Live radio broadcasts of Metropolitan Opera performances have been a treasured tradition going back to 1931, thanks in large part to funding by major sponsors, starting with Texaco in 1940 and followed by the Toll Brothers Family in 2003. The Met recently announced that The Robert K. Johnson Foundation will become the new sponsor of Saturday Matinee Radio Broadcasts beginning in December 2023. This sponsorship will extend through the 2031-2032 season, which will mark the 100th year of the broadcasts. In fact, this series is the longest-running Classical music program on American radio, reaching millions of listeners each year through nearly 600 radio stations nationwide and in 35 other countries, a testament to the power of this artistic expression.
Peter Gelb, the Met's Maria Manetti Shrem General Manager, said, “The Saturday Matinee Broadcasts have been a vital tool for connecting the Met to audiences across the globe. The Robert K. Johnson Foundation’s investment in this 92-year tradition will keep the vibrancy of opera on the airwaves for years to come and ensure that this art form remains accessible to millions of listeners.” The Foundation’s Executive Director, Thomas Patrick Dore, Jr., noted, “Mr. Johnson has long held the Met Saturday Matinee Radio Broadcasts in a special place in his heart and in his Saturday schedule. The Foundation is thankful for the opportunity to continue in the tradition of the Toll Brothers Family in supporting the Metropolitan Opera.”
The Met has planned an ambitious and exciting 2023-24 broadcast season. Included are four Met premieres: Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean; Anthony Davis’s X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, written in the 1980s and based on the life of the civil rights leader; Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas, which will be the Met's first opera in Spanish in nearly a century; and John Adams’s nativity oratorio, El Niño. Of course, the schedule is full of traditional favorites, including new productions of Bizet’s Carmen and Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, and revivals of long-treasured classics by Mozart, Wagner, Verdi, Puccini, Gounod, and Gluck. Other highlights include a return of Kevin Puts's The Hours; a Valentine’s special to showcase romantic duets in memorable performances from the Met's vast archives; "Mozart and Beethoven in Concert at the Met"; and Verdi's stirring Requiem. And the Met's popular Listener's Choice broadcast -- an archival performance selected by popular vote -- will air in early March 2023.
The Met’s Saturday Matinee Radio Broadcasts will continue to be presented live on WETA Classical each week during the Met's broadcast season. Please check our website for weekly opera information, not only about Met presentations but also about recorded performances from major opera houses scheduled during the Met's off-season.
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