Metropolitan Opera Launches Weekly Free Student Streams

On April 6, the Metropolitan Opera will launch Free Student Streams, a new program of free opera streams for students and teachers worldwide during the health crisis. Drawing from the Met's extensive online library of operas and curricular materials designed to align with the Common Core Standards, and incorporating new live virtual conversations with Met artists and educators from the company's national education program, the initiative has been designed as an ongoing cross-curricular offering at a time when schools are closed and online classwork has increased dramatically.

The first Free Student Stream will be the Met's abridged, English-language version of Mozart's The Magic Flute, and all performance streams can be accessed at metopera.org/freestudentstreams.

Each week, resource materials will be made available via the Met website starting on Mondays at 10AM EDT, including extensive background information on each opera; activities to help students engage with the opera before, during, and after the performance stream; illustrated synopses; coloring pages; and audio clips. These materials will all be available free of charge throughout the week. On Wednesdays at 5PM EDT, that week's performance will be made available for streaming on the Met website, where it will remain for 48 hours. From the Free Student Streams page, teachers and students can launch the stream. The performance will also be viewable on all Met Opera on Demand apps.

An hour before each performance stream becomes available, students from around the world will have the opportunity to interact directly with an opera singer or member of the creative team from that production in a virtual conversation using the Zoom platform. These online chats offer students a window into the lives and artistry of a range of figures working at the top of the field. The Magic Flute conversation will feature tenor Matthew Polenzani, who sang the role of Tamino, and Met Executive Stage Director Paula Suozzi.

"We're happy to be providing homebound students the opportunity to be entertained and educated through our performances," said the Met's General Manager, Peter Gelb. "The arts should be an important part of an overall education. We're here to provide that service."

Upcoming Free Student Streams will include Massenet's Cendrillon, Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, and Bizet's Carmen.

For more information, go to metopera.org/freestudentstreams.