Press Center

JAMES LEVINE LEADS MUSICIANS FROMTHE
METROPOLITAN OPERA ORCHESTRA IN
FOUR PROGRAMS AT CARNEGIE HALL, JANUARY-MAY 2011  

The MET Orchestra Performs Mozart’s “Posthorn” Serenade and
Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with Mezzo-Soprano Michelle DeYoung
and Tenor Simon O’Neill on January 23

Soprano Jo Ellen Miller Joins The MET Chamber Ensemble for Lukas Foss’s TimeCycle
Along with Works by Leon Kirchner, George Perle, and Brahms on January 30

The MET Orchestra Returns with Pianist Evgeny Kissin on April 10,
and Soprano Natalie Dessay on May 15 

James Levinewill lead musicians from The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in fourprograms at Carnegie Hall from January through May 2011, beginning with TheMET Orchestra, mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, and tenor SimonO’Neill performng Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde on Sunday, January23 at 3:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage on a program that alsoincludes Mozart’s Serenade in D Major, “Posthorn.” The following Sunday, onJanuary 30 at 5:00 p.m., Mr. Levine and The MET Chamber Ensemble performBrahms’s Serenade No. 2 in A Major, as well as three works by great Americancomposers who passed away in 2009: Leon Kirchner’s Music for Twelve,George Perle’s Serenade No. 1 for Viola and Chamber Ensemble, and Lukas Foss’s TimeCycle for soprano, clarinet, cello, percussion, and piano-celesta withsoprano Jo Ellen Miller.

On Sunday, April 10 at 3:00 p.m., The MET Orchestra returns to Stern Auditorium/PerelmanStage with Maestro Levine for Schoenberg’s Five Pieces for Orchestra and BrahmsSymphony No. 2 in D Major. Also, pianist Evgeny Kissin joins theorchestra for Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor. The MET Orchestra’sfinal Carnegie Hall concert of the season is led by Maestro Levine and featuressoprano Natalie Dessay singing works by Berg, Ravel, Reinhold Glière,Rachmaninoff, Poulenc, and Massenet on Sunday, May 15 at 3:00 p.m. in SternAuditorium/Perelman Stage.

About the Artists
Mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung has established herself as one of themost exciting artists of her generation having appeared with many of theworld's leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, BostonSymphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, SanFrancisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, ViennaPhilharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, and Berliner Staatskapelle, among others. Ms.DeYoung has appeared at many of the finest opera houses including theMetropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, SeattleOpera, Glimmerglass Opera, the Bayreuth Festival, Berliner Staatsoper, the OperaNational de Paris, the Théâtre du Châtelet, and Tokyo Opera. Her roles includeFricka, Sieglinde, and Waltraute in the Ring; Kundry in Parsifal,Venus in Tannhäuser, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde, Dido in LesTroyens, Marguerite in La Damnation de Faust, Gertrude in Hamlet,Jocaste in Oedipus Rex, and the title role in The Rape of Lucretia.This season, Ms. DeYoung makes her debut at the Basel Opera as Amneris in Aida,sings Oedipus Rex with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by JamesLevine, and appears in performances of Bluebeard's Castle with Esa-PekkaSalonen and the New York Philharmonic.

Simon O’Neill has rapidly established himself as one of the finestheldentenors on the international stage. A native of New Zealand, he is aprincipal artist with the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, CoventGarden, La Scala, and both the Bayreuth and Salzburg Festivals. A consummatemusician, both a pianist and tuba player, this year he opens La Scala's seasonas Siegmund in Die Walküre, followed by Cavaradossi in Tosca atthe Berlin Deutsche Oper, Siegfried in Götterdämmerung in La Coruña,Mahler's Eighth Symphony at the Edinburgh Festival, Die Walküre Act Onewith the Colorado Symphony, and the title role in Samson et Dalilah atAmsterdam’s Concertgebouw. Mr. O’Neill also appears at the Bayreuth Festival inthe title role of Parsifal and at the Berlin Staatsoper as Siegmund. Atextremely short notice Mr. O’Neill made his debut in the title role of Verdi’s Otelloin concert at the Barbican with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by SirColin Davis (2009). His discography includes his debut solo award winningalbum; Father and Son, Wagner Scenes and Arias for EMI, DieZauberflöte with Riccardo Muti for the Salzburg Festival’s 25 DVD Mozartset, and Chausson’s Le Roi Arthus with Leon Botstein and the BBCSymphony Orchestra.

