sign in sign up
<<
Home , Marcello Giordani, Marco Armiliato, Roberto Alagna, Thomas Hampson

National CineMedia and The Metropolitan Renew Agreement to Bring Acclaimed Live Opera Series to More Than 440 Theatres Across the United States

The : Live in HD Kicks Off its Return to Theatres Nationwide for its Third Season with the Met’s Opening Night Gala, starring Renée Fleming

2008-09 Met: Live in HD Series Season Tickets on Sale Friday, Aug. 22 nd

Centennial, Colo. (Aug. 20, 2008) – National CineMedia (NCM) LLC, operator of the largest digital in-theatre network in North America for cinema advertising and alternative entertainment and events, and the Metropolitan Opera are proudly partnering to bring a third season of the critically-acclaimed The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD series transmitted live, in high-definition, to more than 440 movie theatres and performing arts centers in the United States. Based on overwhelming consumer demand, the series will now reach new markets and theatres throughout the United States in a 30 percent theatre expansion over last season.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public in the United States beginning Friday, August 22 nd . Visit www.FathomEvents.com to learn more and purchase tickets. Ticket prices vary by location.

The 2008-09 season of The Met: Live in HD will be the biggest yet, expanding from eight to 11 live high-definition opera transmissions. Kicking off the season on September 22nd and celebrating the 125 th anniversary of the Met will be the never-before-seen, big-screen Opening Night Gala celebration starring soprano Renée Fleming in fully staged performances of scenes from Verdi’s (Act II), Massenet’s (Act III), and the final scene from ’s Capriccio . The new series will also feature live transmissions of five new productions, including one Met premiere. Each live performance, with the exception of the Opening Night Gala, will be followed by an evening encore presentation the second Wednesday after the live performance. For information on advance tickets and Met Opera membership, visit www.metopera.org/hd .

Through this agreement, NCM Fathom, the alternative entertainment division of National CineMedia, will present The Met: Live in HD series in more than 440 locations via NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North America’s largest cinema broadcast network. Participating theatres include AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Georgia Theatre Company, Goodrich Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, Malco Theatres, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements and Regal Entertainment Group movie theatres, as well as independent theatres including Arena Theatre, The Arlington Theatre, Baltimore Opera Company – Lyric Opera House, Ocean Reef Cultural Center, Penn Cinema, Rose Theatre, The Society of the Four Arts Theatre, Strand Theatre, State Theatre (State College, PA) and the State Theatre (Traverse City, MI).

“The audience for opera is growing with each new movie theatre that joins our network,” said Met General Manager Peter Gelb . “Our expanded lineup of 11 live high-definition transmissions will bring many of the highlights of our Met season to the nation’s opera lovers.”

The Met: Live in HD series has captured international headlines as well as critical and popular acclaim for the in-theatre opera events. Reaching more than 900,000 fans around the world last season through live and encore presentations, the series offers opera fans exclusive behind-the-scenes features, live interviews with cast and crew, insightful short documentaries, and bird’s-eye views of the productions, offering an unprecedented look at what goes into the staging of at one of the most famous opera companies in the world.

“We are excited to bring a third season of live and encore opera performances to hundreds of communities though our exclusive U.S. partnership with the Met,” said Shelly Maxwell, NCM’s senior vice president of program development and business operations. “ The Met: Live in HD series has been a tremendous success and has developed a loyal fan base of opera lovers – young and old – in movie theatres around the country. We look forward to another thrilling season. ”

The 2008-09 planned schedule* for Metropolitan Opera: Live in High Definition is as follows:

Monday, September 22, 2008 OPENING NIGHT GALA – Starring Renée Fleming in fully staged performances of scenes from three different operas: Verdi’s La Traviata (Act II), Massenet’s Manon (Act III), and the final scene from Richard Strauss’s Capriccio . Ramón Vargas and and Dwayne Croft co-star. Met Music Director and Marco Armiliato conduct.

Saturday, October 11, 2008 SALOME – Starring soprano with Juha Uusitalo . Mikko Franck conducts.

Wednesday, October 22 – 7:00 p.m. local time Encore presentation of SALOME (Available in select theatres only.)

Saturday, November 8, 2008 DOCTOR ATOMIC – Directed by Penny Woolcock and starring Gerald Finley and Sasha Cooke , with Eric Owens and Richard Paul Fink . conducts. NEW PRODUCTION/MET PREMIERE

Wednesday, November 19 – 7:00 p.m. local time Encore presentation of DOCTOR ATOMIC (Available in select theatres only.)

Saturday, November 22, 2008 LA DAMNATION DE – Directed by Robert Lepage and starring , with and John Relyea . James Levine conducts. NEW PRODUCTION

Wednesday, December 3 – 7:00 p.m. local time Encore presentation of LA DAMNATION DE FAUST (Available in select theatres only.)

Saturday, December 20, 2008 THAÏS – Renée Fleming stars in the title role of Massenet’s Thaïs , with Thomas Hampson in John Cox ’s production. Jesús LópezCobos conducts. NEW PRODUCTION

Wednesday, January 7 – 7:00 p.m. local time Encore presentation of THAÏS (Available in select theatres only.)

