The Met Expands Its Repertory In The 2009-2010 Season With Eight New Productions, Including Four Met Premieres

Eight new productions, four of which are company premieres, will highlight the Metropolitan Opera's 2009-10 season. General Manager Peter Gelb and Music Director James Levine jointly announced plans that include: the Met premieres of Rossini's Armida, Verdi's Attila, Janáček's From the House of the Dead, and Shostakovich's The Nose; new productions of Bizet's Carmen, Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Thomas's Hamlet, and Puccini's Tosca; and 18 revivals from the company's repertory. The season is the first to be entirely planned under Gelb's leadership, in collaboration with Levine (the past three seasons were planned before Gelb became General Manager in 2006-07 but included some productions, repertoire, and casting changes made by Gelb).

The season opens with a new production of Tosca by Luc Bondy in his house debut, starring Karita Mattila in her first Met performance of the title role. James Levine conducts. Renowned director Patrice Chéreau and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen both make Met debuts with the new production of Janáček's From the House of the Dead, which has won acclaim across Europe.

Bartlett Sher, whose staging of Il Barbiere di Siviglia was a hit two seasons ago, returns to direct his second Met production: Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, conducted by Levine, with Anna Netrebko as Antonia, Elīna Garanča as Nicklausse, and René Pape as the four villains. The new Carmen, starring Angela Gheorghiu in her first-ever stage portrayal of the gypsy femme fatale, will also feature the debuts of director Richard Eyre and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Roberto Alagna, as the soldier Don José, and Mariusz Kwiecien, as the bullfighter Escamillo, vie for Carmen's affections. Verdi's rarely heard Attila, with Ildar Abdrazakov in the title role of the Hun leader, features a conductor and a creative team all in their Met debuts: maestro Riccardo Muti, director Pierre Audi, and set and costume designers Miuccia Prada, Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. The extraordinary artist William Kentridge directs and designs a new staging of Shostakovich's The Nose, an opera based on the Gogol short story, conducted by Valery Gergiev. Paulo Szot, the Tony Award-winning star of Lincoln Center Theater's South Pacific, makes his Met debut in the leading role of Kovalyov. Last performed at the Met in 1897, Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet will be seen in a new production by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, conducted by Louis Langrée and starring Simon Keenlyside in the title role and Natalie Dessay as Ophélie. The season's final new production features Renée Fleming in Rossini's bel canto tour de force Armida, directed by Mary Zimmerman and conducted by Riccardo Frizza. Pierre Boulez makes his company debut leading the MET Orchestra in the final concert of its annual series at Carnegie Hall, with the other two concerts conducted by Levine.

Peter Gelb said, "Although the economy is bad, we are committed to maintaining the Met's artistic excellence. We have gained a new and larger public that we're determined to keep by continuing to present the world's leading artists in compelling new productions and appealing revivals."

James Levine said, "This is a wonderful balance of repertory that includes four works totally new to the Met as well as a number of great operas that have been out of the repertory for a long time. I'm also delighted that we have so many important debuts, including conductors, singers, directors and production teams."

New Productions

The 2009-10 season opens on September 21 with the gala premiere of a new production of Puccini's Tosca, conducted by James Levine. Director Luc Bondy and designer Richard Peduzzi, among Europe's best known theatrical artists, are both making their Met debuts, joined by Milena Canonero as costume designer. Karita Mattila, whose Salome electrified New York audiences as well as people around the world as part of The Met: Live in HD earlier in the current season, sings the title role of Tosca for the first time outside her native Finland. The role of Cavaradossi is shared by Marcelo Álvarez and Jonas Kaufmann, for both of whom it is a new role at the Met, and by Marcello Giordani, who returns to the part. Juha Uusitalo, who debuted in the current season as Jochanaan opposite Mattila's Salome, sings Scarpia in the initial run, followed by George Gagnidze, this season's Rigoletto, and Bryn Terfel, who brings his much admired portrayal to the Met for the first time in a complete performance (he sang Act II on opening night of the 2005-06 season). Philippe Auguin conducts later performances. Tosca is a co-production with the Teatro alla Scala, Milan and with the Bavarian State Opera, Munich. It is a gift of The Annenberg Foundation.

