Metropolitan Opera Guild Kicks Off the New Opera Season with Podcast Series

The Metropolitan Opera Guild, the world's premier arts education organization dedicated to enriching people's lives through opera, launched its third season of podcasts today with F. Paul Driscoll, editor in chief of OPERA NEWS, interviewing William ("Will") Berger, an American author, radio music host and MET Radio commentator. They will discuss NORMA, which opens the Metropolitan Opera season on September 25, 2017.

The popular podcast series consists of lectures on all topics pertaining to opera, ranging from operatic voice types, to an analysis of operas that are currently onstage at the MET. Twenty episodes will be released in the 2017-2018 season, each the week leading up to a "MET Live in HD" broadcast. Listeners tune in from all over the world, as well as cities from across the United States. The top five cities with the most listens are: New York, NY; Brooklyn, NY; Toronto, Canada; San Francisco, CA and Washington, D.C.

"Over the last two years of presenting 79 episodes, delighting listeners from all over the world, as well as across America, we have seen the audience for podcasts grow exponentially," said Stuart Holt, Director of School Programs and Community Engagement, Metropolitan Opera Guild, and co-host of The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast. "Our unique content has thus far reached 350,000 + individual listeners with weekly, intimate conversations that are consumed on-the-go."

The season includes lectures and appearances by:

· William Short, principle bassoonist at Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

· Tony Sheppard, professor of music at Williams College

· Nimet Habachy, lecturer and WQXR radio personality

· Jeff Langford, assistant dean for Doctoral Studies and chair of the Music History department at Manhattan School of Music

· Victoria Bond, lecturer, composer and conductor

· Sean Cooper, director, singer, writer, and lecturer

The Metropolitan Opera Guild Podcast is funded in part by support from the Stewart J. Pearce Memorial Fund and on certain episodes by Maestro Classics. Current and previous episodes are available in iTunes, Google Play Music, and at soundcloud.com. To subscribe to the podcast, or for more information, visit MetGuild.org; questions about what content you wish to hear on the podcast in the future, please email lectures@operaed.org.

About The Metropolitan Opera Guild:

The Metropolitan Opera Guild is the world's premier arts education organization dedicated to enriching people's lives through the magic and artistry of opera. The Guild fosters personal expression, confidence, literacy and collaboration in children with customized education programs integrated into the curriculum of their schools, and builds a deeper appreciation of opera in adults through workshops and community programs, and by publishing Opera News, the world's leading opera magazine. Through its unique relationship with the Metropolitan Opera, the Guild offers all audiences unique access to the artists, performances and majesty of one of the world's most renowned performing arts companies. For more information about The Metropolitan Opera Guild and its programs, visit metguild.org.