Editing Metropolitan Opera (section)

==Administrations==
===Abbey, Schoeffel, and Grau===
Italian opera returned to the Met in 1891 in a glittering season of stars organized by the returning [[Henry E. Abbey]], [[John B. Schoeffel]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1918/09/01/archives/john-b-schoeffel-dies-in-boston-at-72-veteran-manager-once-directed.html|title=Obituary: John B. Schoeffel Dies in Boston at 72|date=September 1, 1918|url-access=subscription|access-date=January 17, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|archive-date=February 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180223051132/https://www.nytimes.com/1918/09/01/archives/john-b-schoeffel-dies-in-boston-at-72-veteran-manager-once-directed.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Maurice Grau]]<ref name="GRAU">[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1907/03/15/106744032.pdf Untitled obituary:] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719175552/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1907/03/15/106744032.pdf |date=July 19, 2021 }} ''The New York Times'', March 15, 1907</ref> as [[Abbey, Schoeffel and Grau]]. After missing a season to rebuild the opera house following a fire in August 1892 which destroyed most of the theater, Abbey and Grau continued as co-managers along with John Schoeffel as the business partner, initiating the so-called "Golden Age of Opera". Most of the greatest operatic artists in the world then graced the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in Italian as well as German and French repertory. Notable among them were the brothers [[Jean de Reszke|Jean]] and [[Édouard de Reszke]], [[Lilli Lehmann]], [[Emma Calvé]], [[Lillian Nordica]], [[Nellie Melba]], [[Marcella Sembrich]], [[Milka Ternina]], [[Emma Eames]], [[Sofia Scalchi]], [[Ernestine Schumann-Heink]], [[Francesco Tamagno]], [[Francesc Viñas]], Jean Lassalle, [[Mario Ancona]], [[Victor Maurel]], [[Antonio Scotti]] and [[Pol Plançon]]. Henry Abbey died in 1896,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1896/10/18/archives/death-of-henry-e-abbey-the-wellknown-managers-long-career-closed-he.html|title=Death of Henry E. Abbey|date=October 18, 1896|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=January 17, 2018|page=25|url-access=subscription|archive-date=February 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180223051627/https://www.nytimes.com/1896/10/18/archives/death-of-henry-e-abbey-the-wellknown-managers-long-career-closed-he.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and Maurice Grau continued as sole manager of the Met from 1896 to 1903.<ref name="GRAU" />

The early 1900s saw the development of distinct Italian, German and later French "wings" within the Met's roster of artists including separate German and Italian choruses. This division of the company's forces faded after World War II when solo artists spent less time engaged at any one company.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

===Heinrich Conried ===
The administration of [[Heinrich Conried]] in 1903–08 was distinguished especially by the arrival of the Neapolitan tenor [[Enrico Caruso]], the most celebrated singer who ever appeared at the old Metropolitan. He was also instrumental in hiring conductor [[Arturo Vigna]].

===Giulio Gatti-Casazza===
[[File:Gatti Casazza.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Giulio Gatti-Casazza]]]]

Conried was followed by [[Giulio Gatti-Casazza]], who held a 27-year tenure from 1908 to 1935. Gatti-Casazza had been lured by the Met from a celebrated tenure as director of Milan's [[La Scala|La Scala Opera House]]. His model planning, authoritative organizational skills and brilliant casts raised the Metropolitan Opera to a prolonged era of artistic innovation and musical excellence. He brought with him the fiery and brilliant conductor [[Arturo Toscanini]], the music director from his seasons at La Scala.

[[File:Metropolitan Opera Schedule March 22-29, 1935.jpg|thumb|left|Gatti-Casazza's last week at the Met (March 22–29, 1935)]]
Many of the most noted singers of the era appeared at the Met under Gatti-Casazza's leadership, including sopranos [[Rosa Ponselle]], [[Elisabeth Rethberg]], [[Maria Jeritza]], [[Emmy Destinn]], [[Frances Alda]], [[Frida Leider]], [[Amelita Galli-Curci]], [[Bernice de Pasquali]], and [[Lily Pons]]; tenors [[Jacques Urlus]], [[Giovanni Martinelli]], [[Beniamino Gigli]], [[Giacomo Lauri-Volpi]], and [[Lauritz Melchior]]; baritones [[Titta Ruffo]], [[Giuseppe De Luca]], [[Pasquale Amato]], and [[Lawrence Tibbett]]; and basses [[Friedrich Schorr]], [[Feodor Chaliapin]], Jose Mardones, [[Tancredi Pasero]] and [[Ezio Pinza]]—among many others.

Toscanini served as the Met's principal conductor (but with no official title) from 1908 to 1915, leading the company in performances of Verdi, Wagner and others that set standards for the company for decades to come. The Viennese composer [[Gustav Mahler]] also was a Met conductor during Gatti-Casazza's first two seasons and in later years conductors [[Tullio Serafin]] and [[Artur Bodanzky]] led the company in the Italian and German repertories respectively.

[[File:Artur Bodanzky at the Metropolitan Opera in 1915.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Artur Bodanzky]] at the Metropolitan Opera in 1915]]