The Met premiere on November 12 of Janáček's From the House of the Dead features two of the season's renowned debuting artists: conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and director Patrice Chéreau. Peter Mattei, whose Figaro in the 2006 new production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia won widespread acclaim, sings the role of Shishkov, with Stefan Margita in his Met debut as Filka Morozov, Kurt Streit as Skuratov, Peter Hoare in his Met debut as Shapkin, and Willard White as Gorianchikov. Richard Peduzzi designs the sets, and other members of the production team include three Met debuting artists: associate director Thierry Thieû Niang, costume designer Caroline de Vivaise, and lighting designer Bertrand Couderc. Based on a Dostoyevsky story, From the House of the Dead takes place entirely in a Russian prison camp. In the words of Chéreau: "The prison camp is a different society, parallel to ours, but there are many similarities between the two. Power, relationships, humiliation, and passion – all those things exist in both worlds." A production of the Met and the Wiener Festwochen, in co-production with the Holland Festival, Amsterdam, the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, and the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, it was voted Europe's best opera staging for 2007 by the Charles Cros Academy. The Met production is a gift of Robert L. Turner.

James Levine conducts Offenbach's psychological fantasy Les Contes d'Hoffmann in a new production by Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher. The production stars Kathleen Kim, Anna Netrebko, and Ekaterina Gubanova as Hoffmann's three loves, Elīna Garanča as his companion Nicklausse, and René Pape as his nemesis in the four villain roles. The production team is completed by Michael Yeargan as set designer and Catherine Zuber as costume designer, Sher's collaborators on Il Barbiere di Siviglia, as well as by lighting designer James F. Ingalls and choreographer Dou Dou Huang. Inspired by Kafka, Sher describes his production as "a magical journey in which the title character works out different manifestations of his psyche." The production premieres at a gala benefit on December 3 and is a gift of the Hermione Foundation.

On New Year's Eve, Bizet's Carmen opens with a gala performance for the new production premiere. Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Olivier Award-winning director Richard Eyre both make their Met debuts with the new staging, which features Angela Gheorghiu in her first stage performances anywhere of the title role.  Olga Borodina sings the seductive gypsy at later performances, while Barbara Frittoli and Maija Kovalevska share the role of Micaëla; Roberto Alagna, Brandon Jovanovich (in his Met debut), and Jonas Kaufmann are Don José; and Mariusz Kwiecien and Teddy Tahu Rhodes sing the swaggering toreador Escamillo. Alain Altinoglu makes his Met debut conducting later performances. The set and costume designer is Rob Howell, in his Met debut, Peter Mumford is the lighting designer, and Christopher Wheeldon is the choreographer. Eyre, who was director of London's Royal National Theatre from 1987-97, says Carmen "is one of the inalienably great works of art. It's sexy in every sense. And I think it should be shocking." The production is a gift of Mrs. Paul Desmarais, Sr.

Riccardo Muti, one of the world's most esteemed maestros and a champion of Verdian style, makes his Met debut, appropriately, conducting the company premiere of Verdi's Attila on February 23. In his Met debut, Pierre Audi directs the new production. Following their operatic debut with Tristan und Isolde at the Berlin State Opera in 2006, Herzog and de Meuron, working with Miuccia Prada, will create the set and costume designs. Jean Kalman, whose most recent work at the Met was the new production of Verdi's Macbeth in 2007, returns as lighting designer. Ildar Abdrazakov sings the title role of the infamous Hun leader, joined by Violeta Urmana as the vengeful Odabella, Carlos Alvarez as the Roman general Ezio, and Ramón Vargas as Foresto. In addition to the "bird's nest" Beijing National Stadium built for the 2008 Olympics, the Pritzker Prize-winning architectural team of Herzog & de Meuron is particularly known for designing the Tate Modern museum in London. Prada, one of the world's most renowned fashion designers, makes her operatic debut with this production. The production is a gift of Elena and Rudy Prokupets.

Dmitri Shostakovich's The Nose has its Met premiere on March 5 in a new production staged and designed by William Kentridge, under the baton of Valery Gergiev. Tony Award-winner Paulo Szot makes his Met debut as Kovalyov, with Andrei Popov as the Police Inspector and Gordon Gietz as the Nose, also in their company debuts. Kentridge and Sabine Theunissen are the set designers, Greta Goiris designs the costumes, Urs Schönebaum designs the lighting, and Luc De Wit is the associate director. All members of the production team are making their Met debuts. Based on a short story by Gogol, Shostakovich's The Nose "is the story of a man who wakes up one morning and finds that his nose is gone," says Kentridge. "The opera is about what constitutes a person – how singular we are, and how much we are divided against ourselves. And it's also about the terrors of hierarchy." The Nose is a co-production of the Met, the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, and the Opéra National de Lyon. It is a gift of Frederick Iseman. Additional funding is provided by The Richard J. Massey Foundation for the Arts and Sciences.

