The METROPOLITAN OPERA
Announces a two-week schedule for
Nightly Met Opera Streams

By Iride Aparicio

The Merry Widow Credit: Ken Howard

Photos Courtesy: The Met

New York, New York-- On the 28th of April, from New York City the Metropolitan Opera announced to the press the names of the operas which will be presented on its Nightly Met Opera Streams, the company's ongoing series of encore Live in HD presentations and classic telecasts streamed on its website during the coronavirus closures. The schedule begins with a week, leading up to Mother's Day on May 9 featuring Norma, Madama Butterfly, Elektra, and Agrippina) which are operas featuring prominent themes, with women as central characters and themes related to motherhood.

Renée Fleming in Handel's "Rodelinda" (Nov 9, 2011)

This group of women-centered operas will lead up to this year's National Council Auditions Grand Finals Concert, which will be held on May 16, and streamed live and open to the public for free.

Following the concert there will be a week of screenings celebrating some of the many past National Council Auditions finalists who went on to become stars. The feature alumni are: Teresa Stratas in La Bohéme, Carol Vaness and Samuel Ramey in Don Giovanni, Ben Heppner in Tristan und Isolde, Renée Fleming and Susan Graham in Der Rosenkavalier, Lawrence Brownlee in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and SONDRA Radvanovsky in Toberto Deverereux.
The May 14 stream will feature the 2008 documentary The Audition,which goes behind the scenes of the 2007 National Council Auditions.

Sondra Radvanosvky in Norma  Credit: Ken Howard

WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Monday, May 3, Elektra
Starring Nina Stemme, Adrianne Pieczonka, Waltraud Meier and Eric Owens, conducted by Carlo Rizzi, Production by Sir David McVicar conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Production by Patrice Chéreau (From April 30, 2016).

Tuesday, May 4 - Handel's Rodelinda
Starring Renée Fleming, Stephanie Blythe, Andreas Scholl, Iestyn Davies, Joseph Kaiser, and Shenyang, conducted by Harry Bicket. Production by Stephen Wadsworth. (From December 3, 2011).

Wednesday, May 5 - Thomas's Hamlet
Starring Marlis Petersen, Jennifer Larmore, Simon Keenlyside, and James Morris, conducted by Louis Langrée. Production by Patrice Caurier & Moshe Leiser. (From March 27, 2010).

Thursday, May 6 - Bellini's Norma
Starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Joyce DiDonato, Joseph Calleja, and Matthew Rose, conducted by Carlo Rizzi. Production by Sir David McVicar (From October 7, 2017).

Friday, May 7-Berg's Wozzeck
Starring Elza van den Heever, Tamara Mumford, Christopher Ventris, Gerhard Siegel, Andrew Staples, Peter Mattei, and Christian Van Horn, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Production by William Kentridge. (From January 11, 2020).

Saturday, May 8-Puccini Madama Butterfly
Starring Patricia Racette, Maria Zifchak, Marcello Giordani, and Dwayne Croft, conducted by Patrick Summers. Production by Anthony Minghella. (From March 7, 2009).

Patricia Racette as Chio Chio in Madama Butterfly

Sunday, May 9 -Handel's Agrippina
Starring Brenda Rae, Joyce DiDonato, Kate Lindsey, Lestyn Davies, Duncan Rock, and Matthew Rose, conducted by Harry Bicket, Production by Sir David McVicar (From February 29, 2020)
The List of productions from May l0 to May 16 will be published separately.

The all Nightly Met Opera Streams begin at 7:30 pm Eastern Time which is 4:30 pm California time) and will remain available via Metopera.org for 23 hours. The performances are also accessible on all Met Opera on Demand apps. For More information about the National Council Auditions and upcoming Grand Finals concert, visit metopera.org/nationalcouncil.