The Met: Live in HD Kicks Off 10/10 With a New Production of Puccini's TOSCA

Tickets for the fourth season of The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's popular, award-winning series of live transmissions in movie theaters around the world, are now on sale to the general public in the U.S. The 2009-10 season, featuring nine live opera transmissions, kicks off on Saturday, October 10 at 1:00 p.m. ET with a new production of Puccini's Tosca starring Karita Mattila. The production, directed by Luc Bondy in his house debut and conducted by Met Music Director James Levine, features Marcelo Álvarez and Juha Uusitalo in the other leading roles.

More than 900 theaters in 42 countries around the world are participating in The Met: Live in HD this season. A record number of more than 1.8 million Live in HD tickets were sold last season.

Four other new productions are featured in the series, including Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann starring Joseph Calleja in the title role, with Anna Netrebko and Alan Held; Bizet's Carmen starring El?na Garan?a and Roberto Alagna; Natalie Dessay and Simon Keenlyside in Thomas's Hamlet; and Rossini's Armida starring Renée Fleming. The HD season also includes Verdi's Aida with Violeta Urmana, Dolora Zajick, and Johan Botha; Maria Guleghina and Marcello Giordani in Puccini's Turandot; Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier with Fleming and Susan Graham; and Verdi's Simon Boccanegra starring Plácido Domingo, singing the title role for the first time at the Met. James Levine leads four of the HD transmissions. Complete casting and details of the season's Live in HD performances follows below.

All nine high-definition productions will be shown live worldwide on Saturdays through May 1 with most encore presentations in the United States shown on Wednesdays, 18 days after the live exhibition. Ticket sales to the general public began on Tuesday, September 8, online and at the box office of participating theaters in the U.S. and the Atlantic provinces of Canada. Ticket sales for the rest of Canada started on Friday, September 4. For complete information on locations and tickets, visit www.metopera.org/hdlive or call 1-800-Met-Opera (1-800-638-6737).

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®.

The Met: Live in HD has expanded its distribution in the 2009-10 season to include 42 countries. New countries joining the Live in HD network this season include Bulgaria, Chile, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, and Uruguay. The Met: Live in HD returns in the following locations: Argentina (Fundacion Beethoven), Australia (presented by Sharmill Films), Austria (presented by ClasArt), Belgium (Kinepolis), Brazil (Movie MBZ), Colombia (Cine Colombia), Costa Rica (Centro Cultural), Croatia (presented by Aero Films), the Czech Republic (presented by Aero Films), Denmark (Nordisk Film Biografer); Estonia (Forum Cinemas), Finland (Finnkino), France (presented by CielEcran), Germany (presented by ClasArt), Hungary (presented by Aero Films), Iceland (Sam Films), Ireland (presented by Opera Ireland), Japan (Shochiku), Latvia (Forum Cinemas), Luxembourg (Utopia), Mexico (Auditorio Nacional), the Netherlands (Pathé, CineMec Ede, and Foroxity Film Arena), New Zealand (Rialto Distribution), Norway (Bergen Kino, Oslo Kino and Tromsø Film Festival), Peru (Radio Filharmonia), Poland (Arthur Rubenstein Philharmonic and Aero Films), Romania (presented by Aero Films), Sweden (FHP Sweden), Switzerland (CielEcran), South Africa (Ster Kinekor Theatres), the United Kingdom (City Screen/Picturehouse), and several UK independent movie theaters and performing arts organizations.

The Met's Live in HD series will reach more than 470 theaters in the U.S. through a renewed partnership with National CineMedia and its NCM Fathom alternative entertainment division. The series will be transmitted to select including transmissions in AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Cobb Theatres, Georgia Theatre Company, Goodrich Quality Theatres Inc., Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, Loeks Theatres, Malco Theatres, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements Inc., Regal Entertainment Group, and various independent movie theaters. Up to 100 theaters in Canada will participate through a renewed partnership with Cineplex Entertainment, with locations in Canada's Atlantic Provinces participating through a renewed partnership with Empire Theatres. Locations in Puerto Rico are made possible through Caribbean Cinemas.

