MET MUSEUM PRESENTS Kicks Off March Events Tonight

The Civilians: The End and The Beginning
Tonight, March 6, 7:00 p.m. at The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing

A theatrical investigation of dying, death, and the afterlife, from ancient Egypt to tomorrow. This performance is staged at the incomparable Temple of Dendur.

The Civilians are the Metropolitan Museum's Artist in Residence, 2014-15.

This residency is made possible by the Chester Dale Fund.

Please note: Tickets are very limited.

CONTACT!
Saturday, March 7, 7:00 p.m. in The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium

Alan Gilbert and assistant conductor Courtney Lewis conduct an all-Nordic program including works by Per Norgard, ?uro Živkovi?, and Kalevi Aho, as well as the U.S. premiere of the string orchestra version of Kaija Saariaho's Terra Memoria.

The CONTACT! Series at the Met includes a performance on June 5 at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets start at $25; Series $40.
Bring the Kids for $1 tickets are available.

[NEW SPRING PERFORMANCE]
Vijay Iyer Trio
Saturday, March 7, 8:00 p.m. at The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing

Over the past decade, Vijay Iyer has become one of the most vital and distinctive new jazz voices. With this concert, Iyer (one of jazz's "ascendant pacesetters"-New York Times) and his trio, bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore, celebrate the release of their brand new album 'Break Stuff' (ECM). Known for their intuitive and intense performances, the group brings their individual voice to The Temple of Dendur.

Tickets start at $40.
Bring the Kids for $1 tickets are available.

Looking East from Byzantium
Saturday, March 14, 7:00 p.m. in The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium

Celebrating the Metropolitan Museum's recent acquisition of four Byzantine icons, this performance traces the trajectory of music east from Byzantium. It also demonstrates the?interconnectedness between Byzantine and Islamic chant and improvisation traditions through the remarkable playing of Mehmet Ali Sanlikol and master chanter Eleftherios?Eleftheriadis.

Tickets start at $40.
Bring the Kids for $1 tickets are available.

Drone Mass
Tuesday, March 17, 7:00 p.m. at The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing
[World Premiere]

Icelandic composer, Golden Globe winner, and Academy Award nominee, Jóhann Jóhannsson joins American Contemporary Music Ensemble and the 2014 Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth to perform two world premiere pieces, Chaconne, performed by violinist Yuki Numata Resnick and Drone Mass, a contemporary oratorio which fuses the sounds of string quartet, electronics, and vocals, and uses texts based on the Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians. Realized in the Met's magnificent Temple of Dendur, among dazzling artifacts and architecture of ancient Egypt, and commissioned by ACME in celebration of its tenth anniversary.

This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts.

Tickets start at $40.
Bring the Kids for $1 tickets are available.

ERRATICA: La Celestina
Friday, March 20 through Sunday, March 29, during Museum hours in the Vélez Blanco Patio
[U.S. Premiere]

At the center of one of the great masterpieces of Spanish literature is La Celestina: a witch, a healer, a meddler, a prostitute, and, perhaps, a "conversa." Published in 1499, the work popularly known as La Celestina catapulted Spanish literature out of the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. Commissioned for the Met's extraordinary 16th-century Vélez Blanco Patio, La Celestina is now a site-specific video opera that tells the story of a nobleman; his beloved; his dishonest, scheming servants; and the local prostitute/witch. Using a multichannel audio and video installation with projections designed by Manual Cinema, ERRATICA transforms this unique architectural space into an immersive dramatic-musical experience in which the characters each tell their own version of the story, Rashomon-style. Full of ribald jokes, outrageous circumstances, and scathing social criticism, the story takes a very dark turn and ends in unfathomable tragedy. The music combines Spanish villancicos (polyphonic vocal music) with Judeo-Spanish as well as Arabic and Andalusian folk music.

This program is made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

Free with Museum admission.

[NEW SPRING PERFORMANCE]
Paradise Interrupted
Saturday, March 21, 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. at The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing

A new work by artist Jennifer Wen Ma and composer Huang Ruo, starring Qian Yi.

This sneak-peek of the eagerly awaited opera will reveal the first 30 minutes of the full piece and is staged at the glorious Temple of Dendur. Paradise Interrupted is a poetic weaving of the western myth of the Garden of Eden and the Chinese myth of the Peony Pavilion. The narrative follows a woman in search of an unattainable ideal, exploring a world that is activated by her singing voice as she attempts to return to the garden.

This performance, inspired by the exhibition China: Through the Looking Glass, is made possible by Adrian Cheng. Additional support is provided by Sarah Billinghurst Solomon.

Paradise Interrupted is co-commissioned and co-produced by Spoleto Festival USA and Lincoln Center Festival.

The exhibition, China: Through the Looking Glass, on view May 7 through August 16, 2015, is made possible by Yahoo. Additional support is provided by Condé Nast and several generous Chinese donors.

Tickets start at $54.
Bring the Kids for $1 tickets are available.

Attacca Quartet: John Adams "Confirmed" Dances
Tuesday, March 24, 7:00 p.m. in The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium

John Adams: John's Book of Alleged Dances

Since its inception, Attacca has championed the music of John Adams and now joyfully takes up John's Book of Alleged Dances (1994), composed for the Kronos Quartet, and Adams' String Quartet (2008). According to Adams, the dances were "alleged" because "the steps for them had yet to be invented." Attacca has invited the charismatic former William Forsythe dancer and choreographer Francesca Harper to set the dances for this concert. Dancers also include members of Dance Theater of Harlem.

John Adams will make a special appearance to speak about his music.

Attacca Quartet is the Metropolitan Museum's Quartet in Residence, 2014-15.

This program is made possible by the Grace Jarcho Ross and Daniel G. Ross Concert Fund.

Tickets start at $45.
Bring the Kids for $1 tickets are available.

[NEW SPRING PERFORMANCE]
Pierre Boulez: A 90th Birthday Celebration
Thursday, March 26, 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. in Gallery 918

Brilliant pianist Conor Hanick performs in the Met's newly reinstalled?20th-century gallery in celebration of one of the period's greatest musical minds, and winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Grammy Awards, Pierre Boulez.

Program includes:
David Fulmer, Whose Fingers Brush the Sky (2013)?
Pierre Boulez, Piano Sonata No. 3, Formant 3: "Constellation-Miroir" (1955-63)?
John Cage, In a Landscape (1948)?
P. Boulez, Une page d'éphéméride (2005)

Free with Museum admission.

Clarion Society: Victoria's Requiem
Saturday, March 28, 7:30 p.m. in the Medieval Sculpture Hall

One of the oldest historical performance ensembles in the country presents the hauntingly beautiful Victoria's Requiem, composed for the funeral of the Empress Maria. Performed in the Met's Medieval Sculpture Hall.

Tickets start at $75.
Bring the Kids for $1 tickets are available.

For tickets, visit www.metmuseum.org/tickets or call 212-570-3949. Tickets are also available at the Great Hall Box Office, which is open Monday-Saturday, 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Tickets include admission to the Museum on day of performance.

Prices are subject to change.
Bring the Kids for $1 tickets for children (ages 7-16) for select performances when accompanied by an adult with a full-price ticket. For more information, visit www.metmuseum.org/tickets, call 212-570-3949, or visit the box office.

For more information about Met Museum Presents, please visit: http://www.metmuseum.org/tickets

About Met Museum Presents:
A wide-ranging series of performances and talks at The Metropolitan Museum of Art that explores contemporary issues and innovations through the lens of the Museum's exhibitions and unparalleled gallery spaces. Met Museum Presents creates a platform for curators, thought-leaders, and artists to come together and explore the Met as a generative force.