The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live high-definition cinema simulcasts, will begin its 17th season October 21 will feature nine Saturday matinee performances transmitted from the Met stage to movie theatres nationwide. In addition to Fathom's live Saturday transmissions, encore screenings of each opera will be shown in theatres on Wednesdays, with presentations in both the afternoon and evening.
The 2023–24 season opens with a live transmission of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, a Met premiere of a new production by Ivo van Hove, starring mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as Sister Helen Prejean.
In addition to Dead Man Walking, the 2023–24 Live in HD season includes two more company premieres: Anthony Davis's X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X and Daniel Catán's Florencia en el Amazonas, the company's first opera in Spanish in nearly a century.
The season lineup also includes new productions of Bizet's Carmen and Verdi's La Forza del Destino, as well as revivals of Verdi's Nabucco, Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, Puccini's La Rondine, and Puccini's Madama Butterfly.
Live in HD audiences will have the opportunity to watch the major Met-debut performance of Jonathan Tetelman as Ruggero in La Rondine, as well as performances by returning Met stars: soprano Lise Davidsen as Leonora in La Forza del Destino; soprano Angel Blue as Magda in La Rondine and Micaëla in Carmen, alongside mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina in the title role and tenor Piotr Beczala as Don José; and soprano Nadine Sierra and tenor Benjamin Bernheim as the star-crossed lovers of Roméo et Juliette. Bernheim will also be making his first Live in HD appearance in Roméo et Juliette.
"What began as an experiment 17 years ago has become a staple experience for opera lovers all over the world," said Met general manager Peter Gelb. "Our 2023-24 season in cinemas reflects how opera is changing at the Met, where we're balancing timeless classics with accessible new work that is advancing the art form and attracting younger and more diverse audiences."
"The Met: Live in HD series continues to be a popular offering for Fathom Events, and we are excited to once again give audiences nationwide the best seats in the house with this upcoming slate of powerhouse performances and moving dramas," said Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Events. "As a longtime supporter of the opera, Fathom is proud to provide a strong platform for the absolute best that the medium has to offer—presenting the incredible visuals, dynamic vocals, and groundbreaking artistry in stunning detail on the big screen, while giving viewers of all ages a chance to witness the Met's trademark spectacle live."
Fathom Events fathomevents.com