Fabio Luisi Conducts His First Met Performances of AIDA, Beginning 11/23

Related: Fabio Luisi, Metropolitan Opera

Alberto Mastromarino made his Met debut in 2009, singing Tonio in Pagliacci and Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana opposite Alagna. The Italian baritone has sung Amonasro at the Arena di Verona and with Rome Opera at the Terme di Caracalla. Later this season, he will sing the role at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo.

Hui He made her Met debut as Aida in 2010. She has sung the role all over the world, including performances at Rome Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Arena di Verona, Teatro Verdi in Salerno, Palau de les Artes in Valencia, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and, next season, La Scala. This season, she also sings the title role in Puccini's Madama Butterfly at the Copenhagen Opera, Bavarian State Opera, and Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, and the title role in Ponchielli's La Gioconda in Salerno.

Dolora Zajick made her Met debut as Azucena in Verdi's Il Trovatore in 1988 and has since sung the role 48 times, including an acclaimed series of performances earlier this season. Amneris is her most-performed Met role, with more than 75 performances since 1989; only Louise Homer and Blanche Thebom have sung more company performances of the role. Zajick's Met repertory includes Eboli in Don Carlo, Ježibaba in Dvo?ák's Rusalka, Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, Marfa in Khovanshchina, Adalgisa in Bellini'sNorma, Elvira in Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy, and The Countess in The Queen of Spades. Also this month, she sings Ulrica in a new production of Un Ballo in Maschera.

Roberto Alagna made an acclaimed Met role debut as Radamès filling in for an ailing colleague on short notice in 2007. He most recently sang the role at Covent Garden in 2011. He made his Met debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème in 1996. His subsequent performances have included the title roles in Don Carlo, Massenet's Werther, and Gounod's Faust; Nemorino in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore; the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto; Roméo in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette; Don José in Carmen; Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly;Ruggero in Puccini's La Rondine; Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana and Canio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci; and Cavaradossi in Tosca.

George Gagnidze makes his role debut this season as Amonasro. In 2009, he made his Met debut in the title role of Rigoletto and sang Scarpia in the new production premiere of Tosca. Last season at the Met, he sang Scarpia, Shaklovity in Khovanshchina and the title role in Macbeth. This spring, he returns to the Met to sing the title role in a new production of Rigoletto.

Aida Live in HD and on the Radio

The December 15 performance of Aida will be transmitted live to movie theaters around the world as part of The Met: Live in HDseries. Soprano Renée Fleming will host the transmission. The Met: Live in HD is now seen in more than 1,900 theaters in 64 countries around the world.

The November 23 opening performance will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 74, as will the performances on November 29, December 12 and 15. The November 23 performance will also be streamed live on the Met's website, www.metopera.org.

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