The new production of Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet, which opens on March 16, stars Simon Keenlyside in the title role and Natalie Dessay as Ophélie. Louis Langrée conducts a cast that also includes Jennifer Larmore as Gertrude, Toby Spence as Laërte, in his Met debut, and James Morris as Claudius. The production is by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser with set designs by Christian Fenouillat, costume designs by Agostino Cavalca, and lighting designs by Christophe Forey – all in their Met debuts. When this production opened at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, The Independent called Keenlyside's Hamlet, "a revelation…thrilling throughout." The Met performances will use the alternative tragic ending, rather than the happy ending used at Covent Garden. Hamlet was last performed at the Met in 1897 and is particularly known for Ophélie's famous mad scene, which was a favorite of such legendary sopranos as Nellie Melba and Maria Callas. The production is owned by the Grand Théâtre de Genève and is a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wilmer J. Thomas, Jr.

Renée Fleming stars in the title role of Rossini's Armida, which has its Met premiere on April 12. Riccardo Frizza conducts, and Mary Zimmerman directs this story of a sorceress who enthralls men in her island prison. The cast includes six tenor roles in all, with the principal male parts taken in this production by Lawrence Brownlee as Rinaldo, Bruce Ford as Goffredo, José Manuel Zapata as Gernando, Barry Banks as Carlo, and Kobie van Rensburg as Ubaldo. Richard Hudson designs the sets and costumes, Brian MacDevitt is the lighting designer, and Graciela Daniele makes her Met debut as choreographer. Zimmerman, whose hit production of Lucia di Lammermoor opened the 2007-08 season, calls Armida "a buried treasure, a box of jewels." She notes that the opera "has an epic, enchanted quality and a tremendous visual element." This production of Armida is a gift of The Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund.

Repertory

The 18 revivals of the 2009–10 season feature a lineup of the world's greatest singers, including some notable Met role debuts. Anna Netrebko returns as Mimì in La Bohème, which also stars Piotr Beczala, who sings his first Rodolfo with the company. Gerald Finley and debuting baritone George Petean are Marcello, and Nicole Cabell and Ruth Ann Swenson alternate as Musetta. Marco Armiliato conducts.

Returning to the role that launched her international career, Angela Gheorghiu brings her famous portrayal of the title heroine in La Traviata back to the Met. Opposite her are James Valenti, a former Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions winner, in his Met debut as Alfredo and Thomas Hampson as Germont. Leonard Slatkin returns to the Met podium for the first time in 12 years.

James Levine will conduct Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, featuring the much-admired portrayals of Renée Fleming as the Marschallin and Susan Graham as Octavian, with Kristinn Sigmundsson as Baron Ochs. Miah Persson makes her debut as Sophie, a role she shares with Christine Schäfer. Ramón Vargas and Eric Cutler alternate as the Italian singer, and Hans-Joachim Ketelsen and Thomas Allen sing Faninal.

Deborah Voigt takes on another iconic Wagnerian role, singing Senta in Der Fliegende Holländer for the first time on the Met stage, with Juha Uusitalo in his first Dutchman with the company. Stephen Gould, in his Met debut, sings Erik, and Hans-Peter König is Daland, with Kazushi Ono conducting. Voigt will also be heard as Chrysothemis in Elektra, joined by Susan Bullock making her Met debut in the title role, Felicity Palmer as Klytämnestra, and Alan Held as Orest. Following his critically acclaimed performances of Strauss's Die Ägyptische Helena at the Met two years ago, Fabio Luisi returns to conduct the Bavarian master's Elektra. Der Fliegende Holländer returns to the Met stage for the first time in nine years, and Elektra for the first time in seven years.

Four decades into a legendary Met career, Plácido Domingo makes history by singing the baritone title role of Simon Boccanegra, conducted by James Levine. Adrianne Pieczonka, Marcello Giordani, and James Morris are his co-stars. Domingo will take on conductor's duties for another powerful Verdi drama, Stiffelio, which has not been heard at the Met in 12 years. Fellow tenor José Cura sings the title role, with Angela Marambio as Lina and Andrzej Dobber as Stankar.

