Last year, The Metropolitan Opera in New York City started streaming FREE encore presentations from its Live in HD series. These are shows that were originally transmitted as the cast performed live. Many were transmitted to movie theatres, where opera fans paid for tickets to watch this acclaimed opera company perform in NYC.
The streams started in March of 2020. Now, more than a year later, you can STILL see a nightly opera stream for free.
Every night, the opera begins at 7:30 p.m. The stream remains available for 23 hours after that.
To get sub-titles in English: When you watch the live stream, you can click on the small box at the bottom right that is labeled “CC” and this will provide captions for you.
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If you’ve been curious about opera, now is your big chance to check it out! Keep an open mind, because it is a very different form of storytelling from what you may be used to.
To watch the streams
- Go to this page
- Scroll down to the opera you want to watch and click on the name of the opera
- Remember: it will only be available for free streaming the day listed, starting at 7:30 p.m., and then until 6:30 p.m. the next day. If you click on one that is not currently available, it will give you information about the opera, but will not be available for free streaming. So, only one opera at a time will be available for free streaming, although there will be links for each opera.
- You might also see a button that says “Watch Now” on the Metropolitan Opera’s home page, and that one will stream the currently available opera.
If you’re seeing a particular opera for the first time, we recommend googling the title and reading up on the plot and storyline. Trust us, it makes the experience a lot more enjoyable when you’re in the know.
From the press release:
“We’d like to provide some grand opera solace to opera lovers in these extraordinarily difficult times,” said Met General Manager Peter Gelb. “Every night, we’ll be offering a different complete operatic gem from our collection of HD presentations from the past 14 years.”
Photo above: Classical opera “The Barber of Seville” performed by members of the Dnipro Opera and Ballet Theatre.
Metropolitan Opera streaming schedule
Sunday, May 23
Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades
Starring Galina Gorchakova, Elisabeth Söderström, Plácido Domingo, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Nikolai Putilin, conducted by Valery Gergiev. Production by Elijah Moshinsky. From April 15, 1999.
Monday, May 24
Massenet’s Thaïs
Starring Renée Fleming, Michael Schade, and Thomas Hampson, conducted by Jesús López-Cobos. Production by John Cox. From December 20, 2008.
Tuesday, May 25
Borodin’s Prince Igor
Starring Oksana Dyka, Anita Rachvelishvili, Sergey Semishkur, Ildar Abdrazakov, Mikhail Petrenko, and Štefan Kocán, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. Production by Dmitri Tcherniakov. From March 1, 2014.
Wednesday, May 26
Rossini’s La Donna del Lago
Starring Joyce DiDonato, Daniela Barcellona, Juan Diego Flórez, John Osborn, and Oren Gradus, conducted by Michele Mariotti. Production by Paul Curran. From March 14, 2015.
Thursday, May 27
Shostakovich’s The Nose
Starring Andrey Popov, Alexander Lewis, and Paulo Szot, conducted by Pavel Smelkov. Production by William Kentridge. From October 26, 2013.
Friday, May 28
Giordano’s Fedora
Starring Mirella Freni, Ainhoa Arteta, Plácido Domingo, Dwayne Croft, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, conducted by Roberto Abbado. Production by Beppe De Tomasi. From April 26, 1997.
Saturday, May 29
Strauss’s Capriccio
Starring Renée Fleming, Sarah Connolly, Joseph Kaiser, Russell Braun, Morten Frank Larsen, and Peter Rose, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. Production by John Cox. From April 23, 2011.
Sunday, May 30
Rossini’s Le Comte Ory
Starring Diana Damrau, Joyce DiDonato, Susanne Resmark, Juan Diego Flórez, Stéphane Degout, and Michele Pertusi, conducted by Maurizio Benini. Production by Bartlett Sher. From April 9, 2011.
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Thanks so much for this. Keep them coming so we can keep enjoying atlanta while staying safe!!!
Have you participated in any of the live streams yet? We’re curious to hear how they are!
Loving the live stream ideas