American Opera at the Met

The exciting 2021–22 lineup features four operas by American composers, the most so far in a single season. But for many years, the company has been at the forefront of a national push to develop a native operatic tradition. In celebration of this legacy, we are proud to present American Opera at the Met, an exhibition in Founders Hall that draws on archival photos, correspondence, and business documents spanning more than a century to recount the history of home-grown works at the nation’s largest opera house. To enhance your appreciation of some of the pieces featured in the exhibition—or if you’re unable to visit in person—enjoy selections from more than a dozen American operas performed by the company in past seasons, including Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, and Philip Glass’s Satyagraha and Akhnaten. This special playlist also showcases excerpts from a number of works that had their world premieres on the Met stage, such as Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra, John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, and John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby.