The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD Kicks Off its Return to
Theatres Nationwide for its Third Season with the Met’s
Opening Night Gala, starring Renée Fleming
2008-09 Met: Live in HD Series Season Tickets
on Sale Friday, Aug. 22nd
National CineMedia (NCM) LLC, operator of the largest digital in-theatre
network in North America for cinema advertising and alternative
entertainment and events, and the Metropolitan Opera are proudly
partnering to bring a third season of the critically-acclaimed The
Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD series transmitted live, in
high-definition, to more than 440 movie theatres and performing arts
centers in the United States. Based on overwhelming consumer demand, the
series will now reach new markets and theatres throughout the United
States in a 30 percent theatre expansion over last season.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public in the United States
beginning Friday, August 22nd. Visit www.FathomEvents.com
to learn more and purchase tickets. Ticket prices vary by location.
The 2008-09 season of The
Met: Live in HD will be the biggest yet, expanding from
eight to 11 live high-definition opera transmissions. Kicking off the
season on September 22nd and celebrating the 125th
anniversary of the Met will be the never-before-seen, big-screen Opening
Night Gala celebration starring soprano Renée
Fleming in fully staged performances of scenes from Verdi’s
La Traviata (Act II), Massenet’s Manon
(Act III), and the final scene from Richard Strauss’s
Capriccio. The new series will also feature live transmissions of
five new productions, including one Met premiere. Each live performance,
with the exception of the Opening Night Gala, will be followed by an
evening encore presentation the second Wednesday after the live
performance. For information on advance tickets and Met Opera
membership, visit www.metopera.org/hd.
Through this agreement, NCM Fathom, the alternative entertainment
division of National CineMedia, will present The Met: Live in HD
series in more than 440 locations via NCM’s
exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North
America’s largest cinema broadcast network.
Participating theatres include AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration!
Cinema, Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Georgia Theatre
Company, Goodrich Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes
Showplace Theatres, Malco Theatres, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements
and Regal Entertainment Group movie theatres, as well as independent
theatres including Arena Theatre, The Arlington Theatre, Baltimore Opera
Company – Lyric Opera House, Ocean Reef
Cultural Center, Penn Cinema, Rose Theatre, The Society of the Four Arts
Theatre, Strand Theatre, State Theatre (State College, PA) and the State
Theatre (Traverse City, MI).
“The audience for opera is growing with each
new movie theatre that joins our network,”
said Met General Manager Peter Gelb. “Our
expanded lineup of 11 live high-definition transmissions will bring many
of the highlights of our Met season to the nation’s
opera lovers.”
The
Met: Live in HD series has captured international headlines
as well as critical and popular acclaim for the in-theatre opera events.
Reaching more than 900,000 fans around the world last season through
live and encore presentations, the series offers opera fans exclusive
behind-the-scenes features, live interviews with cast and crew,
insightful short documentaries, and bird’s-eye
views of the productions, offering an unprecedented look at what goes
into the staging of operas at one of the most famous opera companies in
the world.
“We are excited to bring a third season of
live and encore opera performances to hundreds of communities though our
exclusive U.S. partnership with the Met,”
said Shelly Maxwell, NCM’s senior vice
president of program development and business operations. “The
Met: Live in HD series has been a tremendous success and has
developed a loyal fan base of opera lovers –
young and old – in movie theatres around the
country. We look forward to another thrilling season.”
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The 2008-09 planned schedule(1) for Metropolitan
Opera: Live in High Definition is as follows:
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Monday, September 22, 2008 OPENING
NIGHT GALA - Starring Renee Fleming in fully staged
performances of scenes from three different operas: Verdi's La
Traviata (Act II), Massenet's Manon (Act III), and the final scene
from Richard Strauss's Capriccio. Tenor Ramon Vargas and
baritones Thomas Hampson and Dwayne Croft co-star.
Met Music Director James Levine and Marco Armiliato
conduct.
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Saturday, October 11, 2008 SALOME
- Starring soprano Karita Mattila with baritone Juha
Uusitalo. Mikko Franck conducts.
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Wednesday, October 22 - 7:00
p.m. local time
Encore presentation of SALOME
(Available
in select theatres only.)
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Saturday, November 8, 2008 DOCTOR
ATOMIC - Directed by Penny Woolcock and
starring Gerald Finley and Sasha Cooke, with Eric
Owens and Richard Paul Fink. Alan Gilbert
conducts. NEW PRODUCTION/MET PREMIERE
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Wednesday, November 19 -
7:00 p.m. local time
Encore presentation of DOCTOR
ATOMIC
(Available in select theatres only.)
