Celebrate 125 Years of Metropolitan Opera History with Historic Broadcast on SIRIUS XM’S Metropolitan Opera Radio Channel

SIRIUS XM will broadcast the Met’s 125th anniversary gala performance featuring a host of stars, conducted by James Levine, live from the Met stage on March 15

Gala marks the 40th anniversary of the Met debut of Placido Domingo

Met Opera Radio’s day-long celebration will spotlight high points from Met Opera history, including many historic broadcasts not heard since their original performance

NEW YORK, March 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — SIRIUS XM Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) today announced it will broadcast the Metropolitan Opera’s 125th Anniversary celebration live from the Met on Metropolitan Opera Radio, SIRIUS channel 78 and XM channel 79, on Sunday, March 15 starting at 6 pm ET.

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The Met Opera Radio gala broadcast will feature Met stars performing in recreations of classic productions and will be conducted by the Met’s longtime music director, James Levine. The Met gala also marks the 40th anniversary of the Met debut of Placido Domingo, who will be a featured performer. He will be joined by Met stars: Roberto Alagna, Stephanie Blythe, Natalie Dessay, Renee Fleming, Juan Diego Florez, Angela Gheorghiu, Marcello Giordani, Maria Guleghina, Thomas Hampson, Ben Heppner, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Maija Kovalevska, Mariusz Kwiecien, Waltraud Meier, James Morris, Sondra Radvanovsky, John Relyea, John Tomlinson, and Deborah Voigt.

Highlights from the gala performance will include four excerpts from Faust, the opera that opened the Met on October 22, 1883; an aria from Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West, which had its world premiere at the Met in 1910; the finales of both Das Rheingold and Siegfried, in homage to the first Ring cycle given in America at the Met in 1889; and three tenor arias from Puccini operas saluting the productions of Franco Zeffirelli. Margaret Juntwait will serve as host, joined by commentator William Berger, for the Metropolitan Opera’s 125th Anniversary Gala broadcast.

Met General Manager Peter Gelb said, “We would like this to be a celebration of both the music and the rich theatrical history of the old and new Met, which is why we are going beyond the traditional gala format. This will be more than the typical gala parade of singers.”

“SIRIUS XM is thrilled to celebrate the rich musical history of the Met and broadcast this tribute for existing opera lovers and to create new opera fans,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SIRIUS XM Radio. “Metropolitan Opera Radio broadcasts the greatest artists from the opera world today and the definitive collection of legendary moments from the Met’s glorious past.”

Met Opera Radio will also air a full-day marathon of historic performances not heard since their original broadcast. SIRIUS XM listeners will hear satellite radio premieres from the Met’s broadcast archives, including Giordano’s Andrea Chenier featuring Placido Domingo and Martina Arroyo; Barber’s Vanessa with Eleanor Steber and Nicolai Gedda; and Janacek’s Jenufa with Gabriela Benackova, Ben Heppner and Leonie Rysanek. The broadcast of these performances from the Met archives begins on Sunday, March 15 starting at 6 am ET. For a complete broadcast schedule, please visit www.sirius.com/metropolitanoperaradio or www.xmradio.com.

Metropolitan Opera Radio broadcasts an unprecedented number of live Metropolitan Opera performances each week throughout the Met’s entire season, as well as the largest collection of live recordings, newly restored and re-mastered, from the Met’s 77-year broadcast history. The 24/7 channel features an average of four live broadcasts each week throughout the Met’s performance season enhanced with live interviews and dynamic intermission programs in addition to Saturday matinee performances. A weekly schedule of this season’s Metropolitan Opera Radio broadcasts on SIRIUS XM is available at www.sirius.com/metropolitanoperaradio and www.xmradio.com.

For more information about the Metropolitan Opera, please visit www.metopera.org

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