Following Toscanini's departure, Gatti-Casazza successfully guided the company through the years of [[World War I]] into another decade of premieres, new productions and popular success in the 1920s. The 1930s, however, brought new financial and organizational challenges for the company. In 1931, [[Otto Hermann Kahn|Otto Kahn]], the noted financier, resigned as head of the Met's board of directors and president of the Metropolitan Opera Company. He had been responsible for engaging Gatti-Casazza and had held the position of president since the beginning of Gatti-Casazza's term as manager. The new chair, prominent lawyer [[Paul Drennan Cravath|Paul Cravath]], had served as the board's legal counsel.<ref name="kahnresigns">{{cite news| title=Kahn Resigns Posts As Opera Executive: Paul D. Cravath Succeeds Him| url-access=subscription| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/10/27/archives/kahn-resigns-posts-as-opera-executive-paul-d-cravath-succeeds-him.html| work=The New York Times| date=October 27, 1931| page=27| access-date=June 11, 2018| archive-date=June 12, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612235837/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/10/27/archives/kahn-resigns-posts-as-opera-executive-paul-d-cravath-succeeds-him.html| url-status=live}}</ref> Retaining Gatti-Casazza as manager, Cravath focused his attention on managing the business affairs of the company.<ref name="cravathstarts">{{cite news| title=Cravath Hails Day of New Opera Ideal| work=The New York Times| date=October 29, 1931| page=25| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/10/29/archives/cravath-hails-day-of-new-opera-ideal-metropolitan-executive-looks.html| url-access=subscription| access-date=June 11, 2018| archive-date=June 12, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612222730/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/10/29/archives/cravath-hails-day-of-new-opera-ideal-metropolitan-executive-looks.html| url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1926, as part of the [[construction of Rockefeller Center]], a plan was floated to move the opera from the building on 39th Street to the new [[Rockefeller Center]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Balfour |first=Alan|title=Rockefeller Center: Architecture as Theater|url=https://archive.org/details/rockefellercente0000balf|url-access=registration|publisher=McGraw-Hill, Inc.|location=New York, NY |year= 1978|isbn=978-0-07003-480-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/rockefellercente0000balf/page/3 3]}}</ref> The plan was dropped in 1929 when it became apparent that it would produce no savings, and because the Met did not have enough money to move to a new opera house.<ref name="NYTimes-Opera-Site-Dropped-1929">{{Cite news|archive-date = December 14, 2021|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20211214162335/https://www.nytimes.com/1929/12/06/archives/rockefeller-site-for-opera-dropped-joint-announcement-says-plan-is.html|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/12/06/94215747.pdf |title=Rockefeller Site For Opera Dropped|date=December 6, 1929|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription |access-date=}}</ref> It soon became apparent that the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] and subsequent [[Great Depression|depression]] had resulted in a dangerously large deficit in the company's accounts. Between 1929 and 1931 ticket sales remained robust, but subsidies from the Met's wealthy supporters had significantly declined.<ref name="deficit">{{cite news| title=Future of the Opera Comes Up Tomorrow| work=The New York Times| date=March 22, 1932| page=23| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/03/22/archives/future-of-the-opera-comes-up-tomorrow-cravath-returns-to-preside-at.html | url-access=subscription| access-date=June 11, 2018| archive-date=June 12, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612203733/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/03/22/archives/future-of-the-opera-comes-up-tomorrow-cravath-returns-to-preside-at.html| url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-07682, Otto H. Kahn.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Otto Hermann Kahn]] in Berlin, 1931]]

Soon after his appointment, Cravath obtained new revenue through a contract with the [[National Broadcasting Company]] for weekly radio broadcasts of Met performances.<ref name="nbc">{{cite news| title=Captured for the Multitudes: Broadcasting Reveals Opera Is Not "High Hat"—Those Who Predicted Its "Death" May Find Radio a Tonic as Have Other Arts| work=The New York Times| date=January 10, 1932| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/01/10/archives/captured-for-the-multitudes-broadcasting-reveals-opera-is-not.html| first=Orrin K.| last=Dunlap| page=XX7| url-access=subscription| access-date=June 11, 2018| archive-date=June 12, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612212354/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/01/10/archives/captured-for-the-multitudes-broadcasting-reveals-opera-is-not.html| url-status=live}}</ref> The first national broadcast took place December 25, 1931, when ''[[Hansel and Gretel (opera)|Hansel and Gretel]]'' was aired.{{efn|1=See more on the national broadcasts in the ''{{section link||Broadcast radio}}'' section.}}<ref name="molto">{{cite book|first=Johanna|last=Fiedler|author-link=Johanna Fiedler|title=Molto Agitato: The Mayhem Behind the Music at the Metropolitan Opera|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v9gtOoMw8RAC&pg=PT39|date=September 9, 2003|publisher=Knopf Doubleday|isbn=978-1-4000-7589-8|pages=39–41|access-date=December 26, 2015|archive-date=January 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105052816/https://books.google.com/books?id=v9gtOoMw8RAC&pg=PT39|url-status=live}}</ref> With Gatti's support, Cravath also obtained a ten percent reduction in the pay of all salaried employees beginning with the opera season of 1931/32. Cravath also engineered a reorganization of the management company by which it was transformed from a corporation, in which all participants were stockholders, to an association, whose members need not have a financial interest in operations. Apart from this change, the new Metropolitan Opera Association was virtually identical to the old Metropolitan Opera Company. It was hoped the association would be able to save money as it renegotiated contracts which the company had made.<ref>{{cite news| title=Control of Opera to be Reorganized: New Metropolitan Company Is Planned, to Give Productions Under New Contracts| work=The New York Times| date=March 4, 1932| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/03/04/archives/control-of-opera-to-be-reorganized-new-metropolitan-company-is.html| page=1| url-access=subscription| access-date=June 11, 2018| archive-date=June 12, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612155157/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/03/04/archives/control-of-opera-to-be-reorganized-new-metropolitan-company-is.html| url-status=live}}</ref>

