the Metropolitan Opera
/ðə ˌmetrəpɒlɪtən ˈɒprə/
/ðə ˌmetrəpɑːlɪtən ˈɑːprə/
(also also informal the Met)
- the leading US opera company, and one of the best known in the world, based in New York at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. It was established in 1883. The company's most famous head was Rudolf Bing, between 1950 and 1972. Its conductors have included Gustav Mahler and Arturo Toscanini, and its singers have included Enrico Caruso, Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti. Since 1931 it has broadcast its Saturday afternoon opera productions live on radio, and since 2006 it has regularly broadcast live performances via satellite to cinemas around the world.