Juan Diego Flórez reprises his acclaimed performance as Tonio in Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment, one of the hits of the 2007–08 season. Diana Damrau, who created a sensation in the same composer's Lucia di Lammermoor this season, makes her Met role debut as Marie, and the great Kiri Te Kanawa returns in the speaking role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Damrau also revisits her charming portrayal of Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, as does Joyce DiDonato, who sings the role in earlier performances of the run. Barry Banks and Lawrence Brownlee share the role of Count Almaviva, while Rodion Pogossov and Franco Vassallo play the barber of the title, under the baton of Maurizio Benini.

One of the 20th century's most influential scores, Alban Berg's Lulu, is brought back to the Met after an eight year absence, led by James Levine, with Marlis Petersen, an acclaimed interpreter of the title role, as the scandalous femme fatale. Anne Sofie von Otter sings Countess Geschwitz, and James Morris is Dr. Schön, Gary Lehman Alwa, Michael Schade the Painter, and David Pittsinger the Animal Trainer – all for the first time at the Met.

A new trio of stars takes on the leading roles in Robert Lepage's inventive production of Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust, which uses virtual scenery and interactive video: Ramón Vargas sings the title role, Olga Borodina is Marguerite, and Ildar Abdrazakov plays Méphistophélès, with James Conlon conducting.

Two visually sumptuous Puccini productions return with new cast members. Franco Zeffirelli's classic Turandot features the Met role debuts of Maria Guleghina in the title role, Marcello Giordani and Salvatore Licitra as Calàf, and Marina Poplavskaya and Maija Kovalevska as Liù. Conductor Andris Nelsons makes his Met  debut, as do Lise Lindstrom as Turandot, and Frank Porretta as Calàf. Samuel Ramey and Hao Jiang Tian are Timur. In Jack O'Brien's Il Trittico, Patricia Racette and Stephanie Blythe star in all three of the one-act operas. Racette brings her dramatic and vocal skills to the roles of Giorgetta, Angelica, and Lauretta for the first time with the company, and Blythe (who appeared in the production's premiere run and who recently received tremendous acclaim for her performances as Gluck's Orfeo) again plays Frugola, La Principessa, and Zita. Željko Lučić is the new Michele and Aleksandrs Antonenko and Salvatore Licitra are Luigi in Il Tabarro. Alessandro Corbelli reprises his memorable appearance as the title character of Gianni Schicchi and Saimir Pirgu debuts as Rinuccio. Stefano Ranzani makes his Met debut conducting.

Daniele Gatti returns for the first time in 14 years to conduct a cast of powerful voices in Verdi's Aida. Violeta Urmana and Hasmik Papian share the title role, while Dolora Zajick returns in one of her most acclaimed portrayals as the Egyptian princess Amneris, and Johan Botha, Richard Margison, and Salvatore Licitra alternate as Radamès. Carlo Guelfi sings Amonasro, and Paolo Carignani conducts the later performances.

Nina Stemme returns to the Met for the first time in nine years in the title role of Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, with Sarah Connolly as the Composer, both in their Met role debuts. Lance Ryan makes his Met debut as Bacchus, and Kirill Petrenko conducts.

Danielle de Niese and John Relyea star as Susanna and Figaro, the servant couple who outmaneuver their bosses in Le Nozze di Figaro. Bo Skovhus is the Count and Emma Bell makes her Met debut as the Countess. The excitable pageboy Cherubino is played by Isabel Leonard, and Dan Ettinger debuts as conductor. Fabio Luisi conducts the later performances with Lisette Oropesa sharing the role of Susanna with de Niese, and Luca Pisaroni as Figaro, Annette Dasch in her Met debut as the Countess, and Ludovic Tézier as the Count. 

Julie Taymor's popular staging of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte returns in the opera's full-length German version conducted by Bernard Labadie (in his company debut) and Adam Fischer. Returning to their roles are Genia Kühmeier as Pamina, Erika Miklósa as the Queen of the Night, Matthew Polenzani as Tamino, and Nathan Gunn and Rodion Pogossov as the bird-catcher Papageno. New interpreters include Christopher Maltman in his first Met Papageno and the Met debuts of Julia Kleiter as Pamina, Albina Shagimuratova as the Queen, Matthias Klink as Tamino, and Georg Zeppenfeld and Hans-Peter König as Sarastro.

