“The Met: Live In HD” 2013-14 Season Opens With “Eugene Onegin” In U.S. Cinemas On Oct. 5

The Metropolitan Opera and NCM Fathom Events Present Eighth Season of the Award-Winning Series in U.S. Cinemas Nationwide with 10 Live Performances, Including Four New Productions

Tickets on Sale Now

Centennial, Colo. – Aug. 21, 2013 – The Metropolitan Opera and NCM Fathom Events present the eighth season of the Emmy® and Peabody award-winning “The Met: Live in HD” series in cinemas beginning Oct. 5 with Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin.” The series will feature 10 live performances, including four new productions and the highly- anticipated return of Met Music Director James Levine for “Falstaff” this December and “Così fan tutte” next spring. Each live performance, broadcast through National CineMedia’s (NCM) exclusive Digital Broadcast Network, will take place on a Saturday, with pre-recorded encore presentations taking place the Wednesday evening after each live performance.

Tickets are available at participating cinema box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of cinema locations and schedule, please visit the website (cinemas and participants are subject to change). Ticket prices vary by location.

“We are pleased to once again bring an exciting mix of operas, including such popular favorites as ‘Tosca’ and ‘La Bohème,’ to opera fans across the nation and around the world,” said Peter Gelb, the Met’s General Manager. “This season also marks the highly- anticipated return of our Music Director, James Levine, who will conduct two of the season’s HD transmissions, which should delight opera fans across the globe.”

“The Met: Live in HD” 2013-2014 season will be broadcast across 169 U.S. markets and more than 650 select cinemas (the series is also shown in 100 additional independent venues nationwide). The series will premiere with a new production of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” starring Anna Netrebko, Mariusz Kwiecien and Piotr Beczala, followed by William Kentridge’s innovative production of Shostakovich’s “The Nose” (Oct. 26); Puccini’s classic drama “Tosca” (Nov. 9) and a new production of Verdi’s “Falstaff” (Dec. 14). The series kicks off the new year with Renée Fleming in one of her signature roles, the title character in Dvořák’s “Rusalka” (Feb. 8); followed by a new production of Borodin’s rarely heard epic “Prince Igor” (March 1); Jonas Kaufmann and Elīna Garanča in a new staging by Richard Eyre of Massenet’s tragic romance “Werther” (March 15); Puccini’s timeless love story “La Bohème” (April 5); the first Live in HD performance of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” (April 26); and Rossini’s Cinderella story “La Cenerentola” (May 10) concludes the season.

Met opera stars serve as hosts for the HD series, conducting live interviews with cast and crew members as well as production teams. They introduce the popular behind-the- scenes features during intermission, giving the audience an unprecedented look at what goes into the staging of an opera at one of the world’s great houses.

“Entering its eighth season in movie theaters, the Metropolitan Opera continues to offer the world’s most beloved performances to audiences at Lincoln Center and cinemas nationwide through our award-winning The Met: Live in HD series,” said Shelly Maxwell, executive vice president of NCM Fathom Events. “Together with the Met, Fathom Events continues to make the opera experience accessible and affordable to fans of all ages so they may sample the best of the Met’s new season in the comfort of their local movie theater.”

“The Met: Live in HD” is shown in more than 1,900 cinemas in 64 countries, making the Met the only arts institution with an ongoing global art series of this scale. “The Met: Live in HD” series is made possible by a generous grant from The Neubauer Family Foundation. Global corporate sponsorship of “The Met: Live in HD” is provided by Bloomberg.

The 2013-14 “The Met: Live in HD” series planned schedule** is as follows:

Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013 – 12:55 p.m. Eastern / 9:55 a.m. Pacific EUGENE ONEGIN (Tchaikovsky) Anna Netrebko and Mariusz Kwiecien star as the lovestruck Tatiana and the imperious Onegin in Tchaikovsky’s fateful romance. Deborah Warner’s new production, set in the late 19th century, captures the splendor and passion of Tchaikovsky’s opera, with a powerful snowstorm providing the dramatic setting for the finale. Piotr Beczala is Lenski, Onegin’s friend turned rival. Russian maestro Valery Gergiev conducts.

Wednesday, Oct. 9 – 6:30 p.m. local time Encore presentation of EUGENE ONEGIN (Available in select cinemas only)

Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013 – 12:55 p.m. Eastern / 9:55 a.m. Pacific THE NOSE (Shostakovich) William Kentridge stormed the Met with his inventive production of Shostakovich’s opera, which dazzled opera and art lovers alike in its inaugural run in 2010. Now Paulo Szot reprises his acclaimed performance of a bureaucrat, whose satirical misadventures in search of his missing nose are based on Gogol’s comic story. Valery Gergiev conducts.

Wednesday, Oct. 30 – 6:30 p.m. local time Encore presentation of THE NOSE (Available in select cinemas only)

Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013 – 12:55 p.m. Eastern / 9:55 a.m. Paciifc TOSCA (Puccini) Puccini’s timeless verismo score is well served by an exceptional cast, led by Patricia Racette in the title role of the jealous diva, opposite Roberto Alagna as her lover, Cavaradossi. George Gagnidze is the villainous Scarpia.

