Metropolitan Opera's "Live in HD" series

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Anna Netrebko from the Dec. 15th Romeo and Juliet performance.

The Metropolitan Opera's "Live in HD" series is an initiative of New York's Metropolitan Opera to broadcast live performances in high definition video to select movie theaters and other venues across the U.S. and other parts of the world.

To transmit the series via satellite simulcast, the Met has partnered with NCM Fathom, a division of National CineMedia. The series is broadcast to AMC Theatres, Cinemark, Regal Entertainment Group (Regal Cinemas, United Artists and Edwards), Goodrich, Kerasotes, Marcus and National Amusements movie theaters as well as a series of indpedent venues and it aims to build a larger audience for the Met and garner excitement for arts at a local level.

Moving into digital movie theaters is in line with other audience-expanding efforts by the Met such as radio broadcasts on Sirius Radio, ipod downloads, live streaming video on the Met website, a free screening opening night in Times Square and at Lincoln Center, and even free broadcasts into selected New York City public schools. The simulcasts allow more people to experience the excitement of the Met's high-quality performance offerings. This audience includes current opera fans unable to get to New York City to see the shows in person and potential opera fans looking for an easy, affordable method of checking out a new art form.

Tom Galley, chief operations and technology officer of National CineMedia, describes the experience by saying:

"This Metropolitan Opera series is a unique opportunity for people to experience world-class opera in their local community, plus the movie theatre environment and affordable ticket price make these events something that the entire family can enjoy. If you’ve never had the pleasure of attending a live opera performance before, this is the perfect opportunity to see why this magical art form has captured audiences’ imaginations for generations.”>^{[citation needed]}

The series is being shown at 330 digital theaters nationwide to provide the best quality audio and video experience. The list of these theaters is available from "Live from the Met" participants, 2007/08. The series is also included as an HDTV offering of the PBS series Great Performances.

1 First Season
2 Second Season
3 Series Testimonials
4 References

[edit] First Season

The series began at the end of 2006 with the December 30 matinée performance of the Met’s new, 100-minute, English-language version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, directed by Julie Taymor and conducted by Met Music Director James Levine. Four more shows followed, concluding in April 2007:

The series enjoyed box office success, reaching an estimated audience of more than 325,000 viewers.

[edit] Second Season

Due to the success of the first season, the Metropolitan Opera decided to increase the number of HD broadcasts to movie theaters from six to eight during the 2007/2008 season. Further, the number of available theaters expanded to 330 nationwide.

The first showing, Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, was shown on 477 screens and sold an estimated 97,000 tickets. The performance also ran internationally on 100 screens, selling an additional 20,000 tickets.^{[citation needed]}

Schedule of Live Broadcasts

December 15: Gounod's Roméo et Juliette
January 1: Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel
January 12: Verdi's Macbeth (revised 1865 version)
February 16: Puccini's Manon Lescaut
March 15: Britten's Peter Grimes
March 22: Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
April 5: Puccini's La bohème
April 26: Donizetti's La fille du régiment

Potential movie-goers can visit NCM Fathom's website ^[1] to find theater locations and check for times and tickets.

[edit] Series Testimonials

“Filmed operas have been around for quite a while, but they were never like this. The Met has reinvented the form. Or rather, it has created a new art form . . . This venture may be the most significant development in opera since the supertitle.” Douglas McLennan, The Los Angeles Times,^{[citation needed]}

Movie Goers

"The simulcast featured not only the opera, but close-ups of the action, scene changes behind the curtain between acts, interviews with the stars, and a performance interview with the conductor. It was a tiny fraction of the cost that those in New York attending the performance paid, and we could see more." Letter to the Editor entitled " Metropolitan Opera right here in Flint" [1]

Opera Organizations

“The HD Live series has been overwhelmingly successful, selling out in movie theaters internationally, and opera lovers and newcomers from Kansas to Tromso, Norway have been sending us fan mail. Next year we'll expand the groundbreaking series to eight performances, featuring many of opera's greatest stars, transmitted to hundreds of movie theaters around the world.” Peter Gelb, General Manager, Metropolitan Opera^{[citation needed]}
"I hate to say it, but everybody says they would rather see opera this way." Nancy Zeckendorf, president of the board of directors for Santa Fe's Lensic Performing Arts Center^{[citation needed]}
"As much as I believe that opera is for everybody, I think we have to meet the audience halfway. My hat goes off to any opera company that is doing something different." Darren Woods, Fort Worth Opera general director^[^{citation needed]}