Holiday Presentation: Hansel and Gretel 
The Met's special holiday presentations for families enter their fourth season with Richard Jones's English-language production of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. Miah Persson and Angelika Kirchschlager are the lost siblings. Philip Langridge reprises his portrayal of the Witch and Andrew Davis conducts. Jones's production is a fanciful version of the familiar fairy tale that delighted children and adults alike when it premiered at the Met in 2007. The eight performances include four matinees and are specially priced for the holidays.

Tickets will be available August 16. Please contact Keith Prowse for more details. The complete season is detailed below.

2009-10 Season

Complete Repertoire and Casting

METROPOLITAN OPERA PREMIERE

ARMIDA
Performing April 12, 16, 19, 22, 27; May 1 mat, 4, 7, 11, 15

Composer - Gioachino Rossini
Libretto - Giovanni Schmidt
Conductor - Riccardo Frizza
Production - Mary Zimmerman
Set and Costume Designer - Richard Hudson
Lighting Designer - Brian MacDevitt
Choreographer - Graciela Daniele*

Armida - Renée Fleming
Rinaldo - Lawrence Brownlee
Goffredo - Bruce Ford
Gernando - José Manuel Zapata
Carlo - Barry Banks
Ubaldo - Kobie van Rensburg

ATTILA
Performing February 23, 27; March 3, 6 mat, 9, 12, 15, 19, 22, 27

Composer - Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto - Temistocle Solera and Francesco Maria Piave
Conductor - Riccardo Muti*/Marco Armiliato
Production - Pierre Audi*
Set andCostume Designs - Herzog & de Meuron* and Miuccia Prada*
Lighting Designer - Jean Kalman

Odabella - Violeta Urmana
Foresto - Ramón Vargas/Russell Thomas
Ezio - Carlos Alvarez
Attila - Ildar Abdrazakov


FROM THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD
A production of the Metropolitan Opera and Wiener Festwochen, in co-production with Holland Festival, Amsterdam; Festival d'Aix-en-Provence; and Teatro alla Scala, Milan
Performing November 12, 16, 21, 24, 28; December 2, 5 mat

Composer - Leoš Janáček
Libretto - Leoš Janáček
Conductor - Esa-Pekka Salonen*
Production - Patrice Chéreau*
Associate Director - Thierry Thieû Niang*
Set Designer - Richard Peduzzi
Costume Designer - Caroline de Vivaise*
Lighting Designer - Bertrand Couderc*

Filka Morozov - Stefan Margita*
Skuratov - Kurt Streit
Shapkin - Peter Hoare*
Shishkov - Peter Mattei
Gorianchikov - Willard White

THE NOSE
A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera, New York, the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, and the Opéra National de Lyon, France
Performing March 5, 11, 13 mat, 18, 23, 25

Composer - Dmitri Shostakovich
Libretto - Yevgeny Zamyatin, Georgy Ionin,
Alexander Preys, andDmitri Shostakovich
Conductor - Valery Gergiev/Pavel Smelkov*
Production - William Kentridge*
Set Designers - William Kentridge* and Sabine Theunissen*
Costume Designer - Greta Goiris*
Lighting Designer - Urs Schönebaum*
Associate Director - Luc de Wit*

Police Inspector - Andrei Popov*
The Nose - Gordon Gietz*
Kovalyov - Paulo Szot*

NEW PRODUCTIONS

CARMEN
Performing December 31; January 5, 8, 12, 16 mat, 21, 27, 30; February 1, 5, 9, 13, April 28, May 1

Composer - Georges Bizet
Libretto - Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
Conductor - Yannick Nézet-Séguin*/Alain Altinoglu*
Production - Richard Eyre*
Set and Costume Designer - Rob Howell*
Lighting Designer - Peter Mumford
Choreographer - Christopher Wheeldon

Micaëla - Barbara Frittoli/Maija Kovalevska
Carmen - Angela Gheorghiu/Olga Borodina
Don José - Roberto Alagna/Brandon Jovanovich*/Jonas Kaufmann
Escamillo - Mariusz Kwiecien/Teddy Tahu Rhodes

HAMLET
Production owned by the Grand Theatre of Geneva
Performing March 16, 20, 24, 27 mat, 30; April 2, 5, 9

