Brandon Jovanovich has agreed at short notice to step into the role of Don José in this evening’s performance of Carmen, replacing Aleksandrs Antonenko, who is ill.
STEMdiva status
Ahead of a special boozy, bawdy Valentine’s Day concert, artistic director of Opera Lafayette Patrick Quigley speaks with soprano Maya Kherani about her journey from MIT to rising American Baroque star.
Given Anna Netrebko‘s continuing success at the Met in Macbeth (as evidenced by an mid-scene “brava” in last night’s Sirius broadcast), it’s time to think about the future—specifically her local assignments for next season.
The Metropolitan Opera desperately needed a new production of Le nozze di Figaro.
There is something so very Don Draper about René Pape .
Wednesday brought the Met’s “real” season opener, an indelible, indispensable night at the opera: a starry revival of Verdi’s Macbeth crowned by Anna Netrebko’s demented Lady.
“Thank goodness the Met’s new production by Richard Eyre lacks a bold new concept.”
The Met press office announces: “Hei-Kyung Hong will sing the role of Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème on September 26 and 29, replacing Ekaterina Scherbachenko, who is ill.”
“So it’s twice as disappointing that Monday night’s performance of the Mozart masterpiece turned into a four-hour fizzle.”
“I applaud the Klinghoffer protesters for voicing their opinions, but that doesn’t stop me from saying that I find those opinions ill-informed, inept and downright dangerous.”
Our Own JJ (pictured) is off to cover the Met’s opening night.
You’ve cast your votes for the operas you most look forward to hearing at the Met this fall, and if the opera has “Macbeth” in the title, you’re there.
The very busy Met press office announces: “The Metropolitan Opera announces cast changes for this season’s performances of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Verdi’s Aida, and Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.”
Music Director James Levine (pictured, left) is obviously feeling well enough that he can get back to favorite pastime, i.e., making sure nobody else has a success except him.
The Metropolitan Opera just announced that 22 positions from its administrative staff of 254 have been eliminated as part of a company-wide program of cost cutting.
Now that you know how to obtain same-day tickets to the Met, cher public, all that remains is deciding which operas you intend to see.
“American soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen, who last week won First Prize at the prestigious Operalia competition, will make her Met debut as Countess Almaviva in this December’s performances of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.”
As dear Rosalind Russell once said, “Politics makes strange bedclothes.”
La Cieca (pictured) fears that the parterre hive mind proved itself populated with more drones than workers this time around.
Now that it appears the Met’s labor crisis has been averted by successful completion of contract negotiations, La Cieca thought the cher public might be interested in seeing the exact terms of at least one of the pacts.
AGMA and Local 802 “have agreed to cut a little more than 7% of their members’ compensation during the first year of the four-year contract, growing to 7% in the second and third years.”
UPDATE: The Met has reached tentative agreements with AGMA and Local 802. The contract deadline has been extended through midnight on Tuesday, August 19, to allow Local One and the other remaining unions with unsettled contracts more time to secure new deals with the institution.
Our Own Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin demonstrates the enduring quality of art with two performances of La Bohème four decades apart.
This past week of contract negotiations at the Metropolitan Opera has been notable for the absence of any new PowerPoint presentations or fustian proclamations.
“Labor! Oh, the problem of labor at the Met is gargantuan,” Our Own JJ (not pictured) would have said, had he thought of it.
Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
A Baroque Valentine’s with Opera Lafayette | Feb | DC & NYC
Celebrate love in all its guises with tender ballads, amorous duets, cheeky verses, and bawdy drinking songs plus food, cocktails and wine.