Simon Keenlyside Stars in His First Met Performances of the Title Role in Mozart's DON GIOVANNI

Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leads the opening performances of Mozart's Don Giovanni, starring Simon Keenlyside in his first Met performances of the title role, which he has sung to acclaim with numerous leading opera houses. The principal cast, all of whom are making Met role debuts, also includes Hibla Gerzmava as Donna Anna, Malin Byströmas Donna Elvira, Serena Malfi as Zerlina, Paul Appleby as Don Ottavio, Adam Plachetka as Leporello, Matthew Rose as Masetto, andKwangchul Youn as the Commendatore. The October 22 matinee, with this cast, will be transmitted worldwide as part of the 11th season of the Met's Live in HD series, which now reaches more than 2,000 movie theaters in 70 countries around the world.

In November, Ildar Abdrazakov reprises the title character opposite Byström, who will now star as Donna Anna, Amanda Majeski as Donna Elvira, and Nadine Sierra, who made an acclaimed Met debut last season as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto, as Zerlina.Ramón Vargas sings Don Ottavio with Rose now singing Leporello, Plachetka singing Masetto, and Youn returning as the Commendatore.

Don Giovanni returns in April and May with Mariusz Kwiecien in the title role-which he sang in the 2011 new production premiere of Michael Grandage's staging. Angela Meade and Marina Rebeka sing their first Met performances of Donna Anna and Donna Elvira, respectively, opposite Isabel Leonard as Zerlina, Matthew Polenzani as Don Ottavio, Erwin Schrott as Leporello,Jeongcheol Cha as Masetto, and Štefan Kocán as the Commendatore.

Fabio Luisi has led over 200 Met performances of 28 operas, in addition to five concerts with the MET Orchestra, since his company debut conducting Verdi's Don Carlo in 2005. As Met Principal Conductor, some of his most notable performances have included Verdi's Macbeth; Wagner's Ring cycle; Richard Strauss's rarely heard Die Ägyptische Helena; Berlioz's Les Troyens; and Puccini'sManon Lescaut. This fall, he conducts the new production of Rossini's Guillaume Tell, an opera that has not been seeb on the Met stage in over 80 years.

Plácido Domingo has led 155 Met performances of ten operas and sung over 675 performances at the Met. The operas he has conducted include Puccini's La Bohème and Madama Butterfly, Verdi's Stiffelio and La Traviata, Bizet's Carmen, and Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. Beginning in December, he will sing the title character in Verdi's Nabucco and Giorgio Germont in La Traviata with the company. He will also appear as a soloist during the Met's 50th Anniversary at Lincoln Center Gala.

Hibla Gerzmava reprises the role of Donna Anna, which she has sung at the Vienna State Opera, Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre, and Royal Opera, Covent Garden. Previous Met performances include her role debut as Desdemona in Verdi's Otello at the Met this past spring, Stella and Antonia in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Mimì in La Bohème, and Liù in Puccini's Turandot. Recently, she sang Giulietta in Les Contes d'Hoffmann and Mimì in La Bohème at the Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre and Amelia Grimaldi in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

Malin Byström stars at Donna Elvira during the September 27 - October 22 performances, followed by singing the role of Donna Anna during the November 1 - 10 performances. She has previously sung Donna Elvira at the Royal Swedish Opera and Donna Anna at the Salzburg Festival and the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. She made her Met debut in 2011 as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust followed by singing the title role of Strauss's Arabella. After her performances at the Met, she will sing the title characters in Janá?ek's Jen?fa at the Royal Swedish Opera and Strauss's Salome at the Dutch National Opera.

Angela Meade adds a new role to her Met repertory after singing Donna Anna at the Cincinnati Opera and Los Angeles Opera. She made her company debut in 2008 singing Elvira in Verdi's Ernani, and her other Met roles have included the title roles in Donizetti's Anna Bolena, and Bellini's Norma; Alice Ford in Falstaff; the Countess in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro; and Leonora in Verdi's Il Trovatore.Following her performances in Don Giovanni, she will sing during the Met's 50th Anniversary at Lincoln Center Gala.