Soprano Jo Ellen Miller recently appeared with James Levine and the METChamber Ensemble as the soprano soloist in Pierre Boulez’ Improvisations surMallarmé at Carnegie Hall. In 2009, she made her Chicago Symphony Orchestradebut as the soloist in Elliott Carter’s A Mirror on Which to Dwell,conducted by Mr. Boulez. She has sung an extensive number of contemporary worksat Tanglewood Music Center, Ravinia Festival, the Library of Congress, HarvardCollege, Columbia University, the 92nd St. Y, and the Tenri Institute in NewYork City. She recently collaborated with composer John Aylward in recordingthe premiere of his song cycle written especially for her, Songs from theWild Iris, for Albany Records. In 2006, she was awarded the Grace B.Jackson Prize for Vocal Fellows for her achievements at Tanglewood MusicCenter. She holds a master’s degree in music from the University of Michiganand a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Carnegie Mellon University.

Since his June 5, 1971 debut at the Metropolitan Opera with Tosca, MusicDirector James Levine has developed a relationship with the company thatis unparalleled in its history and unique in the musical world today. Heconducted the first-ever Met performances of Mozart's Idomeneo and LaClemenza di Tito, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Stravinsky's OedipusRex, Verdi's I Vespri Siciliani, I Lombardi and Stiffelio,Weill's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Schoenberg's Erwartungand Moses und Aron, Berg's Lulu, Rossini's La Cenerentolaand Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini, as well as the world premieres of JohnCorigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles and John Harbison's The GreatGatsby. All told, he has led nearly 2,500 performances of 85 differentoperas at The Met. Maestro Levine inaugurated the "Metropolitan OperaPresents" television series for PBS in 1977, founded The Met’s LindemannYoung Artist Development Program in 1980, returned Wagner's complete DerRing des Nibelungen to the repertoire in 1989 (in the first integral cyclesin over 35 years there), and has reinstated recitals and concerts with Metartists at the opera house. Expanding on that tradition, he and the METOrchestra began touring in concert in 1991, and since then have performedaround the world as well as in its own subscription series at Carnegie Hall.Since 1998, Maestro Levine and the MET Chamber Ensemble have also performedthree concerts annually at Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall. In his 40thanniversary season, Maestro Levine, who has conducted more performances at theMet than any conductor in the company’s 126-year history, will conduct sixoperas across a range of repertory.

The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra is today regarded as one of the world’sfinest orchestras. From the time of the company’s inception in 1883, theensemble has worked with leading conductors in both opera and concertperformances and has developed into an orchestra of enormous technical polishand style. Seven new productions, including two company premieres and the firsttwo parts of a new Ring cycle, featuring many of the world’s greatest singersand conductors, highlight the Metropolitan Opera’s 2010-11 season. In thespring of 1991, the Orchestra under the leadership of James Levine beganconcert touring, taking them across the US and to Europe several times. Theorchestra appears in an annual series of concerts concert at Carnegie Hall.


Program Information
Sunday, January 23, 2011 at 3:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
THE MET ORCHESTRA
James Levine, Music Director and Conductor
Michelle DeYoung, Mezzo-Soprano
Simon O'Neill, Tenor

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Serenade in D Major, K. 320, "Posthorn"
GUSTAV MAHLER Das Lied von der Erde

Tickets: $52, $62, $80, $109, $148, $164
__________________________________

Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 5:00 p.m.
Weill Recital Hall
THE MET CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
James Levine, Artistic Director and Conductor
Jo Ellen Miller, Soprano

LEON KIRCHNER Music for Twelve
GEORGE PERLE Serenade No. 1 for Viola and Chamber Ensemble
LUKAS FOSS Time Cycle for soprano, clarinet, cello, percussion, andpiano-celesta
JOHANNES BRAHMS Serenade No. 2 in A Major, Op. 16

Tickets: $97
__________________________________

Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 3:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
THE MET ORCHESTRA
James Levine, Music Director and Conductor
Evgeny Kissin, Piano

ARNOLD SCHOENBERG Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11
JOHANNES BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73

Tickets: $61, $73, $95, $131, $179, $198
__________________________________

Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 3:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
THE MET ORCHESTRA
James Levine, Music Director and Conductor
Natalie Dessay, Soprano

ALBAN BERG Lulu Suite
MAURICE RAVEL Vocalise-étude en forme de Habanera
REINHOLD GLIÈRE Andante from Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14
CLAUDE DEBUSSY Images
FRANCIS POULENC "Non, Monsieur mon mari" from Les Mamelles deTirésias
JULES MASSENET "Je marche sur tous les chemins . . . Obéissons quand leurvoix appelle" from Manon

Tickets: $52, $62, $80, $109, $148, $164


Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.