The Metropolitan Opera Announces Free Summer Events

The Metropolitan Opera announced the return of its popular free outdoor series of summer events. For the third consecutive year, the Met will present operatic recitals in parks in all five boroughs, as well as a ten-day festival of encore screenings from the Met's popular HD transmissions in Lincoln Center Plaza.

The Met's 2011 Summer Recital Series, presented in collaboration with City Parks Foundation, will feature six free concerts beginning July 11 and concluding July 28. The series begins July 11 at Central Park SummerStage with an 8:00 pm recital starring three rising Met stars: soprano Angela Meade, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, and tenor Dimitri Pittas. The same three singers will perform on July 13 at 7:00 pm in Brooklyn Bridge Park (Brooklyn). Later recitals in Crotona Park (Bronx), Clove Lakes Park (Staten Island), Socrates Sculpture Park (Queens), and Jackie Robinson Park (Manhattan) will feature soprano Layla Claire, mezzo-soprano Renée Tatum, and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green. Pianist Bradley Moore will perform with the singers at all six recitals. No tickets are required for any of the performances; a complete schedule is available below.

The popular Summer HD Festival returns for a third year, featuring ten consecutive nights of free encore screenings from the Met's Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Live in HD series. This year's festival will run August 27 - September 5; titles and starting times for the screenings will be announced closer to the festival date. No tickets are required for the festival. More than 3100 seats will be available each night, plus space for overflow crowds of more than 4000 on the plaza.
"Experiencing grand opera projected on to the façade of the Met under a balmy summer night sky has become a popular experience for New Yorkers and tourists alike," said Met General Manager Peter Gelb. "I'm pleased that we are continuing for the third year in a row."
The Met: Live in HD, produced in association with PBS and WNET is made possible by a generous grant from its founding sponsor, the Neubauer Family Foundation.
Bloomberg is the global corporate sponsor of The Met: Live in HD.

About The Met's Summer Recital Series
The Met's Summer Recital Series will feature arias and duets from a variety of operas. The 8:00 pm Central Park SummerStage recital on July 11 is approximately two hours long, and the 7:00 pm Brooklyn Bridge Park recital on July 13 will run approximately ninety minutes. All subsequent recitals in the series-held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from July 19 through July 28-will begin at 7:00 pm and run approximately one hour.

"City Parks Foundation is thrilled to be partnering with the Metropolitan Opera for the Summer Recital series for the third year," said David Rivel, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation. "SummerStage aims to bring high quality, free performances into the diverse neighborhoods of New York City, and the Summer Recital Series will be a highlight for many communities this summer season."

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 Adrian Benepe. Funding has also been provided by the Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. Charitable Trust's Met Parks Concert Fund and The Elizabeth B. McGraw Foundation, in honor of Mrs. McGraw.

"The Metropolitan Opera's summer music events in all five boroughs and Summer HD Festival are two terrific examples of why New York City remains an extraordinary destination for the arts," said Commissioner Levin. "Thanks to the Met's leadership and commitment to giving New Yorkers and visitors free access to its consummate artists, parks and plazas across the City will set the stage for another highly anticipated season of music programming."

"The Metropolitan Opera's annual concert series in New York City's parks is one of the most beloved summertime traditions in the city," said Commissioner Benepe. "I would like to thank the Met and the City Parks Foundation for once again bringing free world-class summer recitals to neighborhood parks. Once again, this year's program is sure to inspire a whole new generation of opera lovers, while giving long-time aficionados some arias to savor."

Schedule: The Met's Summer Recital Series

Monday, July 11, 2011 at 8:00 pm: Central Park SummerStage, Manhattan

Angela Meade, soprano
Dimitri Pittas, tenor
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Bradley Moore, pianist

Wednesday, July 13, 7:00 pm: Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn

Angela Meade, soprano
Dimitri Pittas, tenor
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Bradley Moore, pianist

Tuesday, July 19, 2011, 7:00 pm: Crotona Park, Bronx

Layla Claire, soprano
Renée Tatum, mezzo-soprano
Ryan Speedo Green, bass-baritone
Bradley Moore, pianist

Thursday, July 21, 2011, 7:00 pm: Clove Lakes Park, Staten Island

Layla Claire, soprano
Renée Tatum, mezzo-soprano
Ryan Speedo Green, bass-baritone
Bradley Moore, pianist

Tuesday, July 26, 2011, 7:00 pm: Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens

Layla Claire, soprano
Renée Tatum, mezzo-soprano
Ryan Speedo Green, bass-baritone
Bradley Moore, pianist

Thursday, July 28, 2011, 7:00 pm: Jackie Robinson Park, Manhattan

Layla Claire, soprano
Renée Tatum, mezzo-soprano
Ryan Speedo Green, bass-baritone
Bradley Moore, pianist

All recitals are free and no tickets are required. For additional information, please call (212) 362-6000 or visit the Met website at www.metopera.org/parks.