Wagner’s Lohengrin returns to the Met stage after an absence of 17 years with this atmospheric new staging by François Girard. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts a cast led by tenor Piotr Beczała in the title role of the mysterious swan knight. Soprano Tamara Wilson is the virtuous duchess Elsa, falsely accused of murder, going head-to-head with soprano Christine Goerke as the cunning sorceress Ortrud. Bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin is Ortrud’s power-hungry husband, Telramund, and bass Günther Groissböck is King Heinrich.
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Lohengrin
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Fedora
Giordano’s exhilarating drama Fedora returns to the Met for the first time in 25 years, starring soprano Sonya Yoncheva in the title role of the 19th-century princess who falls in love with her fiancé’s murderer, Count Loris, sung by tenor Piotr Beczała. Soprano Rosa Feola is the Countess Olga, Fedora’s confidante, and baritone Artur Ruciński is the diplomat De Siriex. Marco Armiliato conducts David McVicar’s intricate production, with a fixed set that unfolds to reveal the opera’s settings: a palace in St. Petersburg, a fashionable Parisian salon, and a picturesque villa in the Swiss Alps.
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The Hours
The world-premiere staging of Kevin Puts’s The Hours, adapted from Michael Cunningham’s acclaimed novel, which also served as the inspiration for the Oscar-winning film, arrives in cinemas this December. In her highly anticipated return to the Met, soprano Renée Fleming joins soprano Kelli O’Hara and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato to portray three women from different eras who grapple with their inner demons and their roles in society. Phelim McDermott, who recently created the Met’s acclaimed production of Philip Glass’s Akhnaten, directs this compelling drama, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium to conduct Puts’s powerful score.
“The Hours contains themes of suicide. If you or someone you know is considering self-harm or suicide, help is available from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or visiting 988lifeline.org.”
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La Traviata
Soprano Nadine Sierra stars as the self-sacrificing courtesan Violetta—one of opera’s ultimate heroines—in Michael Mayer’s vibrant production of Verdi’s beloved tragedy. Tenor Stephen Costello is her self-centered lover Alfredo, alongside baritone Luca Salsi as his disapproving father and Maestro Daniele Callegari on the podium.
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Medea
Having triumphed at the Met in some of the repertory’s fiercest soprano roles, Sondra Radvanovsky stars as the mythic sorceress who will stop at nothing in her quest for vengeance. Joining Radvanovsky in the Met-premiere production of Cherubini’s rarely performed masterpiece is tenor Matthew Polenzani as Medea’s Argonaut husband, Giasone; soprano Janai Brugger as her rival for his love, Glauce; bass Michele Pertusi as her father, Creonte, the King of Corinth; and mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova as Medea’s confidante, Neris.
***Please note it is also HOMECOMING on campus this day – please plan to arrive early to secure parking and let the gate attendants know that you are on campus to see the opera. ***
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Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn
Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, “the king and queen of the banjo” (Paste Magazine), have a musical partnership like no other. Béla Fleck is a fifteen-time Grammy Award winner who has taken the instrument across multiple genres, and Abigail Washburn a singer-songwriter and clawhammer banjo player who re-radicalized it by combining it with Far East culture and sounds. The two met at a square dance, began collaborating musically and eventually fell in love. Over the years, they played together most visibly in the Sparrow Quartet alongside Ben Sollee and Casey Driessen and informally at a pickin’ party here, a benefit there, or occasionally popping up in each other’s solo shows. Fans of tradition-tweaking acoustic fare eagerly anticipated that Béla & Abigail would begin making music together as a duo.