Composer - Ambroise Thomas
Libretto - Michel Carre and Jules Barbier
Conductor - Louis Langrée
Production - Patrice Caurier* and Moshe Leiser*
Set Designer - Christian Fenouillat*
Costume Designer - Agostino Cavalca*
Lighting Designer - Christopher Forey*

Ophélie - Natalie Dessay/Marlis Petersen*
Gertrude - Jennifer Larmore
Laërte - Toby Spence*
Hamlet - Simon Keenlyside
Claudius - James Morris

LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN
Performing December 3, 7, 11, 16, 19 mat, 23, 26, 30; January 2

Composer - Jacques Offenbach
Libretto - Jules Barbier and Michel Carré
Conductor - James Levine/TBA
Production - Bartlett Sher
Set Designer - Michael Yeargan
Costume Designer - Catherine Zuber
Lighting Designer - James F. Ingalls
Choreographer - Dou Dou Huang

Olympia - Kathleen Kim
Antonia/Stella - Anna Netrebko
Giulietta - Ekaterina Gubanova
Nicklausse/The Muse - Elīna Garanča/Kate Lindsey
Hoffmann - TBA
Four Villains - René Pape

TOSCA
Performing September 21, 24, 28; October 3 mat, 6, 10 mat, 14, 17; April 14, 17, 20, 24 mat, 29; May 5, 8, 13

Composer - Giacomo Puccini
Libretto - Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
Conductor - James Levine/TBA/Philippe Auguin
Production - Luc Bondy*
Set Designer - Richard Peduzzi*
Costume Designer - Milena Canonero
Lighting Designer - Max Keller

Tosca - Karita Mattila/TBA
Cavaradossi - Marcelo Álvarez/Jonas Kaufmann/Marcello Giordani
Scarpia - Juha Uusitalo/George Gagnidze/Bryn Terfel
Sacristan - Paul Plishka/John Del Carlo

REPERTORY

AIDA
Performing October 2, 7, 12, 17 mat, 21, 24 mat, 29; November 2, 6; March 26, 31; April 3 mat

Composer - Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto - Antonio Ghislanzoni
Conductor - Daniele Gatti/Paolo Carignani
Production - Sonja Frisell
Set Designer - Gianni Quaranta
Costume Designer - Dada Saligeri
Lighting Designer - Gil Wechsler
Choreographer - Alexei Ratmansky*

Aida - Violeta Urmana/Hasmik Papian
Amneris - Dolora Zajick
Radamès - Johan Botha/Richard Margison/Salvatore Licitra
Amonasro - Carlo Guelfi
Ramfis - Roberto Scandiuzzi/Orlin Anastassov/Carlo Colombara
The King - Stefan Kocán*/Keith Miller

ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
Performing February 4, 8, 11, 15, 20 mat

Composer - Richard Strauss
Libretto - Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Conductor - Kirill Petrenko
Production - Elijah Moshinsky
Sets and Costume Designer - Michael Yeargan
Lighting Designer - Gil Wechsler

Ariadne - Nina Stemme
Zerbinetta - Kathleen Kim
Composer - Sarah Connolly
Bacchus - Lance Ryan*
Music Master - Jochen Schmeckenbecher*

IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA
Performing October 3, 8, 10, 15, 24, 27, 31 mat; November 4, 7; February 26; March 1, 4

Composer - Gioachino Rossini
Libretto - Cesare Sterbini
Conductor - Maurizio Benini
Production - Bartlett Sher
Set Designer - Michael Yeargan
Costume Designer - Catherine Zuber
Lighting Designer - Christopher Akerlind

Rosina - Joyce DiDonato/Diana Damrau
Count Almaviva - Barry Banks/Lawrence Brownlee
Figaro - Rodion Pogossov/Franco Vassallo
Dr. Bartolo - John Del Carlo/Maurizio Muraro
Don Basilio - Orlin Anastassov/Roberto Scandiuzzi/Samuel Ramey

LA BOHÈME
Performing February 20, 24, 27 mat; March 2, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20 mat

Composer - Giacomo Puccini
Libretto - Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
Conductor - Marco Armiliato
Production - Franco Zeffirelli
Set Designer - Franco Zeffirelli
Costume Designer - Peter J. Hall
Lighting Designer - Gil Wechsler

Mimì - Anna Netrebko
Musetta - Nicole Cabell/Ruth Ann Swenson
Rodolfo - Piotr Beczala
Marcello - Gerald Finley/George Petean*
Schaunard - Massimo Cavalletti*/Patrick Carfizzi
Colline - Oren Gradus/Shenyang
Benoit/Alcindoro - Paul Plishka