Amanda Majeski has previously sung Donna Elvira at Opera Philadelphia. She made her Met debut singing the Countess Almaviva in the new production of Le Nozze di Figaro in 2014. Her other recent performances include Marguerite in Faust at the Zurich Opera, Marta in Weinberg's The Passenger at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Marschallin in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier at the Frankfurt Opera. Following her performances with the company, she will sing Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte at Opera Omaha.

Marina Rebeka makes her role debut singing Donna Elvira. Previously, she made her company debut singing Donna Anna at the Met and has sung the role at the Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Zurich Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Deutsche Oper Berlin. She has also sung Violetta Valéry in La Traviata and Musetta in La Bohème at the Met. Before she sings Donna Elvira, she will star as Mathilde in the Met's new production of Guillaume Tell.

Serena Malfi has sung Zerlina at the Paris Opera and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. She made her Met debut as Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro in 2014, and since then, she has sung the role at the Glyndebourne Festival and Vienna State Opera, the title role of Rossini's Cenerentola at the Vienna State Opera and Rome Opera, and Rosina in Rossini's IL Barbiere di Siviglia at the Canadian Opera Company. Following her performances at the Met, she will star as Roméo in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi at the Opera de Ovideo and Pippo in Rossini's La Gazza Ladra at La Scala.

Nadine Sierra has previously sung Zerlina at the Paris Opera. She made her Met debut as Gilda in Rigoletto last season after previously singing the role at the Atlanta Opera, Seattle Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera. She is the youngest winner to date of both the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Marilyn Horne Foundation Vocal Competition. Later this season, she will sing Ilia in Mozart's Idomeneo at the Met, as well as Elvira in Bellini's I Puritani at the Zurich Opera and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte and Gilda inRigoletto at the Paris Opera.

Isabel Leonard has previously sung Zerlina with the company in 2008 and 2012. She made her Met debut as Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette in 2007 followed by roles as Rosina in IL Barbiere di Siviglia, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Miranda in The Tempest, Blanche de la Force in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites, and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro. Prior to singing Zerlina, she will sing Charlotte in Massenet's Werther with the company, and in May, she will sing at the Met's 50th Anniversary at Lincoln Center Gala.

Paul Appleby has sung Don Ottavio at the San Diego Opera and in concert with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He made his Met debut singing Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos in 2011 and is a graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Since his company debut, he has also sung Demetrius in the Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island, Hylas in Berlioz's Les Troyens, Chevalier de la Force in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites, Brian in the Met premiere of Nico Muhly's Two Boys, and last season, he sang David in Mozart's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Ramón Vargas has previously sung Don Ottavio at the Met, where he has sung more than 220 performances over the course of his 24-year career with the company. Later this season, he will sing Gabriele Adorno in Simon Boccanegra at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca at the Canadian Opera Company, and in the title role of Don Carlo at the Vienna State Opera.

Matthew Polenzani has sung Don Ottavio 28 times with the company and starred in over 330 performances with the Met since his company debut in 1997 as Boyar in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov. Other credits with the Met include Ferrando in Così fan tutte, the title character in Les Contes d' Hoffmann, Nemorino in L'Elisir d'Amore, and last season, he made his role debuts as Nadir in the Met's new production of Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles and in the title role of the Met premiere of Donizetti's Roberto Devereux. Prior to his role inDon Giovanni, he will star in the title role of Idomeneo and as the Italian Singer in the new production of Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier.

Simon Keenlyside adds a new role to his Met repertory after singing Don Giovanni previously at the Zurich Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Vienna State Opera, El Teatre del Liceu, and Royal Opera, Covent Garden. He made his Met debut in 1996 as Belcore in L'Elisir d'Amore followed by singing Olivier in Strauss's Capriccio, Marcello in La Bohème, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro, the title character in Thomas's Hamlet, Rodrigo in Don Carlo, and Prospero in The Tempest. He will reprise the title role ofDon Giovanni at the Vienna State Opera and Bilbao Opera following his time at the Met, as well as the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro at La Scala, and the title roles of Macbeth and Golaud in Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande at the Vienna State Opera.

