FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Great Barrington, Mass.—The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center will present eight screenings from the Metropolitan Opera's Live in HD 2026-27 season, October 4 through June 12.
The Met's new season opens at the Mahaiwe with Mozart's Così fan tutte on Sunday, October 4 at 1 p.m. Mozart's satirical comedy of fickle young love is one of the composer's most sublime creations. Phelim McDermott's "colorful, inventive" (The New York Times) staging, inspired by Coney Island in the 1950s, sets the uproarious story at a boardwalk amusement park, where the two pairs of lovers at the heart of the tale find themselves on one emotional—and literal—thrill ride after another. Soprano Federica Lombardi and mezzo soprano Samantha Hankey sing Fiordiligi and Dorabella, opposite tenor Duke Kim and baritone Andrey Zhilikhovsky as Ferrando and Guglielmo. Bass-baritone Gerald Finley reprises his portrayal of the cynical Don Alfonso, with soprano Ana María Martínez as the witty maid Despina. This screening is an encore per Mahaiwe scheduling.
The Mahaiwe will screen Verdi's Macbeth on Sunday, October 18 at 1 p.m. Two of opera's most extraordinary artists return for Verdi's thrilling take on the immortal Shakespearean tale of the scheming couple determined to seize power at any cost. Following past triumphs in many of Verdi's signature baritone roles, Quinn Kelsey is the Scottish king haunted by the ghosts of his murderous ascent to the throne, opposite Lise Davidsen—the world's reigning dramatic soprano—as the power-mad Lady Macbeth, whose ruinous ambition damns them both. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium for a penetrating production by Louisa Proske, a brilliant young director making waves around the world. Rounding out the all-star cast are tenor Freddie De Tommaso as the heroic Macduff and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green as Macbeth's friend-turned-victim Banquo. This screening is an encore per Mahaiwe scheduling.
The Mahaiwe will screen Saint-Saëns's Samson et Dalila on Sunday, December 6 at 1 p.m. Sacred, scandalous, and irresistibly alluring, Saint-Saëns's spectacular take on the biblical hero of legendary strength and the seductive Philistine whose beauty overpowers him returns in the Met's larger-than-life production. Featuring a massive orchestra and chorus and some of opera's most spellbinding tunes, this masterpiece of French grand opera is a feast for the eyes and ears. Giacomo Sagripanti conducts an electrifying cast led by the formidable star pairing of mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina and tenor Clay Hilley. This screening is an encore per Mahaiwe scheduling.
The Mahaiwe will screen Puccini's La Fanciulla del West on Saturday, January 23 at 1 p.m. Puccini's exhilarating drama of the Wild West returns in a new staging by celebrated British director Richard Jones, marking the company's first new production of La Fanciulla del West in more than 30 years. Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky adds to her already remarkable Met repertoire, making her role debut as Minnie, the tough tavern owner with a heart of gold who finds love when she least expects it. Tenor SeokJong Baek is the dashing bandit who rambles into the remote California mining town to steal her heart, opposite baritone Christopher Maltman as the lawman determined to deliver rough justice—and win Minnie for himself. Maestro Keri-Lynn Wilson takes the podium to conduct one of opera's most action-packed adventures.
The Mahaiwe will screen Kevin Puts's Silent Night on Sunday, March 21 at 1 p.m. Following his smash-hit company debut with The Hours, composer Kevin Puts returns to the Met with his Pulitzer Prize–winning first opera, inspired by the true events of the 1914 Christmas truce, when soldiers spontaneously set aside the horrors of the First World War and crossed the trenches to mingle, exchange gifts, and sing carols with the enemy. A poignant depiction of shared humanity in the most inhumane circumstances, Puts's grand, cinematic opera—with a libretto by Mark Campbell based on the film Joyeux Noël—has been widely acclaimed since its 2011 premiere, hailed as "an overwhelming emotive experience" by The Guardian. Silent Night receives an evocative staging by James Robinson that takes the audience directly to the battlefields of the Western Front. The star-studded cast, featuring soprano Elza van den Heever and tenors Ben Bliss and Rolando Villazón, among many others, is conducted by debuting maestro Dalia Stasevska. This screening is an encore per Mahaiwe scheduling.
The Mahaiwe will screen Massenet's Manon on Sunday, April 4 at 12 p.m. Following her radiant performance in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette—which garnered raves for "high notes that spun like liquid gold … Sierra touched the operatic firmament" (The New York Times)—superstar soprano Nadine Sierra takes on another alluring French heroine, the irresistible title character of Massenet's passionate drama. Leading tenor Matthew Polenzani is her idealistic lover, the Chevalier des Grieux, with rising-star baritone Andrzej Filończyk as her stalwart cousin, Lescaut, in a breathtaking Belle Époque staging by director Laurent Pelly. This screening is an encore per Mahaiwe scheduling.
The Mahaiwe will screen Verdi's Otello on Sunday, April 25 at 1 p.m. One of today's leading dramatic tenors, Brian Jagde takes on the tour-de-force title role of what many consider the ultimate Italian opera. Verdi's monumental Shakespearean tragedy also features soprano Ailyn Pérez in her company role debut as the long-suffering Desdemona, alongside baritone Artur Ruciński as the sinister Iago. Michele Mariotti leads the full forces of the Met Orchestra and Chorus in the exhilarating score. This screening is an encore per Mahaiwe scheduling.
Wagner's Parsifal will close the Met's season at the Mahaiwe on Saturday, June 12 at 12 p.m. A profound philosophical meditation on compassion and reconciliation, this transcendent rendering of a medieval knight's heroic quest for the Holy Grail returns to the big screen in François Girard's celebrated production, a "thoughtful and intrepid staging, full of striking imagery" (The New York Times). Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts a cast of Wagnerian superstars, including tenor Piotr Beczała in the title role, mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča as the enigmatic Kundry, baritone Peter Mattei as the ailing Amfortas, bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green as the sorcerer Klingsor, and bass Jongmin Park as the wise Gurnemanz. This screening is an encore per Mahaiwe scheduling.
Mahaiwe lecturer Scott Eyerly will return to offer free opera talks online via Zoom, Thursday evenings at 5:30 p.m. the week of each broadcast. Zoom links will be available at mahaiwe.org.
Tickets
Tickets go on sale to Met Members and Mahaiwe Bravo Circle Members on Friday, July 17 at noon; to Mahaiwe Members on Wednesday, July 22 at noon; and to the public on Friday, July 24 at noon.
Tickets are $25 or $10 ages 21 and under. Tickets can be purchased online at mahaiwe.org, or by calling or visiting the Box Office, 413-528-0100, on Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
To learn more about Mahaiwe Membership, contact Brenna Hull at 413-644-9040 x107 or brenna@mahaiwe.org, or visit mahaiwe.org/membership.
The Mahaiwe accepts ConnectorCare/WIC/EBT cards — four free tickets to movies or HD broadcasts per individual. Learn more at mahaiwe.org/visit/ticketing-offers.
Season subscription renewals are due July 23. Contact boxoffice@mahaiwe.org to renew.
About the Mahaiwe
Located in downtown Great Barrington, Mass., the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is the year-round presenter of world-class music, dance, theater, opera, classic films, Live in HD broadcasts, and arts education programs for the southern Berkshires and neighboring regions. The intimate jewel box of a theater opened in 1905. Since 2005, the performing arts center has hosted over 2,500 events and welcomed over 600,000 people through its doors. More than 28,000 students from 77 different schools have benefited from the Mahaiwe's school-time performances and residencies. In 2025, the Mahaiwe opened a second performance venue, the Indigo Room. For more information, see mahaiwe.org.
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