Metropolitan Opera Club

05/28/2026

The Metropolitan Opera Club was delighted to welcome celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves-Montgomery for a special dinner in her honor. Members were thrilled to celebrate Ms. Graves' honorary membership and to hear her in conversation with Honorary Member F. Paul Driscoll about her extraordinary life and career.

During the evening, Ms. Graves reflected on her early career, the important guidance of her first voice teachers, and the indelible memory her The Metropolitan Opera debut. She also shared the inspiring story behind the creation of The Denyce Graves Foundation coming out of the Covid pandemic, highlighting the remarkable work the foundation is doing today to support the next generation of vocal artists and to illuminate the stories of underrecognized musical pioneers.

Bravo to Ms. Graves and to our friends from The Denyce Graves Foundation, Terry Eberhardt, Symone Harcum and CJ Hartung, for joining us for this truly unforgettable evening!

01/30/2024

🌹L’amour est un oiseau rebelle que nul ne peut apprivoiser…the hosted another beautiful Festa evening for the ‘s new production of Carmen! Our younger members enjoyed a night of champagne, red roses and black fans, coupled with Bizet’s stunning music. Thank you to all our members and guests who attended!

01/26/2024

Thursday, January 18th marked the addition of a wonderful talent to the ‘s prestigious list of honorary members - Maestro Daniele Rustioni. is a world-class conductor who has conducted at such houses as the , , , and , among many others. Maestro Rustioni was joined in conversation with Honorary Member Maestro Donald Palumbo, chorus master of the Met Chorus, to discuss how they coordinate the orchestral and choral aspects of a performance with special emphasis on the new production of Carmen. It was a special evening marked with joy and laughter and many special guests, including honorary member F. Paul Driscoll, and many members of the Met chorus. Bravo Maestro!

12/26/2023

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/24/arts/music/mildred-miller-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

In her 23 years at the Met, she sang with the greatest stars of her day. She had a second career as a leading figure in the artistic life of Pittsburgh.

12/21/2023

The Program Committee was honored to welcome Sir Donald Runnicles ( ) Generalmusikdirektor of the and Music Director of the for an evening in the Club. Together with musicians (from left to right) Mary Hamman, viola: Stephanie Mortimore, principal piccolo; Billy Ray Hunter, principal trumpet; Bruno Eicher, Assistant Concertmaster; and Kari Docter, cello, who also play at the Grand Teton Festival, Maestro Runnicles discussed his current work conducting the current run of Tannhåuser and their experiences working together at the Festival. We were also joined by our friends from (left to right): Marco Jordao, Jeremy Little, Chase Cornett and Gregory Warren.

12/11/2023

A most welcome visit (and performance!) from our friends across the pond! members were honored with a visit from Dr. Harry Brunjes, Chairman of , along with his talented wife . Members might remember our virtual Cadenza lectures and the appearance of this dynamic duo from their Folkington Manor home. In a conversation with our very own Gerry Malone, Dr. Brunjes discussed the future of opera in the UK as well as some of the wonderful - productions, such as Philip Glass’ spectacular Akhnaten. We were then treated to a stunning performance by Ms. Brunjes. Thank you for your visit and for reminding us how the magic of opera knows no borders!

11/29/2023

Here at the we are so grateful for the camaraderie of our members, our wonderful staff and the amazing music and artists brought to us by the . We are particularly thankful for the number of special visits we’ve had in the last few weeks, including: Photos 1 &2: .redpath , who sang the role of Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera, joined us along with members , , .r.scott, courtesy of MOC member . Photo 3: Our own , MOC member and opera critic, who provided us with a lecture exploring Ballo as a capstone of Verdi’s lyrico-dramatic evolution. Photos 4-5: MOC members joined Maestro Palumbo in the rehearsal area for a special “view from the chorus” rehearsal of Carmen with the . We look forward to more upcoming events as we continue through the holiday season!

11/18/2023

We were honored to welcome English Hornist to discuss the haunting solo in Un Ballo in Maschera and his life and career with this beautiful instrument. Mr Diaz was also joined by composer Santos Cota’s, whose Elegia he played at the following evening. Thank you for joining us!

11/14/2023

Last week the club was pleased to welcome Maestro Colaneri alongside a number of talented young artists for a private preview of selections from John Musto and Mark Campbell's opera “Later the Same Evening”. Members very much enjoyed hearing the selections and meeting the next generation of great artists. The group will be performing the opera with the orchestra under Maestro Colaneri's direction for three performances, November 12, 15 and 17 at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Juilliard. A big thank you to our Junior member for his work in organizing this event!

From left to right: Artyom Pak, pianist ( ) ; Jared Werlein, bass-baritone ( ) ; Maestro Colaneri; Jazmine Saunders, soprano ( ) ; Colin Aikins, tenor (.aikins ) ; Caleb Sussman ( ).

11/08/2023

🎭 Our Ballo in Maschera Halloween Festa was a most festive Masquerade! Thank you to our Junior Committee for putting this event together and to the 50+ members and guests who attended this sold-out evening in their finest! A big thank you to Chef Felix for the delicious meal and Halloween chocolate cake and to Raymundo for his signature cocktails. We had a ball! 🌹