Overview
As attempts to combat COVID-19 ramp up around the globe — and as bans on mass gatherings, such as Australia's new ban on events with over 500 people, come into effect in more countries — venues and organisations everywhere are temporarily shutting down. New York's Metropolitan Opera is one of them; however it's not letting its fans spend their self-isolating days without their beloved artform, announcing nightly live-streamed opera performances from its collection.
From Monday, March 16 US time (Tuesday, March 17, Down Under), the NY institution will stream a different opera each evening. Called Nightly Met Opera Streams, the program will start with high-profile shows such as Bizet's Carmen, Puccini's La Boheme, Verdi's Il Trovatore and La Traviata, Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment and Lucia di Lammermoor, and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin — streaming each for 20 hours from 7.30pm New York time each night.
Even better — Nightly Met Opera Streams is free, so you can enjoy world-class opera recorded live (and streamed in HD) without either paying a cent or leaving your couch.
At present, only the first week of shows has been announced. Featuring performances dating between 2007–2018, they star Met Opera talent such as Elīna Garanča, Roberto Alagna, Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Flórez.
Nightly Met Opera Streams commence on Tuesday, March 17, Australian and New Zealand time, with a new show live-streamed every day and available for 20 hours afterwards. For further details, visit the Met Opera website.
To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Top image: Bengt Nyman via Wikimedia Commons.