The Met: Live In HD Summer Encore Series

“The Met: Live In HD” Summer Encore Series
Heats Up at U.S. Cinemas

NCM Fathom Events and the Metropolitan Opera Present Four Magnificent Opera Performances in Select U.S. Cinemas Beginning June 19

New York and Centennial, Colo. – April 29, 2013 – Beginning Wednesday, June 19, the Metropolitan Opera and NCM Fathom Events will once again present Summer HD Encores, a series of encore performances from the groundbreaking Live in HD series, in nearly 400 select U.S. cinemas nationwide through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network. This summer’s encore series offers four popular Live in HD events, including the most-attended event in the program’s history, Bizet’s “Carmen” (June 19), followed by Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” (June 26), Rossini’s “Armida” (July 10), and Verdi’s “La Traviata” (July 17).
Tickets for The Met: Live in HD Summer 2013 Encores, shown in cinemas Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in all time zones, are available at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices.
This will be the fifth series of Summer HD Encores, following a successful seventh season of The Met: Live in HD series which featured 12 live operas including five new productions.
“This summer’s Encore series features four passionate and romantic opera performances that are sure to heat up cinemas across the country,” said Shelly Maxwell, executive vice president of NCM Fathom Events. “The series kicks off with the sizzling fan favorite ‘Carmen’ which was last featured in the Met: Live in HD series in 2010. Definitely a must-see for anyone who experienced – or missed – any of these performances during their first run.”


The Met: Live in HD Summer 2013 Encores Schedule:

Carmen – Wednesday, June 19 (originally broadcast live on January 16, 2010)
Called “a gripping and brilliant production” by The New York Times, “Carmen” stars Elīna Garanča as the seductive gypsy, opposite Roberto Alagna as the obsessed soldier Don José. Acclaimed rising Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the Met’s production by Olivier Award-winning British director Richard Eyre, which features Barbara Frittoli as Micaëla and Teddy Tahu Rhodes as the toreador Escamillo. Christopher Wheeldon, artistic director and founder of Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, created the choreography for what remains the Met’s most popular HD presentation to date.


Il Trovatore – Wednesday, June 26 (originally broadcast live on April 30, 2011)
Starring four of the world’s most celebrated interpreters of the leading roles, David McVicar’s critically acclaimed production stars Marcelo Álvarez as the heroic troubadour of the title. In the role of Leonora, Sondra Radvanovsky is “remarkable…a spirited, feisty heroine” (Variety); Dolora Zajick is "a force of nature” (The New York Times) as Azucena, the gypsy with a dark secret; and Dmitri Hvorostovsky's "vivid presence and rich baritone emphasize Count di Luna's swings between hell-bent vengeance and romantic obsession" (Variety). Marco Armiliato conducts.

Armida – Wednesday, July 10 (originally broadcast live on May 1, 2010)
Directed by Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman, “Armida” stars celebrated American soprano Renée Fleming as the mystical sorceress in one of the greatest virtuoso roles from the bel canto repertory. Fleming is joined by Lawrence Brownlee, who sings Armida’s chief love interest, Rinaldo, and four more tenors in the roles of the crusader knights. Barry Banks portrays Rinaldo’s rival Gernando. John Osborn sings Goffredo, and Banks, Kobie van Rensburg, and Yegishe Manucharyan are the knights Carlo, Ubaldo, and Eustazio, respectively. Riccardo Frizza conducts.

La Traviata – Wednesday, July 17 (originally broadcast live on April 14, 2012)
Natalie Dessay stars as the tragic courtesan Violetta Valéry in Willy Decker’s innovative modern-dress staging of “La Traviata,” which “delivers style, sparkle, and stirring drama” (Los Angeles Times). Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leads the tragic love story, which also stars Matthew Polenzani as the lovesick Alfredo and Dmitri Hvorostovsky as his disapproving father, Giorgio Germont.


About National CineMedia (NCM)
National CineMedia (NCM) operates NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile technology. The NCM Cinema Network and NCM Fathom Events present cinema advertising and events across the nation’s largest digital in-theater network, comprised of theaters owned by AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) and other leading regional theater circuits. NCM’s theater advertising network covers 183 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50) and includes over 19,300 screens (approximately 18,500 digital). During 2012, approximately 710 million patrons attended movies shown in theaters in which NCM currently has exclusive, cinema advertising agreements in place. The NCM Fathom Events live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is comprised of over 740 locations in 172 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the top 50). The NCM Interactive Network offers 360-degree integrated marketing opportunities in combination with cinema, encompassing 41 entertainment-related websites, online widgets and mobile applications. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 46.9% interest in and is the managing member of National CineMedia LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com or www.FathomEvents.com. (NCMI-E)

About the Metropolitan Opera
Under the leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb and Music Director James Levine, the Met has a series of bold initiatives underway that are designed to broaden its audience and revitalize the company’s repertory. The Met has made a commitment to presenting modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, with highly theatrical productions featuring the greatest opera stars in the world. For more information about the Metropolitan Opera, please visit www.metopera.org.