During this period there was no change in the organization of the Metropolitan Real Estate Opera Company which owned the [[Metropolitan Opera House (39th St)|opera house]]. It remained in the hands of the society families who owned its stock, yet the subsidies that the house and its owners had given the producing company fell off. In March 1932, Cravath found that income resulting from the broadcasts and savings from both salary cuts and reorganization were not sufficient to cover the company's deficits. Representatives of the opera house, the producing company, and the artists formed a committee for fundraising among the public at large. Mainly though appeals made to radio audiences during the weekly broadcasts, the committee was able to obtain enough money to assure continuation of opera for the 1933–34 season.<ref name="appeal">{{cite news| title=Opera Denies Plan to Quit Old Home; Withdrawal of Boxholders' Support Feared in Move to Rockefeller Center| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/02/11/archives/opera-denies-plan-to-quit-old-home-withdrawal-of-boxholders-support.html| work=The New York Times| date=February 11, 1933| page=11| url-access=subscription| access-date=June 11, 2018| archive-date=June 12, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612204343/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/02/11/archives/opera-denies-plan-to-quit-old-home-withdrawal-of-boxholders-support.html| url-status=live}}</ref> Called the committee to Save Metropolitan Opera, the group was headed by the well-loved leading soprano, [[Lucrezia Bori]]. Bori not only led the committee, but also personally carried out much of its work and within a few months her fundraising efforts produced the $300,000 that were needed for the coming season.<ref name="success">{{cite news| title=Opera Board Lays Plans for Future| work=The New York Times| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/12/07/archives/opera-board-lays-plans-for-future-new-executive-group-formed-at.html| date=December 7, 1933| page=27| access-date=January 17, 2018| url-access=subscription| archive-date=February 23, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180223051731/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/12/07/archives/opera-board-lays-plans-for-future-new-executive-group-formed-at.html| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Edward Johnson===
In April 1935, Gatti stepped down after 27 years as general manager. His immediate successor, the former Met bass [[Herbert Witherspoon]], died of a heart attack barely six weeks into his term of office.<ref name=HWCT>{{cite news|title=Witherspoon, Opera Leader, Dies in Office|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1935/05/11/page/1/article/witherspoon-opera-leader-dies-in-office|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=May 11, 1935|access-date=January 7, 2020|archive-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307124523/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1935/05/11/page/1/article/witherspoon-opera-leader-dies-in-office/|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref name=HWNYT>{{cite news|title=Witherspoon Dies in Office at Opera on Eve of Sailing. New Manager of Metropolitan Is Victim of Sudden Heart Attack After Day's Work|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B0CE2DA1139E33ABC4952DFB366838E629EDE|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 11, 1935|access-date=August 12, 2015|archive-date=April 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421204213/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B0CE2DA1139E33ABC4952DFB366838E629EDE|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=HWT>{{cite magazine|title=Death in the Met|date=May 20, 1935|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=January 7, 2020|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,754812,00.html|archive-date=May 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522152949/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,754812,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This opened the way for the Canadian tenor and former Met artist [[Edward Johnson (tenor)|Edward Johnson]] to be appointed general manager. Johnson served the company for the next 15 years, guiding the Met through the remaining years of the depression and the [[World War II]] era.

The producing company's financial difficulties continued in the years immediately following the desperate season of 1933–34. To meet budget shortfalls, fundraising continued and the number of performances was curtailed. Still, on given nights the brilliant Wagner pairing of the Norwegian soprano [[Kirsten Flagstad]] with the great [[heldentenor]] [[Lauritz Melchior]] proved irresistible to audiences even in such troubled times. To expand the Met's support among its national radio audience, the Met board's [[Eleanor Robson Belmont]], the former actress and wife to industrialist [[August Belmont]], was appointed head of a new organization—the Metropolitan Opera Guild—as successor to a women's club Belmont had set up. The Guild supported the producing company through subscriptions to its magazine, [[Opera News]], and through Mrs. Belmont's weekly appeals on the Met's radio broadcasts.<ref name="molto"/> In 1940 ownership of the performing company and the opera house was transferred to the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association from the company's original partnership of New York society families.

[[Zinka Milanov]], [[Jussi Björling]], and [[Alexander Kipnis]] were first heard at the Met under Johnson's management. During World War II when many European artists were unavailable, the Met recruited American singers as never before. [[Eleanor Steber]], [[Dorothy Kirsten]], [[Helen Traubel]] (Flagstad's successor as Wagner's heroines), [[Jan Peerce]], [[Richard Tucker (tenor)|Richard Tucker]], [[Leonard Warren]] and [[Robert Merrill]] were among the many home grown artists to become stars at the Met in the 1940s. [[Ettore Panizza]], Sir [[Thomas Beecham]], [[George Szell]] and [[Bruno Walter]] were among the leading conductors engaged during Johnson's tenure. [[Kurt Adler]] began his long tenure as chorus master and staff conductor in 1943.

===Rudolf Bing===

Succeeding Johnson in 1950 was the Austrian-born [[Rudolf Bing]] who had most recently created and served as director of the [[Edinburgh International Festival|Edinburgh Festival]]. Serving from 1950 to 1972, Bing became one of the Met's most influential and reformist leaders. Bing modernized the administration of the company, ended{{how|date=October 2018}} an archaic{{how|date=October 2018}} ticket sales system, and brought an end to the company's Tuesday night performances in Philadelphia.<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 9, 2017|title=On This Day – How Rudolf Bing Transformed the Metropolitan Opera Forever|url=https://operawire.com/on-this-day-how-rudolf-bing-transformed-the-metropolitan-opera-forever/|access-date=September 28, 2021|website=Opera Wire|language=en-US}}</ref> He presided over an era of fine singing and glittering new productions, while guiding the company's move to a new home in Lincoln Center. While many outstanding singers debuted at the Met under Bing's guiding hand, music critics complained of a lack of great conducting during his regime,{{citation needed|date=May 2021}} even though such eminent conductors as [[Fritz Stiedry]], [[Dimitri Mitropoulos]], [[Erich Leinsdorf]], [[Fritz Reiner]], and [[Karl Böhm]] appeared frequently in the 1950s and '60s.