Ildar Abdrazakov previously sang the title role of Don Giovanni in 2012 at the Met and originally made his company debut in 2004 as Masetto in Don Giovanni. His other credits with the Met include Escamillo in Carmen, the title characters in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Borodin's Prince Igor, and Dosifei in Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina. Before he sings in Don Giovanni, he will star as Mustafà in Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri at the Met followed by Escamillo in Carmen at the Paris Opera, the title character in Prince Igor at the Dutch National Opera, and then Philip II in Don Carlo at the Bavarian State Opera and Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

Mariusz Kwiecien sang the title character in Don Giovanni in 2011 at the Met, and additionally at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Vienna State Opera, and Royal Opera, Covent Garden. He made his company debut in 1999 as Kuligin in Janá?ek's Ká?a Kabanová, and since then, he has sung over 190 performances with the company. His other roles at the Met include the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro, Marcello in La Bohème, Riccardo Forth in I Puritani, Onegin in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Belcore in L'Elisir d'Amore, and last season, Zurga in the new production of Les Pêcheurs de Perles and the Duke of Nottingham in the Met premiere of Roberto Devereux. In May, he will sing at the Met's 50th Anniversary at Lincoln Center Gala followed by reprising the role of Don Giovanni at the Gran Teatre del Liceu and King Alphonse XI in Donizetti's La Favorite at the Bavarian State Opera.

Adam Plachetka adds a new role to his Met repertory singing Leporello in September and October. He made his Met debut in 2015 as Masetto, which he will reprise during the November 1, 4, and 10 performances and has also sung the role at the Salzburg Festival, Berlin State Opera, and Royal Opera, Covent Garden. Later this year, Plachetka can be seen singing Papageno in Die Zauberflöte at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the title role of Don Giovanni and Mustafà in L'Italiana in Algeri at the Vienna State Opera, and Doctor Dulcamara and Belcore in L'Elisir d'Amore at the Vienna State Opera and Royal Opera, Covent Garden respectively.

Matthew Rose will sing Masetto in September and October, a role he has sung at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; he will then sing Leporello during November performances and has sung the role at Deutsche Oper Berlin and Glyndebourne Festival. He made his Met debut in 2011 as Colline in La Bohème, followed by performances as Talbot in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, Bottom in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the Nightwatchman in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Later this season, he will sing Frère Laurent in the company's new production of Roméo et Juliette and Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

Erwin Schrott has previously sung Leporello at the Met, in addition to the Salzburg Festival, Vienna State Opera, Teatro Verdi di Salerno, and Royal Opera, Covent Garden. His other company credits include the title role of Don Giovanni, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro,Dulcamara in L'Elisir d'Amore, Escamillo in Carmen, and Colline in La Bohème. Later this season, he will sing Escamillo in Carmen at Teatro di San Carlo.

Jeongcheol Cha adds a new role to his Met repertory after previously making his company debut in 2000 as Watchman 2 in Strauss'sDie Fau ohne Schatten and then starred as the Yamadori in Madama Butterfly. Prior to singing Masetto, Cha will sing Grégorio in the Met's new production of Roméo et Juliette and a Gentleman in La Traviata with the company.

Kwangchul Youn has previously sung the Commendatore at the Met, as well as the Gran Teatre del Liceu and La Scala. He made his company debut as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte in 2004, and since then, he has sung over 75 performances in ten different operas with the company, including roles such as Mercury and Narbal in Berlioz's Les Troyens, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Ferrando in Il Trovatore, and King Marke in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. In October, he will star as Melcthal in the Met's new production of Guillaume Tell, followed by performances as Daland in Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer at Teatro Real in Madrid, King Marke in Tristan und Isolde at the Vienna State Opera, and Sparafucile in Rigoletto at the Paris Opera.

Štefan Kocán made his Met debut in 2009 as the King in Aida and sang the role of the Commendatore at the Met for the first time in 2011. His other company credits include starring as Ferrando in Il Trovatore, the Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlo, Ramfis in Aida, and Khan Konchak in Prince Igor. Prior to singing in Don Giovanni, he will reprise the role of Gremin in Eugene Onegin and Sparafucile inRigoletto with the company, roles he has sung previously at the Met.

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