The Met’s New Production of Strauss’s Salome Premieres April 29

Starring soprano Elza van den Heever and baritone Peter Mattei

Directed by Claus Guth in his Met debut

Led by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin

The Met: Live in HD transmission of Salome to be broadcast worldwide on May 17

New York, NY (March 18, 2025)—The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Strauss’s Salome opens on Tuesday, April 29, marking the first new Met production of the opera in more than 20 years. Soprano Elza van den Heever in the title role and baritone Peter Mattei as Jochanaan reunite on the Met stage following their acclaimed performances in Berg’s Wozzeck in the 2019–20 season. In his Met debut, director Claus Guth leads a Victorian-era production that explores societal tension and modern psychological themes and draws inspiration from Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Met’s Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director, conducts the one-act tragedy for his first time at the Met. Mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung is Herodias, alongside tenor Gerhard Siegel as Herod. Tenor Piotr Buszewski, following his 2023 Met debut in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, is Narraboth. Maestro Derrick Inouye conducts the May 10 and 24 performances, and tenor Chad Shelton appears as Herod on May 10. Shelton will also appear as Chekalinsky in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades later in the season.

The creative team also includes set designer Etienne Pluss, costume designer Ursula Kudrna, lighting designer Olaf Freese, choreographer Sommer Ulrickson, and dramaturg Yvonne Gebauer, all making their company debuts. Projection design is by rocafilm/Roland Horvath.

Gallery Met

In connection with the new production of Salome and as part of the company’s Gallery Met initiative, the Met will display a banner by artist Peter Doig on the façade of the opera house from March 31–May 24. The painting on which the banner is based will also be on view inside the opera house. A gift from Marie Schwartz made the Gallery Met initiative possible in 2006.

Learn more about Gallery Met, curated by Dodie Kazanjian, here.

Fridays Under 40

The Met’s Fridays Under 40 series continues May 2 with a party ahead of the evening performance of Salome. Available exclusively for operagoers 40 and under, the event features complimentary wine, themed activities, and more. All Friday performances at the Met are available to Fridays Under 40 audiences at special discounted rates. For further details, please click here.

Salome Worldwide Broadcasts in Cinema, on Radio, and Online

The performance of Salome on Saturday, May 17, will be transmitted live to movie theaters around the globe as part of the Met’s Live in HD series. Additionally, students and educators across the country will receive complimentary access to screenings of Salome at their local theaters as part of the HD Live in Schools initiative. As part of this program, the opera will also be transmitted live, for free, into participating high schools in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island.

The May 17 performance of Salome will also be broadcast live over The Robert K. Johnson Foundation—Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network. The performances on April 29 and May 17 will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on the SiriusXM app. Audio from the April 29 performance will also be streamed live on the Met’s website, metopera.org.

Toll Rush Tickets
The Met Opera app is now available for download on mobile devices, offering users a new way to purchase Toll Rush Tickets via an automated lottery. Lotteries open two weeks prior to a performance, and winners are notified the day before the performance. Toll Rush Tickets can also be purchased on a first-come, first-served basis by visiting metopera.org at 12PM for weekday performances, 2PM for Saturday evening performances, and four hours before curtain for matinee performances. Learn more about the Met Opera app here.

For More Information

For further details on Salome, including casting by date, please click here.