The Metropolitan Opera Guild Will Wind Down Operations; Opera News Will Fold Into Opera Magazine

The New York Times reports that The Metropolitan Opera Guild has announced that it will wind down its operations later this year due to financial setbacks. The guild, integral to the promotion of opera in America since its establishment by Eleanor Robson Belmont in 1935, has significantly bolstered the opera landscape, ensuring that schoolchildren are exposed to dress rehearsals annually and publishing the acclaimed magazine, Opera News.

Collaborative efforts between the Met and the guild will give Opera News a fresh lease of life, embedded within Opera Magazine, a prominent British classical music publication. This reshaped version of Opera News will reach its American subscribers, inclusive of those from the guild.

The future restructuring will see the guild transition into a subsidiary arm of the Met, moving away from its independent nonprofit status. Severance packages are being arranged for the guild's 20-strong workforce. The Met is expected to onboard a few of these employees, while guild board members are set to receive invitations to join the Met's board.

While the Met grapples with its fiscal challenges, it remains resolute in its dedication to uphold selected offerings from the guild, notably the initiative introducing school students to the magic of live opera dress rehearsals.