College to Broadcast 7 Met Operas in HD This Spring Semester

Grinnell College will stream broadcasts of seven Metropolitan operas on Saturdays throughout the spring semester as part of the Met’s “Live in HD” movie theater transmissions program.

Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca, the first in the series, will start at noon on Jan. 27 in the Harris Center Cinema.

The opera talk will begin at 11:30 a.m. and will be presented by Soprano Randye Jones. Jones holds a master’s degree in vocal performance from Florida State University and is pursuing a doctorate in vocal literature at the University of Iowa. Jones also supervises the Reading Room in Burling Library.

Set in Rome in 1800, Puccini’s melodrama follows a romantic diva, Floria Tosca; an artist and revolutionary, Mario Cavaradossi; an escaped political prisoner, Angelotti; and Roman Police Chief Baron Scarpia through an intense tale of violence, love, and politics.   

David McVicar directs. Sonya Yoncheva stars as Tosca; Vittorio Grigolo plays her lover, Cavaradossi; and Zeljko Lucic plays the villainous Scarpia.

“Mr. McVicar fills his staging with dozens of details, actorly touches that help the performers bring freshness and subtlety to characters every opera fan knows intimately,” according to a review in the New York Times. “This was a retro night at the opera, aimed at the Met’s conservative core.”

After Tosca, six additional Met operas will be streamed in the Harris Center during the spring semester. All performances begin at noon, unless otherwise noted. Opera talks take place a half hour before each broadcast.

The remaining operas are:

• Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore on Feb. 10.
• Puccini’s La Bohème on Feb. 24, 11:30 a.m.
• Rossini’s Semiramide on March 10.
• Verdi’s Luisa Miller on April 14, 11:30 a.m.
• Massenet’s Cendrillon on April 28

Refreshments will be available for sale in the lobby of the cinema before each opera and during intermission.

Tickets are available at the Pioneer Bookshop and at the door on the day of the show. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students, children, and Met Opera members.

The Office of the President has generously funded tickets for Grinnell College faculty, staff, and students, and tickets are available for free at all locations. Family members not employed by the College are required to purchase tickets.