Met Guild Salutes Licia Albanese and Carlo Bergonzi with 'INCOMPARABLE' Tonight

Tonight, the Metropolitan Opera Guild continues its series of tributes to legendary singers with a celebration of two unforgettable opera icons who passed away last summer. "INCOMPARABLE: A Celebration of Licia Albanese and Carlo Bergonzi" will take place at New York City's Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College tonight, March 13 at 7:30pm, and will be hosted by Opera News Award-winning soprano Patricia Racette.

The speakers will include Martina Arroyo, Rosalind Elias, Marilyn Horne, Sherrill Milnes, Renata Scotto and George Shirley, and the evening will feature a vocal tribute from Vittorio Grigolo, the Italian tenor likened by Gramophone magazine to a "young Bergonzi" who is appearing now in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Massenet's Manon.

Family members representing both Licia Albanese and Carlo Bergonzi will be on hand for what promises to be an inspiring as well as very moving occasion. Among them will be Albanese's son Joseph Gimma, Jr., and - making the trip from Italy - Bergonzi's two sons, Maurizio and Marco, with their families. In addition, there will be screenings of rare video footage of some of their memorable performances, and spoken reminiscences from their colleagues and friends. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Guild's education programs.

Tickets to "INCOMPARABLE: A Celebration of Licia Albanese & Carlo Bergonzi" will be sold exclusively by the Guild. They are available online at www.metguild.org, and by telephone at (212) 769-7009. Performance-only tickets: $45 for Guild members and Met patrons; $55 for general public. Premium tickets (includes premium seating for the performance and admission to a post-performance champagne and dessert reception): $175.

For nearly 80 years, the Metropolitan Opera Guild has provided substantial support to the Met and has greatly enhanced the public's appreciation of opera in general. Since its founding by the pioneering philanthropist Eleanor Robson Belmont in 1935, the Guild has contributed more than $245 million to the Met. The organization runs one of the country's most innovative and far-reaching music education programs, which impacts hundreds of schools and communities worldwide. The Guild also publishes Opera News, the world's largest-circulation magazine devoted to opera, and produces an annual series of major public programs, including the Opera News Awards. The Tenth Annual Opera News Awards will take place on April 19, 2015 at The Plaza in New York City.