Born on this day in composer Samuel Barber (1910) and conductor Thomas Schippers (1930).
On this day in 1976 mezzo-soprano Tatiana Troyanos made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Octavian.
Happy 88th birthday soprano Mady Mesplé!
Happy 75th birthday soprano Kiri Te Kanawa.
Sixty years ago today, Berg’s Wozzeck was first performed at the Metropolitan Opera.
On this day in 1830 Vincenzo Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi premiered in Venice.
On this day in 1970 mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Adalgisa.
Birthday anniversaries of composers Kurt Weill (1900) and Marc Blitzstein (1905).
On this day in 1913, the Met revived Manon with Geraldine Farrar and Enrico Caruso, Arturo Toscanini conducting.
On this day in 1862 Gounod’s La Reine de Saba premiered in Paris.
Happy 84th birthday soprano Mirella Freni.
Born on this day in 1802 author and playwright Victor Hugo.
On this day in 1948 tenor Giuseppe di Stefano made his Metropolitan Opera debut at the Duke of Mantua.
A joyous 85th birthday to the tutelary goddess of parterre box, Renata Scotto.
Born on this day in 1927 soprano Régine Crespin.
On this day in 1980 baritone Leo Nucci made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Renato.
Happy 66th birthday actress and songstress Christine Ebersole.
On this day in 1934 the Gertrude Stein / Virgil Thomson opera Four Saints in Three Acts opened on Broadway.
Born on this day in 1843 soprano Adelina Patti.
Happy Presidents Day!
On this day in 1904, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly had its “disastrous” premiere at La Scala.
On this day in 1966 the Metropolitan Opera debut of tenor Alfredo Kraus as the Duke of Mantua.
On this day in 1938, Lillian Hellman’s play The Little Foxes opened at the National Theatre to run 410 performances.
Happy 60th birthday to soprano, actress, media personality, creative consultant and parterre box muse Renée Fleming.
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.