SIMON BOCCANEGRA
Performing January 18, 22, 25, 29; February 2, 6 mat

Composer - Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto - Francesco Maria Piave and Arrigo Boito
Conductor - James Levine/J. David Jackson
Production - Giancarlo del Monaco
Set and Costume Designer - Michael Scott

Amelia - Adrianne Pieczonka
Gabriele Adorno - Marcello Giordani
Simon Boccanegra - James Morris

LA DAMNATION DE FAUST
Performing October 23, 26, 30; November 5, 9, 14 mat, 17

Composer - Hector Berlioz
Libretto - Almire Gandonnière and Hector Berlioz
Conductor - James Conlon/TBA
Production - Robert Lepage
Associate Director - Neilson Vignola
Set Designer - Carl Fillion
Costume Designer - Karin Erskine
Lighting Designer - Sonoyo Nishikawa
Interactive Video Designer - Holger Foerterer
Image Designer - Boris Firquet
Choreographers - Johanne Madore and Alain S. Gauthier

Marguerite - Olga Borodina
Faust - Ramón Vargas
Méphistophélès - Ildar Abdrazakov

ELEKTRA
Performing December 10, 15, 18, 22, 26 mat, 29

Composer - Richard Strauss
Libretto - Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Conductor - Fabio Luisi
Production - Otto Schenk
Set andCostume Designer - Jürgen Rose
Lighting Designer - Gil Wechsler

Elektra - Susan Bullock*
Chrysothemis - Deborah Voigt
Klytaemnestra - Felicity Palmer
Aegisth - Wolfgang Schmidt
Orestes - Alan Held

LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Performing September 22, 26; October 1, 5, 9; November 23, 27, 30; December 4, 8, 12

Composer - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto - Lorenzo da Ponte
Conductor - Dan Ettinger*/Fabio Luisi
Production - Jonathan Miller
Set Designer - Peter Davison
Costume Designer - James Acheson
Lighting Designer - Mark McCullough
Choreographer - Terry John Bates

Countess Almaviva - Emma Bell*/Annette Dasch*
Susanna - Danielle de Niese/Lisette Oropesa
Cherubino - Isabel Leonard
Count Almaviva - Bo Skovhus/Ludovic Tézier
Figaro - John Relyea/Luca Pisaroni

LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT
Performing February 6, 10, 13 mat, 16, 19, 22

Composer - Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto - Jean-François Bayard and J. H. Vernoy de Saint-Georges
Conductor - Marco Armiliato
Production - Laurent Pelly
Set Designer - Chantal Thomas
Costume Designer - Laurent Pelly
Lighting Designer - Joël Adam
Choreographer - Laura Scozzi

Marie - Diana Damrau
Marquise of Berkenfeld - Felicity Palmer
Duchess of Krakenthorp - Kiri Te Kanawa
Tonio - Juan Diego Flórez
Sulpice - Maurizio Muraro

HANSEL AND GRETEL
Performing December 14, 17, 19, 21 mat, 24, 28 mat, 30 mat; January 2 mat

Composer - Engelbert Humperdinck
Libretto - Adelheid Wette
Conductor - Andrew Davis
Production - Richard Jones
Set and Costume Designer - John Macfarlane
Lighting Designed by - Jennifer Tipton
Choreographer - Linda Dobell
English Version - David Pountney

Gretel - Miah Persson
Hansel - Angelika Kirchschlager
Gertrude - Rosalind Plowright
The Witch - Philip Langridge
Peter - Dwayne Croft/Alan Held

DIE FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER
Performing April 23, 26, 30, May 3, 6, 10, 14

Composer - Richard Wagner
Libretto - Richard Wagner
Conductor - Kazushi Ono
Production - August Everding
Set designer - Hans Schavernoch
Costume Designer - Lore Haas
Lighting Designer - Gil Wechsler
Stage Director - Stephen Pickover

Senta - Deborah Voigt
Erik - Stephen Gould*/Philip Webb
Holländer - Juha Uusitalo
Daland - Hans-Peter König

LULU
Performing May 8 mat, 12, 15 mat

Composer - Alban Berg
Libretto - Alban Berg
Conductor - James Levine
Production - John Dexter
Set and Costume Designer - Jocelyn Herbert
Lighting Designer - Gil Wechsler

