The Metropolitan Opera Presents the Company Premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar on October 15
Director and choreographer Deborah Colker makes her Met debut
Sopranos Angel Blue, Gabriella Reyes, and Elena Villalón, mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, and renowned flamenco singer Alfredo Tejada are led by conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya in his Met debut
New York, NY (September 30, 2024)—Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov and librettist David Henry Hwang’s Grammy Award–winning opera, Ainadamar, has its company premiere on October 15. Brazilian director and choreographer Deborah Colker, known for her work with Cirque du Soleil and for choreographing the 2016 Rio Olympics opening ceremony, makes her Met debut with a production that blends flamenco, dance, projections, and poetry.
Sung in Spanish to a libretto translated by its composer, Ainadamar—literally “Fountain of Tears”—dramatizes the life and work of poet-playwright Federico García Lorca, whose socialist politics and homosexuality led to his violent assassination by Fascist forces at the start the Spanish Civil War.
Lorca’s story emerges through the memories of Catalan actress Margarita Xirgu, Lorca’s muse, sung by soprano Angel Blue. Blue returns later this season to make her Met role debut as the title character of Verdi’s Aida in a highly anticipated new production on New Year’s Eve. Soprano Gabriella Reyes performs the role on October 30. Lorca himself makes a dreamlike appearance, sung as a trouser role by mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack. Soprano Elena Villalón takes on the role of Nuria, a student to whom Xirgu reminisces about her memories of Lorca. Peruvian conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya leads Golijov’s flamenco- and rumba-infused score, and flamenco singer Alfredo Tejada is Ramón Ruiz Alonso, the Falangist politician who arranged Lorca’s execution; both Harth-Bedoya and Tejada make their Met debuts with this production.
Along with Colker, the creative team also includes set and costume designer Jon Bausor, lighting designer Paul Keogan, projection designer Tal Rosner, and flamenco choreographer Antonio Najarro in their Met debuts, along with sound designer Mark Grey.
Following the premiere on October 15, eight additional performances run through November 9.
Ainadamar Broadcasts on Radio and Online
The performances of Ainadamar on October 15, October 22, and November 6 will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on the SiriusXM app and streamed live on the Met’s website, metopera.org. Audio from a fall performance of Ainadamar will be rebroadcast over The Robert K. Johnson Foundation–Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network on April 5.
Public Programs and Special Events
In anticipation of the arrival of Ainadamar, the Met will present a series of events to introduce Osvaldo Golijov’s work to audiences. The list of events and details are below. Please note, the September 19 event has passed.
Film Works Alfresco with Inwood Arts
September 19, 6PM
Hispanic Society Museum & Library
Inspired by the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Ainadamar, which dramatizes the life of poet-playwright Federico García Lorca, the Hispanic Society and Inwood Art Works co-present a screening of the 1987 film La Casa de Bernarda Alba, based on the 1945 Lorca play of the same name. The film will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles and will feature a pre-show performance from the opera. Free; registration is required.
Fast and Furious at the Opera: The Art of Flamenco Meets the Legacy of Lorca
October 3, 7PM
Judson Memorial Church
Highlighting the flamenco energies in Ainadamar, the Metropolitan Opera and Judson Arts present an evening of dance, music, and conversation about Lorca’s enduring influence on contemporary artists. Join composer Osvaldo Golijov, director and choreographer Deborah Colker, performers from the Met’s production of Ainadamar, and legendary artist Joan Jonas for a singular celebration of one of Spain’s greatest voices.
Free; registration required, click here.
Fridays Under 40
The Met’s Fridays Under 40 series continues every Friday night with discounted tickets for audiences aged 40 and under. On Friday, October 25, prior to the performance of Ainadamar, there will be a special pre-show party exclusively for Fridays Under 40 ticket holders. For more information about Fridays Under 40, click here.
Toll Rush Tickets
The Met Opera app is now available for download on mobile devices, offering users a new way to purchase rush tickets via an automated lottery. Lotteries open two weeks prior to a performance, and winners are notified the day before the performance. Learn more about the Met Opera app here.
For More Information
For further details on Ainadamar, including casting by date, please click here.