Wednesday, Nov. 13 – 6:30 p.m. local time Encore presentation of TOSCA (Available in select cinemas only)

Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013 – 12:55 p.m. Eastern / 9:55 a.m. Pacific FALSTAFF (Verdi) An undisputed master of Falstaff, Music Director James Levine conducts Verdi’s opera for the first time at the Met since 2005. Robert Carsen’s production—the first new Met Falstaff since 1964—is set in the English countryside in the mid-20th century. Ambrogio Maestri (last season’s Dulcamara in the Opening Night production of “L’Elisir d’Amore”) sings the title role of the blustery Sir John Falstaff, opposite a marvelous ensemble that includes Angela Meade, Stephanie Blythe, Lisette Oropesa and Franco Vassallo.

Wednesday, Dec. 18 – 6:30 p.m. local time Encore presentation of FALSTAFF (Available in select cinemas only)

Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014 – 12:55 p.m. Eastern / 9:55 a.m. Pacific RUSALKA (Dvořák) The great Renée Fleming returns to one of her signature roles, singing the enchanting “Song to the Moon” in Dvořák’s soulful fairy-tale opera. Tenor Piotr Beczala co-stars as the Prince, Dolora Zajick is Ježibaba and the dynamic young maestro Yannick Nézet- Séguin is on the podium.

Wednesday, Feb. 12 – 6:30 p.m. local time Encore presentation of RUSALKA (Available in select cinemas only)

Saturday, March 1, 2014 – Noon Eastern / 9:00 a.m. Pacific PRINCE IGOR (Borodin) Borodin’s defining Russian epic, famous for its Polovtsian Dances, comes to the Met for the first time in nearly 100 years. Dmitri Tcherniakov’s new production is a brilliant psychological journey through the mind of its conflicted hero, with the founding of the Russian nation as the backdrop. Star bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov takes on the monumental title role, with Gianandrea Noseda conducting.

Wednesday, March 5 – 6:30 p.m. local time Encore presentation of PRINCE IGO (Available in select cinemas only)

Saturday, March 15, 2014 – 12:55 p.m. Eastern / 9:55 a.m. Pacific WERTHER (Massenet) Two of opera’s greatest artists—Jonas Kaufmann and Elīna Garanča—appear together for the first time at the Met in Massenet’s sublime adaptation of Goethe’s revolutionary and tragic romance. It is directed and designed by Richard Eyre and Rob Howell, the same team that created the Met’s recent hit production of “Carmen.” Alain Altinoglu conducts.

Wednesday, March 19 – 6:30 p.m. local time Encore presentation of WERTHER (Available in select cinemas only)

Saturday, April 5, 2014 – 12:55 p.m. Eastern / 9:55 a.m. Pacific LA BOHÈME (Puccini) Puccini’s moving story of young love is the most performed opera in Met history—and with good reason. Anita Hartig stars as the frail Mimì in Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production, with Vittorio Grigolo as her passionate lover, Rodolfo, Susanna Phillips as Musetta and Massimo Cavalletti as Marcello.

Wednesday, April 9 – 6:30 p.m. local time Encore presentation of LA BOHÈME (Available in select cinemas only)

Saturday, April 26, 2014 – 12:55 p.m. Eastern / 9:55 a.m. Pacific COSÌ FAN TUTTE (Mozart) Music Director James Levine conducts Mozart’s beloved opera about testing the ties of love. The cast is filled with youthful Met stars: Susanna Phillips and Isabel Leonard are the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, Matthew Polenzani and Rodion Pogossov are their lovers, with Danielle de Niese as the clever Despina and Maurizio Muraro as the cynical Don Alfonso.

Wednesday, April 30 – 6:30 p.m. local time Encore presentation of COSÌ FAN TUTTE (Available in select cinemas only)

Saturday, May 10, 2014 – 12:55 p.m. Eastern / 9:55 a.m. Pacific LA CENERENTOLA (Rossini) A peerless pair of Rossini virtuosos joins forces in “La Cenerentola”—a vocal tour de force for mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, singing her first Met performances of the Cinderella title role, and the high-flying tenor Juan Diego Flórez, as her Prince Charming. Alessandro Corbelli as Cenerentola’s stepfather Don Magnifico, and Luca Pisaroni as Don Ramiro’s tutor, Alidoro, with Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leading the effervescent score.

Wednesday, May 14 – 6:30 p.m. local time Encore presentation of LA CENERENTOLA (Available in select cinemas only)

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

About National CineMedia (NCM) National CineMedia (NCM) operates NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile technology. The NCM Cinema Network and NCM Fathom Events present cinema advertising and events across the nation’s largest digital in-theater network, comprised of theaters owned by AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) and other leading regional theater circuits. NCM’s theater advertising network covers 183 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50) and includes approximately 19,600 screens (approximately 18,800 digital). During 2012, over 710 million patrons attended movies shown in theaters in which NCM currently has exclusive, cinema advertising agreements in place. The NCM Fathom Events live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is comprised of approximately 750 locations in 173 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the top 50). The NCM Interactive Network offers 360-degree integrated marketing opportunities in combination with cinema, encompassing 37 entertainment-related websites, online widgets and mobile applications. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 45.1% interest in and is the managing member of National CineMedia LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com or www.FathomEvents.com. (NCMI-E)

About the Metropolitan Opera 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. For more information about the Metropolitan Opera, please visit www.metopera.org.

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Press/Media Only, Contact: Michelle Portillo NCM Fathom Events (303)792-8651 [email protected]

Lee Abrahamian/Eva Chien Metropolitan Opera (212) 870-7457 [email protected]/[email protected]