Meet the Music Staff of the Metropolitan Opera
Contents
Get to know the music staff of the Metropolitan Opera, one of the world’s most prestigious opera companies!
Introduction
The Metropolitan Opera is a world-renowned opera company based in New York City. The company employs over 600 music staff members, including vocal coaches, accompanists, librarians, and more. In this article, we’ll introduce you to some of the music staff who work behind the scenes to make the Metropolitan Opera one of the best in the world.
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Yannick Nézet-Séguin was appointed the Metropolitan Opera’s Music Director in 2020, becoming the first person of color to hold this position. He made his Met debut in 2009 conducting Verdi’s Il Trovatore, and has since conducted sixteen productions with the company. He is also currently the Music Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montreal. In 2019, he was named a Commandeur de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
Principal Guest Conductor Pablo Heras-Casado
Pablo Heras-Casado is currently the Principal Guest Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera. He has conducted some of the most iconic operas in the world, such as Carmen, Don Giovanni, and La Bohème. He has also worked with some of the most prestigious opera companies, including the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, and Bayerische Staatsoper.
Principal Guest Conductor Susanna Mälkki
Susanna Mälkki has been the Principal Guest Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera since the 2017-18 season. She made her Met debut in 2013, leading a new production of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. She returned later that season to conduct John Adams’s The Death of Klinghoffer. In the 2014-15 season, she conducted the world premiere of Hans Werner Henze’s Gisela!, as well as new productions of Kaija Saariaho’s L’amour de loin and Adams’s Nixon in China.
Mälkki is one of the most sought-after conductors of her generation. She has led performances with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Music Director Emeritus James Levine
Levine joined the Met as Music Director in 1976, and his more than four-decade tenure is the longest in the history of the company. He has conducted more than 2,500 performances of 96 different operas, and his health issues in recent years have been well-publicized. In 2016, he was fired from the Met after an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations dating back to the 1960s.
Conclusion
The Metropolitan Opera is one of the world’s most prestigious operatic institutions, and its music staff is a big part of what makes it so successful. With a team of highly skilled musicians, the Met is able to present some of the best opera performances in the world. If you’re ever lucky enough to see a performance at the Met, you’ll be able to appreciate the hard work and talent of the music staff.
