New Opera at the Met:
Then and Now

“We are living in modern times, and we should be interested in modern art works.” These words, spoken in 1908 by the Met’s General Manager at the time, Giulio Gatti-Casazza, echo down to us today, aptly describing the artistic vision of the Metropolitan Opera more than 100 years later. Just as Gatti-Casazza sought to reinvigorate the art form of opera by connecting it with contemporary society, so have today’s General Manager, Peter Gelb, and Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin announced their commitment to nurturing and presenting increased numbers of new and recent works, created by a diverse range of composers and librettists and addressing the urgent issues of our time.

To that end, the next five seasons at the Met will feature between 15 and 20 new operas—the most in such a short span since a similar succession of premieres in the early years of the 20th century. New Opera at the Met: Then and Now explores the parallels between that historic period and the one planned for 2023–28, each marked by extraordinary evolution and expansion of the Met repertory.

Maurice Wheeler, Archives Director; John Tomasicchio, Associate Director of Archives;
Karin Satrom and Jillian Morris, Design; Jackson Talley, Production; Peter Clark, Consultant