Great Performances at the Met

Season 0 of Great Performances at the Met premiered on 2007-09-07.

The series of six live performances marks the largest number of complete Met operas ever presented by PBS in one season. The series premieres with a special two-hour, English-language version of Mozart's fairy tale classic "The Magic Flute," a new production directed by Julie Taymor. The others are Bellini's "I Puritani," featuring international sensation Anna Netrebko; the world premiere of Tan Dun's "The First Emperor," starring GP stalwart, legendary tenor Plácido Domingo; Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin," with another series favorite, beloved soprano Renée Fleming; Bart Sher's acclaimed new staging of Rossini's "The Barber of Seville," with great Rossini tenor Juan Diego Flórez; and Jack O'Brien's new take on Puccini's "Il Trittico," conducted by Met music director James Levine.

The second season of Great Performances at The Met kicks off with a special prime-time broadcast of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel starring Alice Coote and Christine Schäfer, followed by seven extraordinary performances.

Season 3 of Great Performances at the Met premiered on 2008-09-22.

Season 4 of Great Performances at the Met premiered on 2009-10-10.

Season 5 of Great Performances at the Met premiered on 2011-01-05.

The sixth season premieres with Donizetti’s Anna Bolena starring soprano Anna Netrebko. The highlight of the season is Robert Lepage’s acclaimed new production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. The season also features new productions of three repertory classics by outstanding directors—Mozart’s Don Giovanni by Michael Grandage, Gounod’s Faust by Des McAnuff, and Massenet’s Manon by Laurent Pelly.

Great Performances at the Met returns to PBS for a seventh season of 12 lavish productions, presenting classic favorites alongside rarely performed gems, and featuring the world’s leading stars of opera. The new season offers several bold new productions, including Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, Handel’s Giulio Cesare and a provocative production of Verdi’s Rigoletto set in 1960s Las Vegas. Season highlights also include two Met Opera premieres: Thomas Adès’ The Tempest (with the composer at the podium) and a new production of Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda.

Great Performances at The Met returns to PBS for its eighth season in 2014, delighting audiences with 10 sumptuous productions featuring the world’s leading stars of opera. This blockbuster season highlights gems like Shostakovich’s The Nose and Borodin’s Prince Igor and the enduring classics of the repertoire including Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte and Puccini’s La Boheme.

The ninth season of Great Performances at The Met includes an encore of highlights of the past eight seasons and five new productions at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Season 10 of Great Performances at the Met premiered on 2016-01-11.

Great Performances at The Met returns to PBS for its eleventh season in 2017, delighting audiences with 10 productions featuring the world’s leading stars of opera. PBS is excited to highlight two of these operas – Romeo et Juliette and La Traviata – with primetime broadcasts. The season opened with The Met’s new production of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.

Great Performances at The Met returns to PBS for its twelfth season in 2018, delighting audiences with nine productions featuring the world’s leading stars of opera. PBS is excited to highlight two of these operas – Norma and Tosca – with primetime broadcasts. The season opens with The Met’s new production of Bellini’s Norma, starring Sondra Radvanovsky as the titlular druid high priestess, opposite Joyce DiDonato as Norma’s new rival and Joseph Calleja as her unfaithful lover.

Season 13 of Great Performances at the Met premiered on 2018-10-06.

Season 14 of Great Performances at the Met premiered on 2020-01-05.

Season 15 of Great Performances at the Met premiered on 2021-03-19.

Season 16 of Great Performances at the Met premiered on 2022-02-06.