Steven White To Conduct Met's LA TRAVIATA 4/7, 4/10

Steven White, in his Met debut, will conduct the performance of La Traviata on April 7. As previously announced, White will also lead La Traviata on April 10, and Yves Abel will conduct on April 13, 17 matinee, 21, and 24.

La Traviata stars Angela Gheorghiu as Violetta, James Valenti as Alfredo, and Thomas Hampson as Giorgio Germont. The production is by Franco Zeffirelli. Hei-Kyung Hong sings the role of Violetta at the April 24 performance.

This season, Marco Armiliato conducts performances of the new production of Attila, as well as the revivals of Aida, La Fille du Régiment, and La Bohème. He also conducted the Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Finals Concert last month.

Steven White has conducted a wide repertory of opera with companies around the United States and Canada, including New York City Opera, Vancouver Opera, L'Opéra de Montréal, Arizona Opera, Sarasota Opera, and Opera Roanoke, where he is artistic director.

Yves Abel made his Met debut in 1994 conducting IL Barbiere di Siviglia and also led Carmen here in the 1997-98 and 2002-03 seasons. He is scheduled to return to the Met for performances in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. The Canadian is principal guest conductor at Berlin's Deutsche Oper, and regularly conducts at the Vienna State Opera. He has led performances at many of the world's leading opera houses including La Scala, Paris Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and San Francisco Opera. He returns to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, later this season to conduct La Traviata with Angela Gheorghiu and James Valenti.