It is with very heavy hearts that we announce the passing of former Principal Horn, Howard T. Howard. In 1962, Howard won the Principal Horn position at the Met, which he played for 46 years, working with the major conductors of the day, Erich Leinsdorf, Carl Böhm, Fritz Reiner, Georg Solti, Herbert von Karajan and...
Last May, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra invited 50 MET Orchestra Musicians to perform Mahler’s 1st Symphony (The Titan) with the Musicians of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Fabio Luisi. CEO Kim Noltemy had the vision to create an NFT of the concert – a first for a symphony orchestra, furthering their fundraising efforts for the MET...
This Sunday, The Wagner Society of New York is hosting a “Meistersinger” seminar at Symphony Space from 12-4pm. Join Principal Piccolo Stephanie Mortimore, Principal Bassoon Evan Epifanio, former Principal Horn Joseph Anderer, and former Met Violinist Ira Lieberman in a lively discussion moderated by composer and conductor Victoria Bond. Following the Musicians’ segment are the principal...
Last Sunday, we performed the premiere of our MET Orchestra Chamber Music Concert Series at Carnegie Hall. It was an incredibly meaningful concert, and we are beyond thrilled to have a total of 6 concerts in this series. Our first program consisted of works by Wagner, Saint-Saëns, Louise Farrenc and Terence Blanchard – with music...
We congratulate our longtime Orchestra Personnel Manager, Bob Sirinek on his retirement. Bob started as a trumpet player in the orchestra and knew intimately what it takes to be a musician in this intense yet wonderful job. We thank him for his many years of service to The Metropolitan Opera and to the MET Orchestra....
We are saddened by the passing of one of the sweetest women ever to grace the pit. Cecilia Brauer passed away following the recent death of her brother Ray Gniewek, longtime Concertmaster of the Met Orchestra for 43 years. Cecilia was the orchestra’s Celeste player, who also performed piano on tours, and was passionate about...
What are you doing this Sunday, October 10th, at 2pm? Join our extraordinary MET Orchestra Musicians in the inaugural MET Orchestra Chamber Ensemble concert at Carnegie Hall’s Weil Hall. We are excited to perform Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll” (looking forward to Meistersinger, coming up soon!), music of Ferenc and Saint-Saëns and a world premiere from Terence...
Today, we are sad to announce the passing of our longtime concertmaster Raymond Gniewek. He was a kind, humble, witty, and cherished member of our orchestra, who was loved by us all. Our recently retired principal associate concertmaster Laura Hamilton wrote this beautiful post about him: “Yesterday we lost a dear friend and treasured colleague....
We had so much fun celebrating soprano Angela Gheorghiu’s Birthday! The Metropolitan Opera’s Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts the entire MET Orchestra in a Verdi “La Traviata” and “Happy Birthday” mashup, arranged by MET Principal Horn Erik Ralske. The idea to celebrate Ms. Gheorghiu was hatched by MET Hornist Barbara Jostlein Currie when she remembered...
“Led by the Met’s music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the “Resurrection” Symphony brought the full company and its audience back together in grand style: 90 minutes; an orchestra of 116; a chorus of 100; and 2,500 attending in the park, as well as hundreds more listening from the street.” Read more from Zachary Woolfe in the...