Participating independent cinemas, performing arts organizations, and colleges in the U.S. include: The Lark Theater (Larkspur, CA); Arena Theatre (Point Arena, CA); Arlington Theatre (Santa Barbara, CA); Music Academy of the West (Santa Barbara, CA); Rialto Cinemas Lakeside (Santa Rosa, CA); Michael D. Palm Theater (Telluride, CO); Fairfield University (Fairfield, CT); RC Theatres Oceanwalk (Daytona Beach, FL); Quick Center for the Performing Arts, Society of the Four Arts (Palm Beach, FL); Cinemaworld Majestic (Vero Beach, FL); Douglass Theatre (Macon, GA); the Russel E. and Fern M. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, McKendree College (Lebanon, IL); the Browning Cinema, Marie P. DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts, University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN); The Cape Cinema Group (Dennis, MA); The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center (Great Barrington, MA); MemoriAl Hall Theater (Shelburne Falls, MA); Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (Wellfleet, MA); Lincoln Theater (Damariscotta, ME); The Grand (Ellsworth, ME); Strand Theater (Rockland, ME); State Theater (Traverse City, MI); Saint Louis Art Museum (St. Louis, MO); Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center at Hixon-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Lincoln, NE), Film Streams Inc. (Omaha, NE), Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH); Music Hall (Portsmouth, NH); Monmouth University (West Long Branch, NJ); The Lensic Performing Arts Center (Santa Fe, NM); Time and Space LTD (Hudson, NY); Brooklyn Academy Of Music's Rose Cinemas (Brooklyn, NY); Sullivan County Community College (Loch Sheldrake, NY); Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater (New York, NY); The Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam (Potsdam, NY); Staller Center for the Arts/SUNY Stonybrook (Stonybrook, NY), Oregon Coast Arts (Newport, OR); Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center, Mercyhurst College (Erie, PA); The Majestic Theater at Gettysburg College (Gettysburg, PA); Penn Cinema (Lititz, PA), RC Theatres Reading Movies and Imax (Reading, PA); State Theatre (State College, PA); The Paramount Theater (Charlottesville, VA), and The Rose Theater (Townsend, WA).

Joining the Live in HD theaters this season are: Rural Arts and Media Project (Mariposa, CA); Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (Old Saybrook, CT); Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center (Fryeburg, ME); Collins Center for the Arts, University of Maine (Orono, ME), Roxy Theater (Missoula, MT); Sunrise Theater (Southern Pines, NC); Capitol Center for the Arts (Concord, NH); Peterborough Players (Peterborough, NH); Ulster Performing Arts Center (Kingston, NY); Bardavon (Poughkeepsie, NY); Allentown Symphony (Allentown, PA); Catamount Film Company (St. Johnsbury, VT); and Lincoln Theatre (Mt. Vernon, WA).

The Met: Live in HD 2009-10 Season

Saturday, October 10, 2009 TOSCA (1:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. CDT / 11:00 a.m. MDT / 10:00 a.m. PDT/ 17:00 p.m. UTC / 18:00 p.m. BST / 19:00 CEST) - A new production of Puccini's Tosca by Luc Bondy in his house debut, starring Karita Mattila in her first performance of the title role outside her native Finland, and Marcelo Álvarez as Cavaradossi. Juha Uusitalo sings the role of Scarpia. James Levine conducts.

HD host: Susan Graham NEW PRODUCTION

Saturday, October 24, 2009 AIDA (1:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. CDT / 11:00 a.m. MDT / 10:00 a.m. PDT/ 17:00 p.m. UTC / 18:00 p.m. BST / 19:00 CEST) - Daniele Gatti returns for the first time in 14 years to conduct a cast of powerful voices in Verdi's Aida. Violeta Urmana sings the title role, while Dolora Zajick returns in one of her most acclaimed portrayals as the Egyptian princess Amneris. Johan Botha is Radamès and Carlo Guelfi sings Amonasro. HD host: Renee Fleming

Saturday, November 7, 2009 TURANDOT (1:00 p.m. EST / 12:00 p.m. CST / 11:00 a.m. MST / 10:00 a.m. PST/ 18:00 p.m. UTC / 19:00 CET) - Franco Zeffirelli's classic production of Puccini's Turandot features the Met role debuts of Maria Guleghina in the title role, Marcello Giordani as Calàf, Samuel Ramey as Timur, and Marina Poplavskaya as Liù. Conductor Andris Nelsons makes his Met debut.

