The Metropolitan Opera Announces the Return of Summer Recital Series and Summer HD Festival

By: Apr. 22, 2013
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The Metropolitan Opera announced the return of its two popular series of free summer events, the Summer Recital Series and the Summer HD Festival. For the fifth consecutive year, the Met will present operatic recitals in parks in all five boroughs, as well as a ten-day outdoor festival of encore screenings from the Met's popular HD transmissions.

The Met's 2013 Summer Recital Series, presented in collaboration with City Parks Foundation, will feature six free concerts beginning July 16 and concluding August 1. The series begins on Tuesday, July 16 at Central Park SummerStage with an 8:00 pm recital featuring three Met stars: soprano Erin Morley, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, and tenor Stephen Costello, joined by pianist Bradley Moore. The same four artists will perform on Friday, July 19 at 7:00 p.m. in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1 (Brooklyn).

Four additional recitals, starring soprano Ying Fang, tenor Mario Chang, and bass-baritone Brandon Cedel, again joined by Moore, will take place according to this schedule: Tuesday, July 23 at 7 p.m. in Crotona Park (The Bronx); Thursday, July 25 at 7 p.m. in Clove Lakes Park (Staten Island); Tuesday, July 30 at 7 p.m. in Jackie Robinson Park (Manhattan); and Thursday, August 1 at 7 p.m. in Socrates Sculpture Park (Queens). No tickets are required for any of the performances; a complete schedule is below.

The popular Summer HD Festival, which projects encore screenings from the Met's Grammy, Peabody, and Emmy Award-winning Live in HD series on a large screen in Lincoln Center Plaza, returns August 24. The festival, which will once again offer ten consecutive nights of free screenings, runs through September 2. Titles and starting times for the screenings will be announced at a later date. More than 3,100 seats will be available each night, plus space for overflow crowds on the plaza.

"Our free summer events have become a popular fixture for New Yorkers and tourists alike," said Met General Manager Peter Gelb. "Where else on a summer evening, but on the façade of the Met, can you see and hear larger-than-life versions of our greatest stars for free?"

The Summer HD Festival is made possible by the Ford Foundation. The Met: Live in HD series is made possible by a generous grant from its founding sponsor, The Neubauer Family Foundation. Global corporate sponsorship of The Met: Live in HD is provided by Bloomberg. The Met: Live in HD is produced in association with WNET and PBS.

About The Met's Summer Recital Series

The Met's Summer Recital Series will feature arias and duets from a variety of operas, along with selections from the American Songbook. The 8:00 pm Central Park SummerStage recital on July 16 is approximately two hours long, and the 7:00 pm Brooklyn Bridge Park recital on July 19 will run approximately ninety minutes. All subsequent recitals in the series-held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from July 23 through August 1-will begin at 7:00 pm and run approximately one hour. There are no rain dates for any of the park recitals.

"The Met's Summer Recital series is an integral part of the SummerStage season and provides our audiences the chance to see some of the world's most celebrated voices, all in a beautiful outdoor setting," said Alison Tocci, President of City Parks Foundation.

The Met's Summer Recital Series is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Commissioner Kate D. Levin, in partnership with the City Council, and in collaboration with the Department of Parks and Recreation, Commissioner Veronica White. Funding has also been provided by The Elizabeth B. McGraw Foundation, in honor of Mrs. McGraw, and the RoBert Wood Johnson, Jr. Charitable Trust's Met Parks Concert Fund.

"The Metropolitan Opera's annual outdoor summer recital series is one of New York City's most beloved summertime traditions," said NYC Parks Commissioner Veronica White. "Special thanks to the Met and City Parks Foundation for bringing free world-class performances to neighborhood parks in all five boroughs."



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