Saturday, January 10, 2009 – Nicolas Joël directs Puccini’s La Rondine , starring and . Marco Armiliato conducts. NEW PRODUCTION

Wednesday, January 21 – 7:00 p.m. local time Encore presentation of LA RONDINE (Available in select theatres only.)

Saturday, January 24, 2009 – Stephanie Blythe and Danielle de Niese star in Mark Morris ’s production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice . James Levine conducts.

Wednesday, February 4 – 7:00 p.m. local time Encore presentation of ORFEO ED EURIDICE (Available in select theatres only.)

Saturday, February 7, 2009 – and Rolando Villazón star in Mary Zimmerman ’s acclaimed production of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor . Marco Armiliato conducts.

Wednesday, February 18 – 7:00 p.m. local time Encore presentation of LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR (Available in select theatres only.)

Saturday, March 7, 2009 – Cristina GallardoDomâs sings the title role of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly in Anthony Minghella ’s stunning production. Marcello Giordani stars as Pinkerton. Patrick Summers conducts.

Wednesday, March 18 – 7:00 p.m. local time Encore presentation of MADAMA BUTTERFLY (Available in select theatres only.)

Saturday, March 21, 2009 LA SONNAMBULA – and Juan Diego Flórez star in Mary Zimmerman’s new production of Bellini’s La Sonnambula , conducted by Evelino Pidò . NEW PRODUCTION

Wednesday, April 1 – 7:00 p.m. local time Encore presentation of LA SONNAMBULA (Available in select theatres only.)

Saturday, May 9, 2009 LA CENERENTOLA – Elīna Garanča stars in Rossini’s bel canto Cinderella story, La Cenerentola . Lawrence Brownlee stars as her Prince Charming, Don Ramiro. Maurizio Benini conducts.

Wednesday, May 20 – 7:00 p.m. local time Encore presentation of LA CENERENTOLA (Available in select theatres only.)

*Programs and casting subject to change. For more details on the operas, please visit the Met’s web site at www.metopera.org/hd

About National CineMedia NCM LLC operates the largest digital in-theatre network in North America through long-term agreements with its founding members, AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark USA Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), the three largest theatre operators in the U.S., and through multi-year agreements with several other theatre operators. NCM LLC produces and distributes its FirstLook pre feature program; cinema and lobby advertising products; comprehensive meeting and event services and other entertainment programming content. NCM LLC's national network includes over 17,000 screens of which approximately 14,700 are part of the company's Digital Content Network (DCN). NCM LLC's network covers 176 Designated Market Areas(R) (49 of the top 50). During 2007, approximately 685 million patrons attended movies shown in theatres currently included in the network (excluding Consolidated Theatres and Star Theatres). National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 42.3% interest in and is the managing member of NCM LLC. For additional information, visit www.ncm.com or www.FathomEvents.com .

About the Met Under the leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb and Music Director James Levine, the Met has a series of bold initiatives underway that are designed to broaden its audience and revitalize the company’s repertory. The Met has made a commitment to presenting modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, with highly theatrical productions featuring the greatest opera stars in the world. The Metropolitan Opera’s 2008-09 season, the company’s 125 th anniversary, features six new productions (including one Met premiere), 18 revivals, Wagner’s Ring cycle, and two gala celebrations.

Building on its 77-year-old radio broadcast history – heard over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network – the company introduced its Live in HD series in 2006. In the 2007-08 season, the series reached an audience of over 920,000, more than the number of people who saw performances in the opera house. These performances began airing on PBS in March 2008, and eight of these HD performances are currently or will soon be available on DVD, on the EMI and Universal labels. In the 2008-09 season, the series expands to feature 11 live transmissions, starting with the Met’s Opening Night Gala starring Renée Fleming and spanning the entire season. The HD productions will be seen in over 850 theaters in approximately 30 countries around the world. Five new productions will be featured, including the Met premiere of ’s Doctor Atomic . The Opening Night transmission will be seen in the Americas only; the remaining ten high-definition productions will be shown live worldwide on Saturdays through May 9 with encores the following Wednesdays. Live in HD in Schools , the Met’s new program offering free opera transmissions to schools in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and the Metropolitan Opera Guild, reached more than 7,500 public school students and teachers with its free transmissions during the 2007-08 season. This season, HD in Schools expands with a national pilot program that will reach schools in 18 cities and communities.

Other media offerings include Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS, channel 78, a subscription-based audio service broadcasting both live and rare recorded historical performances; Met on Rhapsody , which offers on-demand audio recordings; and free live audio streaming of performances on the Met’s website, with support from RealNetworks®.

The Met also commissions new work in partnership with New York’s Theater (LCT) and new operas from contemporary composers, as well as presenting modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory.

The Met’s audience development and programming initiatives include: the company’s free Open House Dress Rehearsals and a free performance the Verdi on September 1 (in tribute to the late ); the creation of the Arnold and Marie Schwartz Gallery Met, which exhibits contemporary visual art; the Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Rush Ticket program; and an annual Holiday Series presentation for families (Julie Taymor’s production of Mozart’s in an abridged, English-language version).

# # #

Press/Media Only, Contact: Michelle Portillo / Lauren Leff National CineMedia (303)792-8651 / (303) 957-1709 [email protected] / [email protected]

Lee Abrahamian Metropolitan Opera (212) 799-3100 x.2724 [email protected]