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October 26, 2009 |
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SULLIVAN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO BROADCAST THE 2009-2010 SEASON OF THE MET: LIVE IN HD |
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SULLIVAN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO BROADCAST
THE 2009-2010 SEASON OF THE MET: LIVE IN HD
LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY (October 26, 2009) – Opera lovers will once again be able to experience live high-definition transmissions of The Metropolitan Opera’s Peabody and Emmy Award-winning series The Met: Live in HD at Sullivan County Community College (SCCC).
All broadcasts for the 2009-2010 season will be held on Saturdays at 1 p.m. in the Seelig Theatre. Informal discussion groups, with refreshments provided courtesy of the college’s hospitality department and office of campus activities, will be held in the DeHoyos Gallery outside of the theatre one hour prior to each performance.
Tickets are $20 general admission and $10 for students. For more information and to purchase tickets, as well as to make arrangements for accessible seating services, call the campus activities office weekdays from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at 845-434-5750, ext. 4303. Tickets also will be available at the door.
Following is a schedule of upcoming The Met: Live in HD performances at SCCC:
• Turnadot, Giacomo Puccini, November 7: This breath-taking production of Puccini’s last opera stars Maria Guleghina as the ruthless Chinese princess whose hatred of men is so strong that she has all suitors who can’t solve her riddles beheaded.
• Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Jacques Offenbach, December 19: This fictionalized take on the life and loves of German Romantic writer E.T.A. Offenbach is a fascinating and psychological journey starring Joseph Calleja in the tour-de-force title role.
• Der Rosenkavalier, Richard Strauss, January 9: Strauss’ comic masterpiece of love and intrigue in 18th century Vienna stars Renée Fleming as the aristocratic Marschallin and Susan Graham in the trouser role of her young lover.
• Carmen, Georges Bizet, January 16: Elina Garanca sings the seductive gypsy of the title for the first time at the Met, opposite Roberto Alagna as the obsessed Don José, in one of the most popular operas of all time.
• Simon Boccanegra, Giuseppe Verdi, February 6: Four decades into a legendary Met career, tenor Plácido Domingo makes history singing the title role in Verdi’s gripping political thriller which is written for a baritone.
• Hamlet, Ambroise Thomas, March 27: The works of Shakespeare have inspired more operatic adaptations than any other writer’s. Simon Keenlyside and Natalie Dessay bring their extraordinary acting and singing skills to two of the Bard’s most unforgettable characters in this new production.
• Armida, Gioachino Rossini, May 1: This mythical story of a sorceress who enthralls men in her island prison has inspired operatic settings by a multitude of composers. Renée Fleming stars in the title role.
There are nine transmissions scheduled for the 2009-2010 season, including Puccini’s Tosca, which was broadcast on October 10, and Verdi’s Aida, which ran on October 24.
The Met: Live in HD series sold more than 1.8 million tickets during the 2008-09 season. Opera stars such as Natalie Dessay, Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Thomas Hampson and Deborah Voigt have served as hosts for the shows, conducting live interviews with cast and crew and introducing behind-the-scenes features. Altogether the worldwide HD audience is given an unprecedented look at what goes into the staging of an opera at one of the world’s great houses. Robotic cameras and state-of-the-art technology are used to capture the action, giving a bird’s-eye view and interesting perspectives on the productions. Leading directors returning for the 2009-10 Live in HD season are Gary Halvorson, Brian Large and Barbara Willis Sweete.
The Live in HD series was recently honored with a prestigious 2008 Peabody Award for its “vividly designed, smartly annotated productions of Hansel and Gretel, Dr. Atomic, Peter Grimes and other operas. The Met used state-of-the-art digital technology to reinvent presentation of a classic art form.” The Met won a special Emmy Award in January 2009 for “advancing technology through ongoing, live global transmission of high-definition programming to movie theaters.”
The Met: Live in HD series, produced in association with PBS and WNET.org, is seen on public television as part of Great Performances from the Met; a number of these performances also are seen on international television. The Met: Live in HD began airing on PBS in March 2008 and nine of these HD performances are now available on DVD. The most recent, The Magic Flute, was released by the Met and is available at the newly renovated Met Opera Shop in the opera house lobby. The 2009-10 season will see more releases of archival videos and audio recordings on the Met’s own label.
The Met: Live in HD series is made possible by a generous grant from the Neubauer Family Foundation. Bloomberg L.P. is the global corporate sponsor of The Met: Live in HD. The HD broadcasts are supported by Toll Brothers, America’s luxury home builder®.
Founded in 1962, SCCC is a two-year community college and a unit of the State University of New York. It offers 40 associate degree and certificate programs, as well as a variety of continuing education and specialty courses, on its 405-acre campus, online and through its distance learning program. For more information, visit the website at www.sunysullivan.edu.
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Editor’s Note: images of The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD performances are available upon request. |
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