Among the most significant achievements of Bing's tenure was the opening of the Met's artistic roster to include singers of color.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Brathwaite|first=Peter|date=May 12, 2021|title=This man made opera history. Why did I not know him?|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/may/12/robert-mcferrin-baritone-metropolitan-opera-peter-brathwaite|access-date=September 28, 2021|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref> [[Marian Anderson]]'s historic 1955 debut was followed by the introduction of a gifted generation of African American artists led by [[Leontyne Price]] (who inaugurated the new house at Lincoln Center), [[Reri Grist]], [[Grace Bumbry]], [[Shirley Verrett]], [[Martina Arroyo]], [[George Shirley]], [[Robert McFerrin]], and many others. Other celebrated singers who debuted at the Met during Bing's tenure include: [[Roberta Peters]], [[Victoria de los Ángeles]], [[Renata Tebaldi]], [[Maria Callas]], who had a bitter falling out with Bing over repertoire,{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}, [[Birgit Nilsson]], [[Joan Sutherland]], [[Régine Crespin]], [[Mirella Freni]], [[Renata Scotto]], [[Montserrat Caballé]], [[Elisabeth Schwarzkopf]], [[Anna Moffo]], [[James McCracken]], [[Carlo Bergonzi (tenor)|Carlo Bergonzi]], [[Franco Corelli]], [[Alfredo Kraus]], [[Plácido Domingo]], [[Nicolai Gedda]], [[Luciano Pavarotti]], [[Jon Vickers]], [[Tito Gobbi]], [[Sherrill Milnes]], and [[Cesare Siepi]].

The Met's 1961 production of ''[[Turandot]]'', with [[Leopold Stokowski]] conducting, [[Birgit Nilsson]] in the title role, and [[Franco Corelli]] as Calàf,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.metopera.org/MetOperaSearch/record.jsp?dockey=0371922|access-date=January 12, 2024|title=Met Performance CID:187250 ''Turandot'' (28)|date=February 24, 1961|publisher=Metropolitan Opera Archives}}</ref> was called the Met's "biggest hit in 10 years".<ref>{{cite magazine| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qE8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA53| title= Biggest Opera Hit in 10 years| magazine= [[Life (magazine)|Life]]| date= May 5, 1961| access-date= July 4, 2015| archive-date= January 23, 2021| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210123205421/https://books.google.com/books?id=qE8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA53| url-status= live}}</ref> For the 1962/1963 season, [[Renata Tebaldi]], popular with Met audiences, convinced a reluctant Bing to stage a revival of ''[[Adriana Lecouvreur]]'', an opera last presented at the Met in 1907.

In 1963, Anthony Bliss, a prominent New York lawyer and president of the Metropolitan Opera Association (MOA), convinced the MOA to create the [[Metropolitan Opera National Company]] (MONC); a second touring company that would present operas nationally with young operatic talent.<ref name="ON">{{cite news|url=https://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2006/8/Features/The_Not-So-Grand_Tour.html|title=The Not-So-Grand Tour|author=Martin Bernheimer|work=[[Opera News]]|date=August 2006|volume=71|issue=2|pages=40–45|access-date=March 20, 2021|archive-date=May 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504040708/https://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2006/8/Features/The_Not-So-Grand_Tour.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Supported by President [[John F. Kennedy]] and funded largely by donations given by philanthropist and publisher [[Lila Acheson Wallace]], the company presented two seasons of operas in 1965–1966 and 1966–1967 in which hundreds of performances were given in hundreds of cities throughout the United States.<ref name="ON" /> Bing publicly supported the organization, but privately detested the idea and actively worked to dismantle the company which he ultimately achieved in a vote of the board in December 1966.<ref name="ON" /> The MONC's directors were mezzo-soprano [[Risë Stevens]] and [[Michael Manuel]], a long time stage manager and director at the Met.<ref name="ON" /> Several well known opera singers performed with the MONC, including sopranos [[Clarice Carson]], [[Maralin Niska]], [[Mary Beth Peil]], [[Francesca Roberto]], and [[Marilyn Zschau]]; mezzo-sopranos [[Joy Davidson]], Sylvia Friederich, Dorothy Krebill, and [[Huguette Tourangeau]]; tenors [[Enrico Di Giuseppe]], Chris Lachona, Nicholas di Virgilio, and [[Harry Theyard]]; baritones [[Ron Bottcher]], [[John Fiorito]], [[Thomas Jamerson]], [[Julian Patrick]], and Vern Shinall; bass-baritones [[Andrij Dobriansky]], Ronald Hedlund, and [[Arnold Voketaitis]]; and bass [[Paul Plishka]].<ref name="ON" />

During Bing's tenure, the officers of the Met joined forces with the officers of the [[New York Philharmonic]] to build the [[Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts]], where the new [[Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center)|Metropolitan Opera House]] building opened in 1966.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wqxr.org/story/remembering-old-metropolitan-opera-house/|title=Remembering the Old Metropolitan Opera House|department=Operavore|website=[[WQXR-FM|WQXR]]|date=September 26, 2016 |access-date=May 10, 2019|archive-date=May 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510151210/https://www.wqxr.org/story/remembering-old-metropolitan-opera-house/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Met's first season at Lincoln Center featured nine new productions, including the world premiere of [[Marvin David Levy]]'s ''[[Mourning Becomes Electra (opera)|Mourning Becomes Electra]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metopera.org/season/on-demand/opera/?upc=811357018330 |title=Highlights of the 1966–67 Season |website=The Metropolitan Opera |access-date=December 31, 2020 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127103548/http://www.metopera.org/season/on-demand/opera/?upc=811357018330 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the company would not premiere any new operas for decades afterwards, until 1991's ''[[The Ghosts of Versailles]]'' by [[John Corigliano]]. One critic described the period as "a quarter-century in which the notion of commissioned work reminded Met administrators of the emblematic failure of [[Samuel Barber]]'s ''[[Antony and Cleopatra (1966 opera)|Antony and Cleopatra]]'' and the lukewarm reception of Marvin David Levy's ''Mourning Becomes Electra''."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/13/arts/critic-s-notebook-why-met-s-ghosts-will-be-disembodied-until-1994-95-season.html |title=Critic's Notebook; Why Met's 'Ghosts' Will Be Disembodied Until 1994–95 Season |date=January 13, 1992 |access-date=December 31, 2020 |first=Allan |last=Kozinn |author-link=Allan Kozinn |work=The New York Times |page=C11 |archive-date=January 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115100129/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/13/arts/critic-s-notebook-why-met-s-ghosts-will-be-disembodied-until-1994-95-season.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Gentele to Southern===
Following Bing's retirement in 1972, the Met's management was overseen by a succession of executives and artists in shared authority. Bing's intended successor, the Swedish opera manager [[Göran Gentele]], died in an auto accident before the start of his first season. Following Gentele's death, [[Schuyler Chapin]] served as general manager for three seasons. The key achievement of his tenure was the Met's first tour to Japan for three weeks in May–June 1975 which was the brainchild of impresario [[Kazuko Hillyer International|Kazuko Hillyer]]. The tour played a significant role in popularizing opera in Japan, and boasted an impressive line-up of artists in productions of ''[[La traviata]]'', ''[[Carmen]]'', and ''[[La bohème]]''; including [[Marilyn Horne]] as Carmen, [[Joan Sutherland]] as Violetta, and tenors [[Franco Corelli]] and [[Luciano Pavarotti]] alternating as Rodolfo.<ref>{{cite journal| url=http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2015/7/Features/Pacific_Overtures.html| title=Pacific Overtures| first=Fred| last=Cohn| journal=[[Opera News]]| date=July 2015| volume=80| number=1| access-date=July 18, 2015| archive-date=July 21, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721154156/http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2015/7/Features/Pacific_Overtures.html| url-status=live}}</ref> Soprano [[Renata Tebaldi]] retired from the Met in 1973 as Desdemona in [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]]'s ''[[Otello]]'', the same role she debuted there in 1955.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/renata-tebaldi-soprano-1-571667|title=Renata Tebaldi, Soprano|website=[[The Scotsman]]|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=December 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228103153/https://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/renata-tebaldi-soprano-1-571667|url-status=live}}</ref>

