The Met's HANSEL AND GRETEL to Open Next Week with Special Family Pricing

The Met presents the second of its popular family presentations this holiday season, Richard Jones's acclaimed production of Humperdinck's fairy-tale opera based on The Brothers Grimm story Hansel and Gretel.

The English-language production opens December 18 for seven performances through to January 6, with special family pricing.

Conducted by Donald Runnicles, the cast includes Tara Erraught as Hansel, Lisette Oropesa as Gretel, Gerhard Siegel as the evil Witch, Quinn Kelsey as Peter, the sibling's father, and Met stalwart Dolora Zajick as Gertrude, their mother. On December 28, Ingeborg Gillebo, Maureen McKay and Dwayne Croft take on the roles of Hansel, Gretel and Peter respectively.

The production follows the Met's other holiday presentation geared towards families this season, Julie Taymor's The Magic Flute, which has performances through to December 9.

Continuing a favorite holiday tradition, the Met will welcome audiences of all ages for an 'open house' prior to the December 28 matinee performance of Hansel and Gretel. With hands-on stations throughout the Grand Tier and Parterre levels, guests will be able to connect with the designers, singers, dancers, musicians, and technical teams behind the Met's productions. This special holiday event begins at 11?AM and is available, free of charge, to all ticket holders for the afternoon's performance.

Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel has been associated with the Christmas season ever since its premiere on December 23, 1893. In 1931, a live Christmas Day broadcast of Hansel and Gretel inaugurated the series of Met matinee radio broadcasts that continues to this day.

Lisette Oropesa's most recent Met appearance was as Sophie in the company's new production of Massenet's Werther. As a graduate of the Met's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, she has sung more than 100 performances of 14 roles with the company, including Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto; Miranda in the world premiere of the Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island; the Rhinemaiden Woglinde in Wagner's Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung; the Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel; Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro; and Amore in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice.

Tara Erraught has previously sung Hansel at the Bavarian State Opera. She made her company debut as Nicklausse and the Muse in Les Contes d'Hoffmann earlier this season, and other recent opera credits include Rosina in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Berlin State Opera and Salzburg Festival, the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Bavarian State Opera, Angelina in Rossini's La Cenerentola at the Washington National Opera, and Octavian in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier at the Glyndebourne Festival.

Gerhard Siegel adds a new role to his Met repertory as the Witch. He made his Met debut as Mime in Siegfried and Das Rheingold as part of Wagner's Ring cycle in the 2003-04 season and reprised the role in the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons, as well as the Captain in Berg's Wozzeck and Herod in Strauss' Salome.

Dolora Zajick makes her company role debut as Gertrude. She has sung over 250 performances with the company since making her Met debut as Azucena in Verdi's Il Trovatore in 1988. Her most recent credits with the Met include Ulrica Arvidsson in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, Ježibaba in Dvo?ák's Rusalka, Amneris in Verdi's Aida, and the Countess in Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades.

Quinn Kelsey adds a new role to his Met repertory as Peter. The winner of the 2015 Beverly Sills Artist Award, his other company credits include Giorgio Germont in Verdi's La Traviata, Monterone in Verdi's Rigoletto, and Marcello and Schaunard in Puccini's La Bohème. Later this season, he will sing Count di Luna in Il Trovatore and Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor with the company.

Donald Runnicles has conducted nine different productions with the company since his Met debut leading Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer including Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Salome, Werther, Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier, and Puccini's Manon Lescaut. He is currently the General Music Director of Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Chief Conductor of BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson, Wyoming.

The December 18 performance will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 75, as will the performances on December 26. The December 18 performance will also be streamed live on the Met's website, www.metopera.org.

The January 6 matinee performance will be broadcast live over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.

For more information on Hansel and Gretel including casting by date, click here.

Pictured: A scene from Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. Photo by Cory Weaver/Metropolitan Opera.

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