Suggest an Edit Enter your suggested edit(s) to this article in the form field below Cancel Citation MLA 8TH EDITION Kallmann, Helmut et al. "Metropolitan Opera". The Canadian Encyclopedia , 15 December 2013, Historica Canada . www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/metropolitan-opera-emc. Accessed 30 May 2024. Copy APA 6TH EDITION Kallmann, H., & Haskell, R., & Winters, K., & Potvin, G. (2013). Metropolitan Opera. In The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/metropolitan-opera-emc Copy CHICAGO 17TH EDITION Kallmann, Helmut , and Richard Haskell, , and Kenneth Winters, , and Gilles Potvin. "Metropolitan Opera." The Canadian Encyclopedia . Historica Canada. Article published January 03, 2010; Last Edited December 15, 2013. Copy TURABIAN 8TH EDITION The Canadian Encyclopedia , s.v. "Metropolitan Opera," by Helmut Kallmann, Richard Haskell, Kenneth Winters, and Gilles Potvin, Accessed May 30, 2024, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/metropolitan-opera-emc Copy Share Share on Facebook Share on X Share by Email Share on Google Classroom Thank you for your submission Our team will be reviewing your submission and get back to you with any further questions. Thanks for contributing to The Canadian Encyclopedia. Close Article Metropolitan Opera Article by Helmut Kallmann , Richard Haskell , Kenneth Winters , Gilles Potvin Published Online January 3, 2010 Last Edited December 15, 2013 Metropolitan Opera. This illustrious and venerable (founded 1883) New York company has influenced the development of opera in Canada through its tours, broadcasts, and talent-development programs. Metropolitan Opera Metropolitan Opera. This illustrious and venerable (founded 1883) New York company has influenced the development of opera in Canada through its tours, broadcasts, and talent-development programs. After an appearance in Toronto (26 Jan 1892 at the Pavilion, in excerpts from Rossini's Semiramide ) by Adelina Patti supported by Metropolitan Opera soloists and orchestra (about 20 instrumentalists) under Luigi Arditi, and after four concerts in Montreal (1896 at Windsor Hall) by the Metropolitan orchestra under Anton Seidl, the Metropolitan as a company gave its first season in Canada in 1899 performing La Traviata, Carmen, Faust, Romeo and Juliet , and The Barber of Seville at the Toronto Grand Opera House and Montreal's Her Majesty's Theatre . The cast included Marcella Sembrich, Giuseppe Campanari, Emma Calve, Pol Plancon, and Edouard de Reszke. The Met returned to Toronto and Montreal in 1901 with Lohengrin, Romeo and Juliet, Faust, Manon, Carmen , and Tannhauser . Singers included Sybil Sanderson, Emma Eames, and Marcel Journet. Four operas were offered in Montreal in 1911: Aida with Louise Homer, Emmy Destinn, and Antonio Scotti under Arturo Toscanini; Madama Butterfly with Geraldine Farrar; Tannhauser with Olive Fremstad, Alma Gluck, and Leo Slezak; and Faust with Jeanne Maubourg as Siebel. 1940s In September 1941, the Montreal-based France-Film, leading French film distributor in Canada and owner of the St-Denis Theatre , joined forces with the Montreal Festivals to present at that theatre "Metropolitan Opera au Saint-Denis," seven performances using singers from the company and a number of Canadians for supporting roles, a chorus of 40, and 16 dancers all from the New York house, with Wilfrid Pelletier and Jean Morel as conductors, Desire Defrere as stage director, and Fausto Cleva as chorus master. The Met technical staff and scenery were used but the orchestra was that of the Montreal Festivals. Leading Met singers included Bampton, Martinelli, Warren, and Jennie Tourel. These were Tourel's first performances in Montreal; she sang the title roles in Mignon and Carmen . Canadians who appeared with the troupe were Rose Comete-Morin, Paul-Emile Corbeil , Jeanne Desjardins , Dolores Drolet, Marcelle Monette, and David Rochette. A season in September 1942 offered 10 operas including Charpentier's Louise and Massenet's Thais , but was under France-Film's sole sponsorship, with Pelletier as artistic director. Met singers included Moore, Steber, Sayao, Jepson, Martini, Peerce, Tibbett, Thomas, and Pinza. Canadians were included again in 1943 in Boris Godunov : Desjardins (The Innkeeper), Anna Malenfant (Marina), and Gerard Gelinas (Lovitzky). In 1944 Pelleas et Melisande was one of seven operas offered. In 1945 Desjardins appeared in Manon, Faust , and Lakme . Jean-Marie Beaudet was a guest conductor in 1943 and 1944. In 1945 performances of Lakme, Manon, Carmen, Faust, La Traviata , and La Boheme were given in Toronto's Massey Hall and in Quebec City's Capitol Theatre as well as in Montreal under France-Film