From 1975 to 1981, a triumvirate of directors led the company: the general manager (Anthony A. Bliss), artistic director ([[James Levine]]), and director of production (English stage director [[John Dexter]]). Bliss was followed by Bruce Crawford and [[Hugh Southern]]. Through this period, the constant figure was Levine. Engaged by Bing in 1971, Levine became principal conductor in 1973 and emerged as the Met's principal artistic leader through the last third of the 20th century.

During the 1983–1984 season, the Met celebrated its 100th anniversary with an opening night revival of Berlioz's opera ''[[Les Troyens]]'', with soprano [[Jessye Norman]] making her Met debut in the roles of both Cassandra and Dido. An eight-hour Centennial Gala concert in two parts followed on October 22, 1983, broadcast on [[PBS]]. The [[Met Gala (opera)|gala]] featured all of the Met's current stars as well as appearances by 26 veteran stars of the Met's the past. Among the artists, [[Leonard Bernstein]] and Birgit Nilsson gave their last performances with the company at the concert.<ref>{{cite journal| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oeICAAAAMBAJ&q=Met+Gala&pg=PA50| title=Texaco Celebrates the Metropolitan Opera Centennial| access-date=July 22, 2014| date=October 17, 1983| journal=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]| page=50| archive-date=July 19, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719175552/https://books.google.com/books?id=oeICAAAAMBAJ&q=Met+Gala&pg=PA50| url-status=live}}</ref> This season also marked the debut of bass [[Samuel Ramey]], who debuted as Argante in Handel's ''[[Rinaldo (opera)|Rinaldo]]'' in January 1984.

The immediate post-Bing era saw a continuing addition of African-Americans to the roster of leading artists. [[Kathleen Battle]], who in 1977 made her Met debut as the Shepherd in Wagner's ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]'', became an important star in lyric soprano roles. Bass-baritone [[Simon Estes]] began a prominent Met career with his 1982 debut as Hermann, also in ''Tannhäuser''.

===Joseph Volpe===
The model of General Manager as the leading authority in the company returned in 1990 when the company appointed [[Joseph Volpe (opera manager)|Joseph Volpe]]. He was the Met's third-longest serving manager, and was the first head of the company to advance from within its ranks, having started his career there as a carpenter in 1964.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/metropolitan-opera-salutes-joe-volpe-at-gala-concert|title=Metropolitan Opera Salutes Joe Volpe at Gala Concert|last=Mattison|first=Ben|date=May 20, 2006|website=[[Playbill]]|access-date=September 24, 2019|archive-date=July 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719175556/https://www.playbill.com/article/metropolitan-opera-salutes-joe-volpe-at-gala-concert|url-status=live}}</ref> During his tenure, the Met's international touring activities were expanded and Levine focused on expanding and building the Met's orchestra into a world-class symphonic ensemble with its own Carnegie Hall concert series. Under Volpe, the Met considerably expanded its repertory, offering four world premieres and 22 Met premieres, more new works than under any manager since Gatti-Casazza.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://operawire.com/joseph-volpes-crowning-achievements-as-general-manager-of-the-metropolitan-opera/|title=Joseph Volpe's Crowning Achievements As General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera – Opera Wire|website=operawire.com|date=July 2, 2017|access-date=September 24, 2019|archive-date=September 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924024438/https://operawire.com/joseph-volpes-crowning-achievements-as-general-manager-of-the-metropolitan-opera/|url-status=live}}</ref> Volpe chose [[Valery Gergiev]], who was then the chief conductor and artistic director of the [[Mariinsky Theatre]], as Principal Guest Conductor in 1997 and broadened the Met's Russian repertory. [[Marcelo Álvarez]], [[Gabriela Beňačková]], [[Diana Damrau]], [[Natalie Dessay]], [[Renée Fleming]], [[Juan Diego Flórez]], [[Marcello Giordani]], [[Angela Gheorghiu]], [[Susan Graham]], [[Ben Heppner]], [[Dmitri Hvorostovsky]], [[Salvatore Licitra]], [[Anna Netrebko]], [[René Pape]], [[Neil Rosenshein]], [[Bryn Terfel]], and [[Deborah Voigt]] were among the artists first heard at the Met under his management. He retired as general manager in 2006.

