make-up, and wig departments that prep and primp today’s star singers for the stage; rehearsal rooms where productions first take shape; the massive stage complex where the action comes to life; and the crown jewel auditorium.
Price: $16; $20 at door; Guild members: $14; Students: $10
All events will be held in the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s Opera Learning Center on the 6th floor of the Samuel B. & David Rose building at Lincoln Center, unless otherwise noted.
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