The Metropolitan Opera House

The Metropolitan Opera House is New York City's most famous and prestigious opera house and presents about 240 opera performances a year. All styles of opera are performed there, and when the Metropolitan Opera Company goes on hiatus, the American Ballet Theater makes this opera house its home. Touring ballet and opera companies also perform at the Metropolitan, including:
  • Bolshoi
  • Kirov
  • La Scala.
 
Commonly referred to as The Met, the New York Metropolitan Opera House is one of 12 organizations that are part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

The Met: Early Origins

New York City's Metropolitan Opera Association, which has been operating since 1880, is the largest classical music organization in all of America. It was founded to create an alternative to the Academy of Music, which was tightly controlled by members of high society in New York. The academy's board of directors was resistant to allowing members of newly wealthy families to join.
 
The Metropolitan Opera Association created the Metropolitan Opera House. Many prominent families were founding subscribers of the Metropolitan Opera Association. These families included:
  • the Astors
  • the Morgans
  • the Roosevelts
  • the Vanderbilts.
While the Academy of Music did not stand the test of time, the Metropolitan Opera Association and its Metropolitan Opera House retain worldwide respect and recognition to this day.

Great Premiers at The Met

American premiers of great operas at The Met include:
  • Corigliano's "The Ghosts of Versailles"
  • Harbinson's "The Great Gatsby"
  • Picker's "An American Tragedy"
  • Puccini's "Turandot"
  • Wagner's "Ring" cycle.

First Metropolitan Opera House Location

The Metropolitan Opera House first opened its doors in 1883 with a performance of "Faust." Its original location was on Broadway and 39th Street, and it was nicknamed "The Yellow Brick Brewery." In 1892, the building was destroyed by fire, and The Met had to cancel its 1892 to 1893 season. During that time, the building was renovated and was able to reopen.
 
The opera company grew quickly, and by the turn of the century it became apparent that the building did not contain adequate backstage facilities. Many plans for moving were considered during this time, but the Metropolitan Opera House did not actually move until 1966. Sadly, the original location was not able to obtain status as a landmark, and the historic old building was torn down in 1967.

A New Home for the Met

In 1966, the Metropolitan Opera House finally moved to its current residence at Lincoln Center. The opening performance was the world premiere of "Antony and Cleopatra" by Samuel Barber.

This magnificent building has two murals in the lobby created specifically for The Met by Marc Chagall. Other features of the new location include:
  • computerized screens with an electronic libretto system for translations
  • full stage elevators
  • motorized battens for overhead lifting
  • seating for approximately 3,800 people
  • slipstages and turntable
  • world's largest tab curtain woven from gold damask.

Reaching Out to the World

Even if you are unable to visit The Met in person, you can still enjoy many of the great performances it has to offer. In recent years the Metropolitan Opera House has made a major effort to reach out and connect with contemporary audiences worldwide. Recent innovations include:
  • high-definition broadcasts to movie theaters, both in the United States and Europe
  • Met Web site offering live streaming of performances and past performance broadcasts
  • SIRIUS® radio 24-hour channel subscription with both live and historic broadcasts
  • traditional radio broadcasts heard in 42 countries worldwide.

Resources

The Metropolitan Opera (2008). Metropolitan Opera. Retrieved January 12, 2008, from the Metropolitan Opera Web site: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/about/index.aspx.