===Peter Gelb===
[[Peter Gelb]], formerly a record producer, succeeded Volpe as general manager of the company in 2006.. Gelb began outlining his plans in April 2006; these included more new productions each year, ideas for shaving staging costs, and attracting new audiences without deterring existing opera-lovers. Gelb saw these issues as crucial for an organization which is dependent on private financing.

Gelb began his tenure by opening the 2006–2007 season with a production of ''[[Madama Butterfly]]'' by [[Anthony Minghella]] originally staged for English National Opera.<ref>{{cite news | author=Anthony Tommasini | title=The Tragedy of ''Butterfly'', With Striking Cinematic Touches | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/27/arts/music/27butter.html | work=The New York Times | date=2006-09-27 | access-date=2025-02-26}}</ref>  Gelb focused on expanding the Met's audience through a number of fronts. Increasing the number of new productions every season to keep the Met's stagings fresh and noteworthy, Gelb partnered with other opera companies to import productions and engaged directors from theater, circus, and film to produce the Met's own original productions. Theater directors [[Bartlett Sher]], [[Mary Zimmerman]], and [[Jack O'Brien (director)|Jack O'Brien]] joined the list of the Met's directors along with Stephen Wadsworth, Willy Decker, [[Laurent Pelly]], [[Luc Bondy]] and other opera directors to create new stagings for the company. [[Robert Lepage]], the Canadian director of [[Cirque du Soleil]], was engaged by the Met to direct a revival of ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen]]'' using hydraulic stage platforms and projected 3D imagery.  Gelb also initiated live high-definition video transmissions to cinemas worldwide, and regular live satellite radio broadcasts on the Met's own SiriusXM radio channel.

In 2010, the company named [[Fabio Luisi]] as its principal guest conductor in 2010, and subsequently its principal conductor in 2011, to fill a void created by Levine's two-year absence because of illness.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/arts/music/fabio-luisi-james-levines-heir-apparent-at-the-met-opera.html | title=On Deck, the Met's Pinch-Hitter | work=The New York Times | author=Daniel J. Wakin | date=April 21, 2011 | access-date=August 7, 2024}}</ref> In 2013, following the severance of the dancers' contracts, Gelb announced that the resident ballet company at the Met would cease to exist.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kozinn|first=Allan|author-link=Allan Kozinn|title=Met Opera Dismantles Its Ballet in Buyouts|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 20, 2013|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/arts/dance/metropolitan-opera-disbands-its-ballet-corps.html|access-date=May 22, 2013|archive-date=May 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521204707/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/arts/dance/metropolitan-opera-disbands-its-ballet-corps.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2014, Gelb and the Met found new controversy<ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-mets-klinghoffer-problem| title=The Met's ''Klinghoffer'' Problem| first=Alex| last=Ross| author-link=Alex Ross (music critic)| date=June 24, 2014| magazine=[[The New Yorker]]| access-date=December 6, 2017| archive-date=September 24, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924001641/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-mets-klinghoffer-problem| url-status=live}}</ref> with a production of [[John Adams (composer)|John Adams]]'s opera ''[[The Death of Klinghoffer]]'',<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.metopera.org/opera/the-death-of-klinghoffer-adams-tickets| title=The Death of Klinghoffer Tickets| publisher=Metropolitan Opera| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825055938/http://www.metopera.org/opera/the-death-of-klinghoffer-adams-tickets| archive-date=August 25, 2014}}</ref> due to criticism that the work was antisemitic.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kozinn|first=Allan|author-link=Allan Kozinn|title=Klinghoffer Daughters Protest Opera|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/11/arts/klinghoffer-daughters-protest-opera.html|date=September 11, 1991|access-date=September 23, 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|archive-date=September 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924045154/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/11/arts/klinghoffer-daughters-protest-opera.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In response to the controversy Gelb canceled the scheduled worldwide HD video presentation of a performance, but refused demands to cancel the live performances scheduled for October and November 2014.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/the-met-the-controversial-opera-and-the-politics-of-protest/2014/10/16/e6c44984-5555-11e4-ba4b-f6333e2c0453_story.html| title=The Met, the opera on the murder of Leon Klinghoffer and the politics of protest| first=Geoff| last=Edgers| date=October 16, 2014| newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]| access-date=January 17, 2018| archive-date=December 11, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211161044/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/the-met-the-controversial-opera-and-the-politics-of-protest/2014/10/16/e6c44984-5555-11e4-ba4b-f6333e2c0453_story.html| url-status=live}}</ref> Demonstrators held signs and chanted "Shame on Gelb".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-death-of-klinghoffer-protests-20141021-story.html| title='Death of Klinghoffer' goes on at Met Opera House despite protests| first=Steven| last=Zeitchik| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| access-date=January 17, 2018| archive-date=December 6, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206005911/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-death-of-klinghoffer-protests-20141021-story.html| url-status=live}}</ref>

On April 14, 2016, the company announced the conclusion of Levine's tenure as music director at the conclusion of the 2015–16 season.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/arts/music/james-levine-transformative-at-the-met-opera-is-stepping-down.html| title=James Levine, Transformative at the Met Opera, Is Stepping Down| date=April 15, 2016| work=The New York Times| access-date=February 11, 2017| archive-date=April 1, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401011304/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/arts/music/james-levine-transformative-at-the-met-opera-is-stepping-down.html| url-status=live}}</ref> Gelb announced that Levine would also become Music Director Emeritus.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/met-opera-maestro-james-levine-steps-down-1460661409| title=Met Opera Maestro James Levine To Step Down| first=Jennifer| last=Smith| date=April 14, 2016| newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]| url-access=subscription| access-date=March 10, 2017| archive-date=August 10, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810180655/http://www.wsj.com/articles/met-opera-maestro-james-levine-steps-down-1460661409| url-status=live}}</ref> On June 2, the Met board announced the appointment of [[Yannick Nézet-Séguin]] as the company's next music director, as of the 2020–2021 season, conducting five productions each season. He took the title of music director-designate, conducting two productions a year, as of the 2017–2018 season.<ref name="wsj_metopera">{{cite web| last1=Smith| first1=Jennifer| title=Met Opera Names Yannick Nézet-Séguin as New Music Director| url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/met-opera-names-yannick-nezet-seguin-as-new-music-director-1464873975| newspaper=The Wall Street Journal| date=June 2, 2016| access-date=June 3, 2016| archive-date=June 3, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603053542/http://www.wsj.com/articles/met-opera-names-yannick-nezet-seguin-as-new-music-director-1464873975| url-status=live}}</ref> 