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Saturday, November 22, 2008 LA
DAMNATION DE FAUST - Directed by Robert Lepage
and starring Marcello Giordani, with Susan Graham
and John Relyea. James Levine conducts. NEW
PRODUCTION
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Wednesday, December 3 - 7:00
p.m. local time
Encore presentation of LA DAMNATION DE
FAUST
(Available in select theatres only.)
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Saturday, December 20, 2008 THAIS
- Renee Fleming stars in the title role of Massenet's Thais, with Thomas
Hampson in John Cox's production. Jesus Lopez-Cobos
conducts. NEW PRODUCTION
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Wednesday, January 7 - 7:00
p.m. local time
Encore presentation of THAIS
(Available
in select theatres only.)
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Saturday, January 10, 2009 LA
RONDINE - Nicolas Joel directs Puccini's La
Rondine, starring Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna.
Marco Armiliato conducts. NEW PRODUCTION
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Wednesday, January 21 - 7:00
p.m. local time
Encore presentation of LA RONDINE
(Available
in select theatres only.)
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Saturday, January 24, 2009 ORFEO
ED EURIDICE - Stephanie Blythe and Danielle
de Niese star in Mark Morris's production of Gluck's
Orfeo ed Euridice. James Levine conducts.
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Wednesday, February 4 - 7:00
p.m. local time
Encore presentation of ORFEO ED EURIDICE
(Available
in select theatres only.)
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Saturday, February 7, 2009 LUCIA
DI LAMMERMOOR - Anna Netrebko and Rolando
Villazon star in Mary Zimmerman's acclaimed production
of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Marco Armiliato
conducts.
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Wednesday, February 18 -
7:00 p.m. local time
Encore presentation of LUCIA DI
LAMMERMOOR
(Available in select theatres only.)
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Saturday, March 7, 2009 MADAMA
BUTTERFLY - Cristina Gallardo-Domas sings
the title role of Puccini's Madama Butterfly in Anthony
Minghella's stunning production. Marcello Giordani
stars as Pinkerton. Patrick Summers conducts.
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Wednesday, March 18 - 7:00
p.m. local time
Encore presentation of MADAMA BUTTERFLY
(Available
in select theatres only.)
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Saturday, March 21, 2009 LA
SONNAMBULA - Natalie Dessay and Juan
Diego Florez star in Mary Zimmerman's new production of
Bellini's La Sonnambula, conducted by Evelino Pido. NEW
PRODUCTION
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Wednesday, April 1 - 7:00
p.m. local time
Encore presentation of LA SONNAMBULA
(Available
in select theatres only.)
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Saturday, May 9, 2009 LA
CENERENTOLA - Elina Garanca stars in
Rossini's bel canto Cinderella story, La Cenerentola. Lawrence
Brownlee stars as her Prince Charming, Don Ramiro. Maurizio
Benini conducts.
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Wednesday, May 20 - 7:00
p.m. local time
Encore presentation of LA CENERENTOLA
(Available
in select theatres only.)
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(1)Programs and casting subject to
change. For more details on the operas, please visit the Met's web
site at www.metopera.org/hd.
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About National CineMedia
NCM LLC operates the largest digital in-theatre network in North America
through long-term agreements with its founding members, AMC
Entertainment Inc., Cinemark USA Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal
Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), the three largest theatre operators in
the U.S., and through multi-year agreements with several other theatre
operators. NCM LLC produces and distributes its FirstLook pre feature
program; cinema and lobby advertising products; comprehensive meeting
and event services and other entertainment programming content. NCM
LLC's national network includes over 17,000 screens of which
approximately 14,700 are part of the company's Digital Content Network
(DCN). NCM LLC's network covers 176 Designated Market Areas(R) (49 of
the top 50). During 2007, approximately 685 million patrons attended
movies shown in theatres currently included in the network (excluding
Consolidated Theatres and Star Theatres). National CineMedia, Inc.
(NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 42.3% interest in and is the managing member of
NCM LLC. For additional information, visit www.ncm.com
or www.FathomEvents.com.
About the Met
Under the leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb and Music Director
James Levine, the Met has a series of bold initiatives underway that are
designed to broaden its audience and revitalize the company’s
repertory. The Met has made a commitment to presenting modern
masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, with highly theatrical
productions featuring the greatest opera stars in the world. The
Metropolitan Opera’s 2008-09 season, the
company’s 125th
anniversary, features six new productions (including one Met premiere),
18 revivals, Wagner’s Ring cycle, and
two gala celebrations. For more information about the Metropolitan
Opera, please visit www.metopera.org.
National CineMedia
Michelle Portillo, 303-792-8651
michelle.portillo@ncm.com
or
Lauren
Leff, 303-957-1709
Lauren.leff@ncm.com
or
Metropolitan
Opera
Lee Abrahamian, 212-799-3100 x.2724
labrahamian@metopera.org
