Metropolitan Opera is one of the world’s leading opera companies. Its performances are presented in the Metropolitan Opera House at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The Metropolitan Opera Association operates the company, which is often simply called the “Met.”
The Metropolitan Opera performs works from the entire opera repertory (prepared program), from Baroque works of the 1600’s and early 1700’s to the most challenging modern pieces. The world’s leading singers, directors, conductors, and designers have worked at the Met throughout its history.
The company opened in 1883 in a theater on Broadway in New York City with a production of Faust by the French composer Charles Gounod. Early productions included several American premieres of operas by the German composer Richard Wagner. The theater was rebuilt in 1892 after the original structure burned down.
The Met’s new theater at Lincoln Center opened in 1966 with the world premiere of Antony and Cleopatra by the American composer Samuel Barber. Since 2006, high-definition video broadcasts have brought performances at the Met to motion-picture theaters throughout the world.