In February 2018, Nézet-Séguin succeeded Levine as music director of the Metropolitan Opera.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/arts/music/metropolitan-opera-season-dudamel-kaufmann-netrebko-yannick.html | title=Yannick Nézet-Séguin Will Lead the Met Opera, Two Years Early | work=The New York Times | author=Michael Cooper | date=February 15, 2018 | access-date=February 15, 2018 | archive-date=February 15, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215181506/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/arts/music/metropolitan-opera-season-dudamel-kaufmann-netrebko-yannick.html | url-status=live }}</ref>  In August 2024, the company announced the extension of Nézet-Séguin's contract as its music director through the 2029–2030 season.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/06/arts/music/metropolitan-opera-ring-nezet-seguin-sharon.html | title=The Met Opera Plans a New ''Ring'' With a Familiar Maestro | work=The New York Times | author=Javier C. Hernández | date=August 6, 2024 | access-date=August 7, 2024}}</ref>

In 2017, [[Daniele Rustioni]] first guest-conducted at the Metropolitan Opera.  In November 2024, the company announced the appointment of Rustioni as its next principal guest conductor, effective with the 2025-2026 season, with an initial contract of three seasons.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/arts/music/daniele-rustioni-met-opera.html | title=Daniele Rustioni, Fixture at the Met Opera, Will Be Its Guest Conductor | work=The New York Times | author=Javier C. Hernández | date=2024-11-13 | access-date=2024-11-14}}</ref>

====James Levine controversy====
In response to a December 2017 news article, the Met announced that it would investigate Levine with regard to [[sexual abuse]] allegations dating back to the 1980s.  The company suspended its ties with Levine, and canceled all upcoming engagements with him.<ref name="nytimes_20171202">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/02/arts/music/james-levine-sexual-misconduct-met-opera.html| title=Met Opera to Investigate James Levine Over Sexual Abuse Accusation| journal=The New York Times| date=December 2, 2017| access-date=December 2, 2017| first=Michael| last=Cooper| archive-date=December 3, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203222721/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/02/arts/music/james-levine-sexual-misconduct-met-opera.html| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/03/arts/music/james-levine-met-opera.html| title=Met Opera Suspends James Levine After New Sexual Abuse Accusations| first=Michael| last=Cooper| date=December 3, 2017| newspaper=The New York Times| access-date=December 3, 2017| archive-date=May 16, 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516011314/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/03/arts/music/james-levine-met-opera.html| url-status=live}}</ref> Gelb had been contacted directly by a police detective in October 2016 about allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by Levine, had been aware of the accuser's abuse allegations since they were made in a 2016 police report and of the attendant police investigation, but did not suspend Levine or launch an investigation until over a year later.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/metropolitan-opera-to-investigate-james-levine-over-sexual-abuse-allegations/2017/12/03/e8820982-d842-11e7-a841-2066faf731ef_story.html| title=Metropolitan Opera suspends James Levine over sexual abuse allegations| first=Anne| last=Midgette| date=December 3, 2017| newspaper=The Washington Post| access-date=December 5, 2017| archive-date=December 4, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204233407/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/metropolitan-opera-to-investigate-james-levine-over-sexual-abuse-allegations/2017/12/03/e8820982-d842-11e7-a841-2066faf731ef_story.html| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/04/arts/music/james-levine-met-opera.html| title=Met Opera Reels as Fourth Man Accuses James Levine of Sexual Abuse| first=Michael| last=Cooper| newspaper=The New York Times| date=December 3, 2017| access-date=December 5, 2017| archive-date=December 5, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205093147/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/04/arts/music/james-levine-met-opera.html| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/met-opera-suspends-james-levine-molestation-claims-article-1.3675177| title=Met Opera suspends James Levine after sex abuse claims dating back to 1960s| first1=Nicole| last1=Hensley| first2=Stephen Rex| last2=Brown| date=December 4, 2017| newspaper=[[New York Daily News]]| access-date=January 18, 2018| archive-date=January 29, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129120648/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/met-opera-suspends-james-levine-molestation-claims-article-1.3675177| url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the investigations in March 2018, the Met stated that there was conclusive evidence for "sexually abusive and harassing conduct" by Levine. On March 12, 2018, the company announced the full termination of its relationship with Levine, including the rescinding of his title of music director emeritus and dismissal of him as artistic director of its young artists program.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/arts/music/james-levine-metropolitan-opera.html | title=James Levine's Final Act at the Met Ends in Disgrace | work=The New York Times | author=Michael Cooper | date=March 12, 2018 | access-date=March 24, 2018 | archive-date=March 23, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323182831/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/arts/music/james-levine-metropolitan-opera.html | url-status=live }}</ref> On March 15, 2018, Levine filed suit against the company with the New York State Supreme Court, for breach of contract and defamation, and continued to deny the allegations.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/arts/music/metropolitan-opera-james-levine.html | title=James Levine, Fired Over Abuse Allegations, Sues the Met Opera | work=The New York Times | author=Michael Cooper | date=March 15, 2018 | access-date=March 24, 2018 | archive-date=March 21, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321161434/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/arts/music/metropolitan-opera-james-levine.html | url-status=live }}</ref> In response to the suit, the company has stated:<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/arts/music/james-levine-peter-gelb-metropolitan-opera.html | title=James Levine, a Fractured Partnership and a Met Opera Lawsuit | work=The New York Times | author=Michael Cooper | date=March 16, 2018 | access-date=March 24, 2018 | archive-date=March 21, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321161249/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/arts/music/james-levine-peter-gelb-metropolitan-opera.html | url-status=live }}</ref> "It is shocking that Mr. Levine has refused to accept responsibility for his actions, and has today instead decided to lash out at the Met with a suit riddled with untruths." On August 7, 2019, ''The New York Times'' reported that the Metropolitan Opera and Levine both privately settled their lawsuits. Continuing with the lawsuits "could have put into the public record more details of accusations..."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/arts/music/james-levine-metropolitan-opera.html | title=James Levine and Met Opera Settle Suit Over Sexual Misconduct Firing | work=The New York Times | author=Michael Cooper | date=2019-08-06 | access-date=2025-02-26}}</ref>

