Met to Host Jessye Norman Celebration, Open to the Public

Met to Host Jessye Norman Celebration, Open to the Public 

Sunday, November 24, 2019, at 3pm

New York, NY (November 6, 2019)—The life and career of Jessye Norman will be celebrated on Sunday, November 24, at the Metropolitan Opera House, in a special tribute to the opera star who died in September. Open to the public and invited guests, the 3pm event will feature performances by leading artists, remarks by artistic and civic leaders and Ms. Norman’s siblings, and video highlights of her career. Admission is free, with reserved seats obtainable by calling the Met on 212 362 6000 or visiting the Met box office from 10am on Saturday November 9.

Produced by the Met, the event will feature performances by Met artists J’Nai Bridges, Lise Davidsen, Leah Hawkins, Latonia Moore, and Eric Owens; the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; members of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus and the Met’s Porgy and Bess chorus; pianist Mark Markham and composer/pianist Damien Sneed. Speakers are James Howard Norman, Elaine Norman Sturkey, Anna Deavere Smith, Gloria Steinem, Clive Gillinson, Darren Walker, Peter Gelb, and the French former Minister of Culture Jack Lang.

This event is being supported by the Ford Foundation.

About Jessye Norman at the Metropolitan Opera

Starting with her Met debut as Cassandre in Berlioz’s Les Troyens on Opening Night of the Met’s centennial 1983–84 season, Jessye Norman sang more than 80 performances with the company, dazzling audiences with her beautiful tone, extraordinary power, and musical sensitivity. A revered Wagnerian, at the Met she was beloved for her interpretations of Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, Sieglinde in Die Walküre, and Kundry in Parsifal. Her wide-ranging Met repertoire also included works by Poulenc, Janáček, Bartók, and Schoenberg. She will perhaps be best remembered for her definitive portrayal of the title role in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. Her many telecasts, broadcasts, and recordings assure her legacy remains alive for future generations to enjoy.