auspices. Although these performances used the Metropolitan's singers, chorus, and ballet, they were not officially Metropolitan Opera performances. In the same category was a production of Gounod's Romeo et Juliette that Pelletier conducted in Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, and Windsor in May 1943. Jeanette MacDonald (who never sang at the Met) and Armand Tokatyan sang the title roles, Pinza was Frere Laurent, and there were other Met singers in the cast along with three Canadians: Lionel Daunais (Mercutio), Jeanne Desjardins (Gertrude), and Gerard Gelinas (Gregorio). The orchestra, chorus, and ballet were borrowed from the New York house. The Met as such did not perform again in Canada until 1952. 1950s-60s The Met's 1952 performances in Canada were given at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens (where a production of Carmen with Rise Stevens established an attendance record - 11,352 - for opera indoors) and at the Montreal Forum . Performances continued at the Gardens (annually until 1960) and at the Forum (1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, and 1958), and six operas were presented in Toronto at O'Keefe Centre in 1961. The Toronto visits (1952-61) were sponsored by the Rotary Club. 1960s - 80s Prohibitive costs prevented appearances on tour by the full company in the years following. The Met nevertheless returned to Canada in 1984 for Toronto's International Festival with Peter Grimes (with Jon Vickers ), Francesca da Rimini, Ernani, Die Walkure, The Abduction from the Seraglio, Rinaldo and Tosca . Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Opera National Company, a youthful troupe under the artistic direction of Rise Stevens, performed in Montreal, in Toronto and in Vancouver in 1965-6 ( Cinderella, Madama Butterfly, Carmen , and Carlisle Floyd's Susannah ) and in 1966-7 ( La Boheme, La Traviata, The Marriage of Figaro , and The Rape of Lucretia ). Canadians in the company included Clarice Carson , who made her debut with the main company in 1967; Huguette Tourangeau , who made her debut with the main company in 1973; and Peter van Ginkel. This initiative was abandoned, however, due to ever-increasing costs. Broadcasting Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts originated in 1931, and were sponsored after 1940 by Texaco on a US network (in turn NBC, ABC, CBS, and a private syndication - the Texaco-Metropolitan Opera radio network). These broadcasts were heard in Canada for several years over the CRBC and thereafter on the CBC, giving Canadians (who otherwise would have heard little opera during those years) a regular experience of first-class opera performance. These performances have continued to be heard regularly on CBC Radio 2 well into the 2000s. In addition to Met broadcasts heard on CBC Radio are those featured on Sirius Satellite Radio. Metropolitan Opera Radio operates 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. It debuted 25 Sep 2006 with Puccini's Madama Butterfly . Canadian listeners are able to hear this channel as well as weekly performances streamed via the Met's website. Another highly successful means of disseminating opera outside the actual hall is the presentation of live performances ("simulcasts") in specially equipped movie theatres throughout the world, in the series titled Live in High Definition . The first such presentation was held in December 2006, with a performance of Mozart's The Magic Flute . By 2007 the Met was expanding its high-level simulcasts. In Canada, the Cineplex chain added 40 new screens for a total of 100. These presentations have proven enormously popular, with numerous theatres selling out regularly. Met Auditions To discover and encourage new talent, in 1935 the Met (under the initiative of Wilfrid Pelletier) began the radio program "Auditions of the Air" which continued annually (except for the seasons 1945-6 and 1946-7) under Pelletier's baton until 1958. By 1958 the Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional Auditions, begun in 1954, had taken over the function of the radio auditions. Pierrette Alarie won the "Auditions of the Air" in 1945, Denis Harbour in 1949, and Louis Quilico in 1955. The regional auditions, preceded by district competitions, were organized in 16 areas of the USA, and several accommodated Canadian participation. Ernesto Vinci , Irene Jessner , and Frederick Newnham were among the judges for several years. Ramona Luengen has also adjudicated for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions on a number of occasions. Ida Halpern was an organizer of the western region auditions. Among Canadian finalists in the auditions have been Joan Maxwell (1957), Milla Andrew (1958), Norman Mittelmann (1959), Teresa Stratas (1959), Heather Thomson (1961), Lois McDonall (1964), Huguette Tourangeau (1964), Maria Pellegrini (1965), Judith Forst (1968), Gabrielle Lavigne (1970), Ingrid Suderman (1971), Peter Barcza (1972), Jill Pert (1973), Lynn Blaser (1973), Mary-Lou Fallis (1974), Michele Boucher (1977), Ben Heppner (1988), Isabel Bayrakdarian (1997), David Dong Qyu Lee (1999), Mariateresa Magisano (2001), Philippe Castagner (2002), Joseph Kaiser and Michele Losier (2005), Nikki Einfeld (2006), Joyce El-Khoury (2007), and Simone Osborne (2008). Canadian Conductors and Others at the Met Canada has contributed more than singers to the Metropolitan Opera. Wilfrid Pelletier began his association with the Met in 1917 as rehearsal pianist and coach. He conducted his first opera there (Deems Taylor's The King's Henchman ) 14 Apr 1928 and was appointed conductor in 1929, a position he held until 1950. Edward Johnson was in turn a leading tenor (1922-35) and general manager (1935-50). Irene Pavloska was a member of the auditioning committee in the 1930s, and Ernesto Barbini was a member of the conducting staff 1946-52. Vancouver native Derrick Inouye began a term as assistant conductor there in 1988, and Jacques Lacombe made his conducting debut in 2004 in Massenet's Werther . Toronto-born Michael Levine has designed sets and costumes on a number of occasions, including the sets for two operas from the Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD series: Eugene Onegin (2007) and Madama Butterfly (2009). Robert Lepage directed Berlioz's La damnation de Faust at the Met in 2008. Special Events in the 1980s On 4 Apr 1981 a major New York social event, "Ball at the Opera House," paid tribute to "Canadian contributions to classical music and opera." On 29 Jan 1984 Canada officially saluted the Metropolitan on its centenary with a gift consisting of a production of Handel's Rinaldo with an all-star cast conducted by Mario Bernardi and featuring Marilyn Horne, Benita Valente and Samuel Ramey. Canadians at the Met Canadians who have performed at the Met are listed below (with the years of their first performances there) 1891 Emma Albani 1901 Albert Quesnel 1915 Louise Edvina 1916 Kathleen Howard 1917 Florence Easton 1919 Jeanne Gordon 1922 Edmund Burke , Edward Johnson 1928 Wilfrid Pelletier 1929 Edward Ransome 1936 Nicholas Massue , Jeanne Pengelly , Joseph Royer 1940 Raoul Jobin , Jean Dickenson 1941 Mona Paulee 1942 Jacques Gerard 1945 Pierrette Alarie 1946 Mary Henderson 1949 Denis Harbour 1951 George London 1956 Emilia Cundari 1959 Teresa Stratas 1960 Jon Vickers 1961 Gladys Kriese-Caporale, Norman Mittelmann 1962 Morley Meredith 1963 Leopold Simoneau , Richard Verreau 1967 Colette Boky , Clarice Carson, Lilian Sukis 1969 Judith Forst 1972 Louis Quilico 1973 Phil Stark , Huguette Tourangeau 1975 Maureen Forrester 1976 Allan Monk , Cornelis Opthof 1978 Alan Crofoot , Ermanno Mauro 1979 Mariana Paunova 1983 Nicole Lorange 1984 Victor Braun , Joseph Rouleau 1987 Paul Frey , Gino Quilico 1991 Tracy Dahl , Ben Heppner 1993 Michael Schade 1995 Russell Braun 1998 Gerald Finley 1999 John Fanning 2000 John Relyea 2002 Isabel Bayrakdarian 2004 Adrianne Pieczonka 2007 Joseph Kaiser, Michele Losier, Katherine Whyte Foreign-born artists who have lived or taught in Canada and have appeared at the Met include Jeanne Maubourg (Met debut 1909), Edoardo Ferrari-Fontana (1914), Florence Easton (1917), Irene Jessner (1936), Gina Cigna (1937), Ruby Mercer (1937), Martial Singher (1943), Richard Manning (1944) and Margaret Kalil (1966). Bibliography Sandwell, Bernard K. The Musical Red Book of Montreal (Montreal 1907) Metropolitan Opera Annals compiled by William H. Seltsam (New York 1947; supplement 1957; supplement 1968) Pelletier, Wilfrid. Une Symphonie inachevee (Montreal 1972) Mercer, Ruby. "Long live the Met," Opera Canada , vol 13, Summer 1972 Rubin, Stephen E. "Radio opera," Stereo Review , Jan 1973 Mercer, Ruby. "The Canadian Opera Company: a 150 year history," Opera Canada , vol 14, Fall 1973 "Metropolitan Opera in Toronto," Canadian Opera Company 1950-1977 (Toronto 1977) Eaton, Quaintance. Opera Caravan: Adventures of the Metropolitan Opera on Tour 1883-1956 (New York 1978) Feller, F. P. The Metropolitan Opera on Record (Westport, Conn. 1984) Baillie, Joan Parkhill. Look at the Record: An Album of Toronto's Lyric Theatres 1825-1984 (Oakville 1985) Poole, Jane L. ed. Mozart Metropolitan Opera (New York 1991) Weinman, Jaime. "Opera: Coming to a theatre near you," Maclean's , 10 Sep 2007 La Rochelle, Real. L'Opera du samedi: Le Metropolitan a la radio du Quebec (Quebec 2008) "Music for the masses; opera companies," The Economist , 5 Jul 2008