====Russia-Ukraine anti-war activism====
On February 28, 2022, Gelb announced that because of the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], the Met would be severing ties with all staff and employees who are supporters of Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Metropolitan Opera to stop working with artists who have ties to Putin |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/metropolitan-opera-to-stop-working-with-artists-who-have-ties-to-putin/ |access-date=March 5, 2022 |website=www.cbsnews.com |date=February 28, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref> The same night, before the premiere of Verdi's ''[[Don Carlos]]'', the Met's chorus and orchestra performed the [[national anthem of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/01/arts/music/met-opera-verdi-don-carlos-review.html |title=Review: ''Don Carlos'' Finally Brings French Verdi to the Met |last=Woolfe |first=Zachary|author-link=Zachary Woolfe|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 1, 2022 |access-date=March 23, 2022}}</ref> Among the singers was Ukrainian bass-baritone [[Vladyslav Buialskyi]], making his Met debut; footage of him standing center-stage as the only singer without a score and with a hand over his heart was aired by Ukrainian news outlets.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/13/arts/music/met-opera-ukraine-russia.html |title=On a Stage 5,000 Miles Away, He Sings for His Family in Ukraine |last=Hernández |first=Javier C. |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 13, 2022 |access-date=April 9, 2022}}</ref>

In March 2022, Russian-born soprano [[Anna Netrebko]] made a public statement against the war but failed to explicitly denounce Putin, and was replaced by a Ukrainian singer.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 3, 2022 |title=Soprano Anna Netrebko withdraws from Met performances rather than renounce Putin |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/03/soprano-anna-netrebko-withdraws-from-met-performances-rather-than-renounce-putin |access-date=March 7, 2022|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> Netrebko had performed over 200 times at the Met over the past 20 years. Gelb called her dismissal "a great artistic loss for the Met and for opera" adding "but with Putin killing innocent victims in Ukraine there was no way forward" for her to continue to be associated with the Met.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hernández |first=Javier C. |date=March 3, 2022 |title=Anna Netrebko, Russian Diva, Is Out at the Metropolitan Opera|newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/arts/music/anna-netrebko-met-opera-ukraine.html |access-date=March 5, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 3, 2022 |title=Russian soprano Netrebko pulls out of Met Opera over Ukraine |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220303-russian-soprano-netrebko-pulls-out-of-met-opera-over-ukraine |access-date=March 7, 2022 |website=[[France 24]]}}</ref>

On March 14, the Met hosted a benefit concert with all proceeds going to relief efforts in Ukraine, with [[Sergiy Kyslytsya]], the [[Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations]] in attendance.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/15/arts/music/met-opera-ukraine.html |title=Review: With Anthems and Flags, the Met Opera Plays for Ukraine |last=Woolfe |first=Zachary|author-link=Zachary Woolfe|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 15, 2022 |access-date=March 23, 2022}}</ref> The concert, which was broadcast on worldwide radio including Ukrainian public radio, began with Buialskyi singing the national anthem of Ukraine as a soloist.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-philanthropy-opera-88f9c4d47e0f50f43d18a99f9e658fd9 |title=Metropolitan Opera holds special benefit concert for Ukraine |last=Blum |first=Ronald |website=[[Associated Press]]|date=March 16, 2022 |access-date=April 9, 2022}}</ref>

In December 2022, the Metropolitan Opera website was a target of a [[ransomware]] attack, with a "speculation that Russia could be behind the cyberattack". Gelb rejected that rumor.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bilefsky |first=Dan|author-link=Dan Bilefsky|date=December 14, 2022 |title=A Cyberattack Shuts the Met Opera's Box Office, but the Show Goes On|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/14/arts/music/met-opera-cyberattack.html |access-date=December 22, 2022}}</ref>

To mark the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, the Met Opera held a concert entitled "For Ukraine: A Concert of Remembrance and Hope" on February 24, 2023. The company's music director, [[Yannick Nézet-Séguin]], led the Met Orchestra and Chorus in a program of Mozart's [[Requiem (Mozart)|Requiem]] and Beethoven's [[Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)|Fifth Symphony]]. Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations, [[Sergiy Kyslytsya]], said, "This is a concert in celebration of Ukrainian resilience and hope. The Metropolitan Opera was among the first to show solidarity with Ukraine, its people, culture, and artists, and it has continued to do so throughout the past year of this tragic invasion. We're proud to work with the Met to promote a just peace." He added, "All wars come to an end, but we will always remember who was with us from the first, most difficult, moments."<ref>{{Cite web|type=press release|date=January 20, 2023 |title=For Ukraine: A Concert of Remembrance and Hope to be presented by the Metropolitan Opera on the one-year anniversary of the invasion Friday, February 24, at 7PM ET |url=https://www.metopera.org/about/press-releases/for-ukraine-a-concert-of-remembrance-and-hope-to-be-presented-by-the-metropolitan-opera-on-the-one-year-anniversary-of-the-war-friday-february-24-at-7pm-et/ |website=metopera.org}}</ref>