Franco Zeffirelli’s iconic production of La Bohème returns to the Met stage on October 25

Franco Zeffirelli’s iconic production of La Bohème returns to the Met stage on October 25 

• Ailyn Pérez and Matthew Polenzani are the star-crossed lovers Mimì and Rodolfo 

• Three artists in the cast make Met debuts: Olga Kulchynska as Musetta, Andrey Zhilikhovsky as Schaunard, and Jongmin Park as Colline 

• Conductor Marco Armiliato, who has conducted 70 performances of this opera at the Met, leads from the podium

New York, NY (October 16, 2019)—The Metropolitan Opera presents Puccini’s La Bohème, conducted by Marco Armiliato, with eight initial performances beginning October 25, 2019. Ailyn Pérez returns to the role of the seamstress Mimì; her lover, the poet Rodolfo, is portrayed by Matthew Polenzani in his Met role debut. Olga Kulchynska makes her Met debut as the singer Musetta, while David Bizic sings the role of the painter Marcello. The supporting cast features Andrey Zhilikhovsky in his Met debut as Schaunard, Jongmin Park in his Met debut as Colline, and Arthur Woodley as Benoit and Alcindoro. At the performance on November 14, Hei-Kyung Hong stars as Mimì and Jacqueline Echols sings the role of Musetta. The opera is presented in Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production, the most-performed production of an opera in Met history. These performances are dedicated to the memory of Zeffirelli, who died in June.

La Bohème returns twice more in the Met’s 2019–20 season.  Five performances in January 2020 star Maria Agresta as Mimì, Roberto Alagna as Rodolfo, Susanna Phillips as Musetta, Artur Ruciński as Marcello, Elliot Madore as Schaunard, Christian Van Horn as Colline, and Donald Maxwell as Benoit and Alcindoro, conducted by Armiliato. The production returns for three performances in April and May 2020 featuring Pérez as Mimì, Joseph Calleja as Rodolfo, Jennifer Rowley as Musetta,  Carlos Álvarez as Marcello, Rodion Pogossov as Schaunard, Tareq Nazmi in his Met debut as Colline, and Woodley as Benoit and Alcindoro, conducted by Emmanuel Villaume.

La Bohème Worldwide Broadcasts on Radio and Online

The October 25 and November 21 performances of La Bohème will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on Sirius XM Channel 75, and the October 25 and November 21 performances will also be streamed live on the Met’s web site, metopera.org. A performance from the fall run of La Bohème will also be taped for broadcast over the Toll Brothers–Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network on January 25, 2020.

La Bohème Artist Biographies

American soprano Ailyn Pérez reprises Mimì, which she sang at the Met last season. She made her company debut in 2015 as Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen, followed by performances as Juliette in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, the title role in Massenet’s Thaïs, and Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff. She is a winner of the 2012 Richard Tucker Award, the Met’s 2016 Beverly Sills Artist Award, the 2017 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, and the 2019 Opera News Awards. She will sing Amelia Grimaldi in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra later this season at the Met. Other performances this season include Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci at Dutch National Opera, Antonia in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann at Paris Opera, the title role in Massenet’s Manon at Vienna State Opera, and the title role in Dvořák’s Rusalka at Santa Fe Opera.

Ukrainian soprano Olga Kulchynska makes her Met debut as Musetta, a role she has previously sung at Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Dutch National Opera, and Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. She has previously been seen in roles such as Leïla in Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles at Opernhaus Zürich and in Barcelona, Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at Bavarian State Opera, and Rosina in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Paris Opera. This season, she sings Musetta, Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel, and Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in Zürich, as well as Pamina in Munich.

American tenor Matthew Polenzani adds a new role to his Met repertory as Rodolfo. He has sung more than 360 performances with the company since his debut in 1997 as Boyar in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov. Other Met roles include the title role of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, the title role of Mozart’s Idomeneo, Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, the title character in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, the Duke in Verdi’s Rigoletto, and role debuts as Nadir in the Met’s new production premieres of Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles and in the title role of Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux. Also this season at the Met, he sings Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth and the Italian Singer in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier.

Serbian baritone David Bizic reprises Marcello, which he previously sang at the Met in the 2014–15 and 2016–17 seasons. Other roles at the Met include his debut as Albert in Massenet’s Werther in 2014 and Sharpless in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. Other performances include Lescaut in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut at Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen at Dijon Opera, and Albert at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Also this season, he sings the title role in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin at Israeli Opera and Rene Gallimard in the world premiere of Huang Ruo’s M. Butterfly at Santa Fe Opera.

Moldovan baritone Andrey Zhilikhovsky makes his Met debut as Schaunard, a role he has previously sung at Paris Opera. He has been seen in roles such as Figaro in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Glyndebourne Festival and Washington National Opera; Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma; Robert in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta at Paris Opera; and Robert, Marcello in La Bohème, and Dr. Malatesta in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale at the Bolshoi Theatre. He will also be seen this season as Marcello at Bavarian State Opera and the Munich Opera Festival.

Korean bass Jongmin Park makes his Met debut as Colline, a role he has previously sung at Vienna State Opera. He has sung extensively in Vienna in such roles as Lodovico in Verdi’s Otello, Figaro in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Raimondo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, and Banquo in Verdi’s Macbeth. This season in Vienna, he reprises Figaro and will also be seen as Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Comte des Grieux in Massenet’s Manon.

American bass Arthur Woodley made his Met debut earlier this season in the new production of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. He originated the role of Emile Griffith in Terence Blanchard's Champion at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2013 and went on to sing it at Washington National Opera and Opéra de Montréal. Other recent performances include Dick Hallorann in the world premiere of Paul Moravec’s The Shining at Minnesota Opera, Dr. Bartolo in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at Seattle Opera and Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Daland in Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer at Cincinnati Opera. He reprises Emile Griffith at Michigan Opera Theatre later this season.

Italian conductor Marco Armiliato has conducted more than 430 performances at the Met, including 70 performances of La Bohème, since his Met debut in 1998. In recent seasons, he has conducted performances at the Vienna State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opernhaus Zürich, and Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Also this season at the Met he leads Verdi’s Macbeth and Puccini’s Turandot. Other performances this season include Puccini’s Tosca and Verdi’s Aida and Il Trovatore at Vienna State Opera, La Bohème and Aida in Zürich, and La Bohème at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

For More Information

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

La Bohème

Music by Giacomo Puccini

Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica

Friday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 30 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 2 at 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 9 at 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, November 17 at 3:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, January 12 at 3:00 p.m.

Friday, January 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 25 at 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 7 at 8:00 p.m.

Production a gift of Mrs. Donald D. Harrington

Revival a gift of Rolex

For prices and ticket information, please call (212) 362-6000 or visit metopera.org.
Special rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling (212) 341-5410 or visiting metopera.org/groups