Lulu - Marlis Petersen
Countess Geschwitz - Anne Sofie von Otter
Alwa - Gary Lehman
Painter - Michael Schade
Animal Trainer/Acrobat - David Pittsinger
Dr. Schön/Jack the Ripper - James Morris

DER ROSENKAVALIER
Performing October 13, 16, 19, 22; January 1, 6, 9 mat, 15

Composer - Richard Strauss
Libretto - Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Conductor - James Levine
Production - Nathaniel Merrill
Set and Costume Designer - Robert O'Hearn
Lighting Designer - Gil Wechsler

Marschallin - Renée Fleming
Octavian - Susan Graham
Sophie - Miah Persson*/Christine Schäfer
A Singer - Ramón Vargas/Barry Banks/Eric Cutler
Faninal - Hans-Joachim Ketelsen/Thomas Allen
Baron Ochs - Kristinn Sigmundsson

STIFFELIO
Performing January 11, 14, 19, 23, 26, 30 mat

Composer - Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto - Francesco Maria Piave
Conductor - Plácido Domingo
Production - Giancarlo del Monaco
Set and Costume Designer - Michael Scott
Lighting Designer - Gil Wechsler

Lina - Angela Marambio
Stiffelio - José Cura
Stankar - Andrzej Dobber
Jorg - Phillip Ens

LA TRAVIATA
Performing March 29; April 3, 7, 10, 13, 17 mat, 21, 24

Composer - Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto - Francesco Maria Piave
Conductor - Leonard Slatkin
Production - Franco Zeffirelli
Set Designer - Franco Zeffirelli
Costume Designer - Raimonda Gaetani
Lighting Designer - Duane Schuler
Choreographer - Maria Benitez

Violetta - Angela Gheorgiu
Germont - Thomas Hampson

IL TRITTICO
November 20, 25, 28 mat, December 1, 5, 9, 12 mat

Composer - Giacomo Puccini
Conductor - Stefano Ranzani*
Production - Jack O'Brien
Set Designer - Douglas W. Schmidt
Costume Designer - Jess Goldstein
Lighting Designers - Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer
IL TABARRO
Libretto - Giuseppe Adami
Giorgetta - Patricia Racette
Frugola - Stephanie Blythe
Luigi - Aleksandrs Antonenko/Salvatore Licitra
Michele - Željko Lučić
SUOR ANGELICA
Libretto - Gioacchino Forzano
Suor Angelica - Patricia Racette
Sister Genovieffa - Heidi Grant Murphy
Principessa - Stephanie Blythe
GIANNI SCHICCHI
Libretto - Gioacchino Forzano
Lauretta - Patricia Racette
Rinuccio - Saimir Pirgu*
Gianni Schicchi - Alessandro Corbelli
Zita - Stephanie Blythe

TURANDOT
Performing October 28, 31; November 3, 7 mat, 10, 14, 18, 21 mat; January 4, 7, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23 mat, 28

Composer - Giacomo Puccini
Libretto - Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni
Conductor - Andris Nelsons*/TBA
Production - Franco Zeffirelli
Set Designer - Anna Anni and Dada Saligeri
Lighting Designer - Gil Wechsler
Choreographer and Supervisor of Stylized Movement
Chiang Ching

Turandot - Maria Guleghina/Lise Lindstrom*
Liù - Marina Poplavskaya/Maija Kovalevska/TBA
Calàf - Marcello Giordani/Frank Porretta*/
Salvatore Licitra/Philip Webb
Timur Samuel Ramey/Hao Jiang Tian

DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE
Performing September 23, 26 mat, 30; April 1, 6, 8, 10 mat, 15
Composer - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto - Emanuel Schikaneder
Conductor - Bernard Labadie*/Adam Fischer/Paul Nadler
Production - Julie Taymor
Set Designer - George Tsypin
Costume Designer - Julie Taymor
Lighting Designer - Donald Holder
Puppet Designers - Julie Taymor and Michael Curry
Choreographer - Mark Dendy

Pamina - Genia Kühmeier/Julia Kleiter*
Queen of the Night - Erika Miklósa/Albina Shagimuratova*
Tamino - Matthias Klink*/Matthew Polenzani
Papageno - Christopher Maltman/Nathan Gunn/Rodion Pogossov
Speaker - David Pittsinger
Sarastro - Georg Zeppenfeld*/Hans-Peter König*

Tickets available here from August 2009.