The Metropolitan Opera has announced adjustments for its upcoming 2025-26 season, including a double cast for certain revivals of works by Verdi and Puccini, along with moving some modern operas away from Saturday performances. These changes are based on recommendations from a consultant aimed at enhancing the company’s financial performance.
The new season will feature 18 productions for the third consecutive year, a reduction from the 28 productions seen during the 2007-08 season. For the third year running, the lineup will consist of six new stagings, along with three company premieres.
Revival shows make up a significant 79% of the 196 performances set for the season, a rise from 71% in the current schedule. Verdi’s classic “La Traviata” is slated to be performed 21 times, while Puccini’s well-loved operas will see a total of 52 performances — with “La Bohème” scheduled for 20 shows, “Turandot” for 17, and “Madama Butterfly” for 15. Notably, “Butterfly” will feature Sonya Yoncheva on March 18 and Elena Stikhina on the following day, and “Traviata” will have Rosa Feola on May 8 and Ermonela Jaho on May 9.
Met general manager Peter Gelb explained that based on input from the Boston Consulting Group, the strategy aims to provide more performances of regular operas with multiple casts, thereby minimizing the need to constantly change scenery within the theater. Gelb also highlighted the recommendation to reduce split runs for operas that stretch across different parts of the season. The Met has implemented weekly cost monitoring meetings among its department heads, avoiding any withdrawals from its endowment for the current season after a $40 million draw in the previous year.
During the first half of the current season, Met attendance accounted for 70% of available tickets, a slight drop from 73% at the same point last year. However, projections indicate that attendance may rise to 75% by the season’s close, up from 72% in the previous year. Some performances have seen varied success; Jeanine Tesori’s “Grounded” managed to sell only 50%, while Osvaldo Golijov’s “Ainadamar” fared better with 61%. Also, a revival of Julie Taymor’s staging of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” during the holidays witnessed the highest ticket sales at 82%, and Michael Mayer’s “Aida” attracted 79% attendance.
Looking ahead, Mason Bates’ “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” is set to launch the next season on September 21, with a total of seven performances planned, the maximum for new stagings. Gelb noted that revisions have been made to enhance the visibility of certain characters since its initial run with a student cast in November at Indiana University. However, “Kavalier” will not be part of the Met’s eight high-definition video simulcasts to theaters around the globe. The opera’s broadcast audience remains at 55% of pre-pandemic levels, with newer works receiving attention primarily within the New York area, not in Europe, which contributes to half of the HD viewership.
According to Gelb, focusing more on the traditional repertoire rather than new pieces will aid in keeping the live HD presentations profitable. This upcoming season will also introduce other new stagings unique to the Met, including Rolando Villazón’s interpretation of Bellini’s “La Sonnambula,” set to open on October 6, and Carlos Edwards’ presentation of “I Puritani” on New Year’s Eve. Additionally, Yuval Sharon’s staging of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” will highlight Lise Davidsen on March 9, while Kaija Saariaho’s final opera “Innocence” will premiere on April 6. A compelling new work titled “El ultimó sueño de Frida y Diego,” created by Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz, will close the season on May 14.
Among forthcoming commissions, Carlos Simon’s opera has been renamed “In the Rush” for the 2026-27 season, while Huang Ruo’s “The Wedding Banquet” is scheduled to open the 2027-28 season. Future productions also include Ivo Van Hove’s adaptation of Weill’s “Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny” and Claus Guth’s version of Handel’s “Semele,” both planned for 2027-28. Staging projects for Handel’s works, including “Alcina” and “Ariodante,” remain in the works, along with Simon McBurney’s interpretation of Mussorgsky’s “Khovanshchina.” Plans for Kevin Newbury’s staging of Donizetti’s “La Favorite” have been scrapped, while Barrie Kosky’s adaptation of Prokofiev’s “The Fiery Angel” from the previously canceled 2020-21 season is still on hold.