Saturday, December 19, 2009 LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN (1:00 p.m. EST / 12:00 p.m. CST / 11:00 a.m. MST / 10:00 a.m. PST/ 18:00 p.m. UTC / 19:00 CET) - Bartlett Sher, whose staging of Rossini's IL Barbiere di Siviglia was a hit two seasons ago, returns to direct his second Met production: Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, conducted by James Levine. Joseph Calleja stars as Hoffmann, with Anna Netrebko as Antonia, Ekaterina Gubanova as Giulietta, Kate Lindsey as Nicklausse, Kathleen Kim as Olympia, and Alan Held as the four villains. NEW PRODUCTION

Saturday, January 9, 2009 DER ROSENKAVALIER (1:00 p.m. EST / 12:00 p.m. CST / 11:00 a.m. MST / 10:00 a.m. PST/ 18:00 p.m. UTC / 19:00 CET) - James Levine conducts a stellar cast led by Renée Fleming as the Marschallin and Susan Graham as Octavian. Eric Cutler is the Italian Singer, Kristinn Sigmundsson sings the role of Baron Ochs, and Christine Schäfer is Sophie. HD host: Plácido Domingo

Saturday, January 16, 2010 CARMEN (1:00 p.m. EST / 12:00 p.m. CST / 11:00 a.m. MST / 10:00 a.m. PST/ 18:00 p.m. UTC / 19:00 CET) - The new Carmen, starring El?na Garan?a, who sang the title role of La Cenerentola at the Met last spring to great acclaim, will also feature the debuts of director Richard Eyre and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Roberto Alagna is the soldier Don José, Barbara Frittoli is Micaëla, and Mariusz Kwiecien is the bullfighter Escamillo. HD host: Renée Fleming

NEW PRODUCTION

Saturday, February 6, 2010 SIMON BOCCANEGRA (1:00 p.m. EST / 12:00 p.m. CST / 11:00 a.m. MST / 10:00 a.m. PST/ 18:00 p.m. UTC / 19:00 CET) - Four decades into a legendary Met career, Plácido Domingo makes history by singing the baritone title role of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, conducted by James Levine. Adrianne Pieczonka, Marcello Giordani, and James Morris co-star. HD host: Renée Fleming

Saturday, March 27, 2010 HAMLET (1:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. CDT / 11:00 a.m. MDT / 10:00 a.m. PDT/ 17:00 p.m. UTC / 18:00 CET) - Last performed at the Met in 1897, Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet will be seen in a new production by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, conducted by Louis Langrée and starring Simon Keenlyside in the title role and Natalie Dessay as Ophélie. With Jennifer Larmore as Gertrude, Toby Spence as Laërtes and James Morris as Claudius. HD host: Renée Fleming

NEW PRODUCTION

Saturday, May 1, 2010 ARMIDA (1:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. CDT / 11:00 a.m. MDT / 10:00 a.m. PDT/ 17:00 p.m. UTC / 18:00 p.m. BST / 19:00 CEST) - The season's final new production features Renée Fleming in Rossini's bel canto tour de force Armida, directed by Mary Zimmerman and conducted by Riccardo Frizza. Also starring Lawrence Brownlee, Bruce Ford, José Manuel Zapata, Barry Banks, and Kobie van Rensburg. HD host: Deborah Voigt

NEW PRODUCTION

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 are also 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. Archival videos of Otello and Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci from 1978 have also recently been issued on the Met's label and are available at the Opera Shop, online at www.metoperashop.org, and through other outlets. Many of the HD performances can also be seen on Met Player, the company's online streaming subscription servIce That makes the Met's extensive video and audio catalog of full-length performances available to the public for the first time online and in exceptional, state-of-the-art quality.

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, Doctor 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."