Fleck has the virtuosic, jazz-to-classical ingenuity of an iconic instrumentalist and composer with bluegrass roots. His collaborations range from his ground-breaking standard-setting ensemble Béla Fleck and the Flecktones to a staggeringly broad array of musical experiments. From writing concertos for full symphony orchestra, exploring the banjo’s African roots, to jazz duos with Chick Corea, many tout that Béla Fleck is the world’s premier banjo player. Washburn has the earthy sophistication of a postmodern, old-time singer-songwriter who has drawn critical acclaim for her solo albums. She has done fascinating work in folk musical diplomacy in China, presented an original theatrical production, and has contributed to singular side groups Uncle Earl and The Wu-Force. In addition to being named a TED Fellow in 2012, Abigail was recently named the first US-China Fellow at Vanderbilt University, in addition to Carolina Performing Arts/Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s DisTil Fellow for 2018-2020
On stage, Fleck & Washburn will perform pieces from their Grammy-winning self-titled debut as well as their new record, Echo in the Valley (Rounder 2017). With one eye on using the banjo to showcase America’s rich heritage and the other pulling the noble instrument from its most familiar arena into new and unique realms, Bela & Abigail meet in the mean, head-on, to present music that feels wildly innovative and familiar at the same time. Whether at home, on stage or on record, their deep bond, combined with the way their distinct musical personalities and banjo styles interact, makes theirs a picking partnership unlike any other on the planet.
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Roots of Rock ’n’ Roll, Part II
Class Schedule: Thursdays – Dec. 1, Dec. 8 & Dec. 15 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
When the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame nominations occur every year, the debate resumes: just what is rock? Instead of drawing from one genre, rock ’n’ roll draws from several, all combining to create a sumptuous gumbo that rapidly captured the world’s imagination.
Part two of the Roots of Rock ’n’ Roll course – a three-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole – continues exploring the foundations of the genre, this time exploring country, folk, and skiffle. How these art forms influenced both American and British artists will be studied in terms of instrumentation, singing style, and composition. In addition to multimedia presentations, class discussion and activities will enable attendees to identify the essential elements of rock.
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.
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Roots of Rock ’n’ Roll, Part II
Class Schedule: Thursdays – Dec. 1, Dec. 8 & Dec. 15 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
When the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame nominations occur every year, the debate resumes: just what is rock? Instead of drawing from one genre, rock ’n’ roll draws from several, all combining to create a sumptuous gumbo that rapidly captured the world’s imagination.
Part two of the Roots of Rock ’n’ Roll course – a three-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole – continues exploring the foundations of the genre, this time exploring country, folk, and skiffle. How these art forms influenced both American and British artists will be studied in terms of instrumentation, singing style, and composition. In addition to multimedia presentations, class discussion and activities will enable attendees to identify the essential elements of rock.
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.
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Roots of Rock ’n’ Roll, Part II
Class Schedule: Thursdays – Dec. 1, Dec. 8 & Dec. 15 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
When the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame nominations occur every year, the debate resumes: just what is rock? Instead of drawing from one genre, rock ’n’ roll draws from several, all combining to create a sumptuous gumbo that rapidly captured the world’s imagination.
Part two of the Roots of Rock ’n’ Roll course – a three-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole – continues exploring the foundations of the genre, this time exploring country, folk, and skiffle. How these art forms influenced both American and British artists will be studied in terms of instrumentation, singing style, and composition. In addition to multimedia presentations, class discussion and activities will enable attendees to identify the essential elements of rock.
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.
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Writing Memoir
Class Schedule: Thursdays – Oct. 27, Nov. 3 & Nov. 10 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
This three-session virtual course provides attendees with an introduction to basic modes for telling the stories of their lives. Working in a supportive workshop setting, students will enjoy engaging, wide-ranging discussion about the joys and challenges of bringing their memories to life. Instructor: Mike Farragher, Monmouth University alumnus and author of numerous works of fiction and memoir.
Whether you have dreams of being a bestselling author or you’re committed to creating your life story as an heirloom for future generations of your family, memoir writing can be a rewarding endeavor to help make sense of your life journey.If you’ve ever said aloud, “I should write a book someday,” but didn’t know where to begin, this course will get you on the road to fulfilling that creative dream.
This course will explore how to get started, tools to overcome lack of confidence and overwhelm, provide creative writing prompts, and instill a disciplined process essential for success that has produced proven results for unknown and known authors alike.
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.