WQXR AND THE METROPOLITAN OPERA
ANNOUNCE THE THIRD SEASON OF
ARIA CODE
Pavorotti.jpg
By Iride Aparicio

Photos Courtesy: Metropolitan Opera

Silicon Valley, CA- The Metropolitan Opera in New York City announces to the press its new 18-episode season of ARIA CODE, the critically acclaimed podcast which explores the human experience at the heart of opera's greatest arias and their powerful relevance to contemporary issues, in l8 different episodes, each one, featuring performances recorded live from the Met Stage. The list of star singers includes: Renée Fleming, Joyce DiDonato, Deborah Voigt, Latonia Moore, Franco Corelli, Gerard Finley Erin Morley, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti (Picture above) and more. The Third season of ARIA CODE will be hosted by MacArthur Fellow and Grammy Award winning musician

Rhianna Giddens

In the podcast, Giddens will be joined by Met Music Director  Yannick  Nézet-Séguin, by former Washington Post music critic Anne Midgette who will place the operas' arias in their historical context, and by Dr. Michael Cho, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who will be speaking about the importance of his work in the present. Dr. Cho has been working on the front lines of COVID-19 as a doctor, but as a violinist with the National Virtual Medical Orchestra, he played in the group's video performance of "Nessun Dorma" which was released in October last year.

The new season of ARIA CODE will debut on Wednesday March 10,  with an episode on "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini Turandot, and aria that has become a global symbol of hope and resilience over the past and was made famous by the performance of late tenor Pavarotti.
In New York City, this enduring ode to triumph over adversity has been sung outside of hospitals, inside of COVID wards, and from balconies, in the US and around the world, resulting in numerous videos on YOU Tube documenting the performances of hope and resilience.

"For the past year, the Met has made it a priority to do all we can to stay engaged with our audience while the opera house is dark," said Peter Gelb, the Met's General Manager "I am very pleased that our successful podcast collaboration with WQXR will continue for a third season, bringing powerful operatic stories to listeners at a time when they need them.

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Renée Fleming as Rusalka

"WQXR is thrilled to bring listeners a new and extended season of ARIA CODE a program that speaks beautifully both to passionate opera lovers and the opera-curious, said Ed Yim, Chief Content Officer of the station. "As New York awaits the return to live performances, ARIA CODE is part of our commitment to partnering with cultural organizations like the Metropolitan Opera to bring audiences musical experiences wherever they are." 

ARIA CODE third season will launch Wednesday, March 10. Episodes will be released biweekly through November 2021. Go to:https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/aria-codefor information and links to the podcasts.