Opera on BTPM Classical
Experience world-class opera on BTPM Classical every Saturday at 1pm! Enjoy full performances of legendary operas by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, and more.
The Metropolitan Opera’s radio broadcasts bring the magic of live opera to our listeners. Airing December through the first weekend of June, listeners can experience thrilling performances from today’s most renowned opera stars alongside legendary voices from the past, spanning over nine decades of Metropolitan Opera history, live from the Lincoln Center in New York City.
The WFMT Radio Network Opera Series extends the season beginning in June, offering an incredible lineup of performances to complete the year. From Milan to New York, Barcelona to Chicago, enjoy front-row access to iconic opera productions from the world’s top stages.
December 6 | La Bohème | Puccini
With its enchanting setting and spellbinding score, the world’s most popular opera is as timeless as it is heartbreaking. Franco Zeffirelli’s picture-perfect production brings 19th-century Paris to the Met stage as Puccini’s young friends and lovers navigate the joy and struggle of bohemian life. Sopranos Juliana Grigoryan, Angel Blue, and Aleksandra Kurzak trade off as the feeble seamstress Mimì, opposite tenors Freddie De Tommaso, Stephen Costello, Adam Smith, and Long Long as the ardent poet Rodolfo.
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Conductor: Daniele Rustioni
Venue: The Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts NYC
CAST:
Mimì: Juliana Grigoryan
Rodolfo: Stephen Costello
Musetta: Mané Galoyan
Marcello: David Bizic
Colline: Alexander Köpeczi
Schaunard: Iurii Samoilov
Benoit/Alcindoro: Donald Maxwell
December 13 | Andrea Chénier | Giordano
Giordano’s passionate tragedy stars tenor Piotr Beczała as the virtuous poet who falls victim to the intrigue and violence of the French Revolution. Following their celebrated recent partnership in Giordano’s Fedora, Beczała reunites with soprano Sonya Yoncheva as Chénier’s aristocratic lover, Maddalena di Coigny, with baritone Igor Golovatenko as Carlo Gérard, the agent of the Reign of Terror who seals their fates. Daniele Rustioni takes the podium to lead Nicolas Joël’s gripping staging.
Composer: Umberto Giordano
Conductor: Daniele Rustioni
Venue: The Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts NYC
CAST:
Andrea Chénier: Piotr Beczała
Maddalena di Coigny: Sonya Yoncheva
Carlo Gérard: Igor Golovatenko
December 20 | The Magic Flute | Mozart
A treasured holiday tradition, Mozart’s heartwarming fairy tale takes the stage in the Met’s abridged, English-language production by Julie Taymor—the Tony Award–winning director of Broadway’s The Lion King. Featuring some of opera’s most popular melodies and brought to life with colorful sets and costumes and dazzling puppetry, it’s perfect for audiences of all ages.
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor: Steven White
Venue: The Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts NYC
CAST:
Tamino: Paul Appleby
Pamina: Joélle Harvey
Papageno: Michael Sumuel
Queen of the Night): Rainelle Krause
Sarastro: Alexander Köpeczi
Monostatos: Thomas Capobianco
Speaker: Harold Wilson
December 27 | Handel at the MET | Handel
A celebration of Handel at the holidays, with excerpts from Met performances, in honor of the 300th anniversary of Rodelinda.
Composer: George Frideric Handel
Venue: The Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts NYC