Nightly Opera Streams, June 28–July 4

As we look forward to the celebration of Independence Day on July 4, we’re showcasing some of the great American composers whose operas have appeared on the Met stage. Explore the full lineup—which features music by Nico Muhly, John Adams, John Corigliano, George Gershwin, and Philip Glass—with this guide.

View the Playbills from the original performance dates for each stream, including synopses, program notes, and more.

On the occasion of the 2011 Met premiere of John Adams’s Nixon in China, one journalist recalled his experience on the history-making 1972 visit that inspired the opera.

Between 1910 and 1937, new works flourished on the Met stage as the company committed to presenting a number of operas by contemporary American composers.

American composer John Adams reflects on his work at the forefront of modern opera, his sources of inspiration, and the telltale signs of a good story.

Composer Nico Muhly describes the fascinating sound-world and diverse musical elements of his 2018 opera Marnie, and the inspirations behind his artistic process.

An ancient tale made modern through Philip Glass’s mesmerizing and distinctive musical style—learn more about Akhnaten with an episode our In Focus podcast.

John Adams’s Nixon in China is undoubtedly one of the most important operas written in the second half of the 20th century. During the 2010–11 season, the groundbreaking work had its long-awaited Met premiere, directed by the legendary Peter Sellars.

Colin Graham, who directed the world premiere of The Ghosts of Versailles at the Met, explains why John Corigliano’s opera offers a message of hope and compassion perfect for our time.

Designer Arianne Phillips and mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, who sang the title role of Nico Muhly’s Marnie, discuss the production’s stunning 1960s costumes with Live in HD host Susan Graham.

In his remarkable Doctor Atomic, composer John Adams explores the life and work of Robert Oppenheimer and the march toward one of the most controversial inventions of 20th-century science.

Theft, denial, deceit, and a captivating, enigmatic heroine. Learn more about Nico Muhly’s contemporary opera Marnie with our In Focus podcast.

Before the 2008 Met premiere of his Satyagraha, acclaimed American composer Philip Glass spoke about Gandhi as an opera subject and why his message still resonates today.

Before the 2008 Met premiere of Philip Glass’s Satyagraha, Ela Gandhi spoke about the idea of satyagraha and her grandfather’s incredible legacy.

Nico Muhly’s gripping new opera Marnie arrived at the Met for its U.S. premiere in October 2018, in a fast-paced production by Michael Mayer.

Learn about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant Manhattan Project physicist at the center of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic.

Dive into the details of the visionary pharaoh Akhnaten’s ecstatic Hymn to the Sun with countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo and host Rhiannon Giddens in this episode of our Aria Code podcast, a collaboration with WQXR.

Innovative artists tell the story of Gandhi and his philosophy of non-violence in the Met-premiere production of Philip Glass’s opera.

Composer John Adams and director Peter Sellars discuss the historical events that informed Adams's spellbinding modern opera, Nixon in China, and Sellars’s 2011 Met-premiere production. 

The 2019–20 season saw the company premiere of Philip Glass’s transcendental Akhnaten, which starred countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo as the enigmatic title pharaoh who radically transformed ancient Egyptian society. 

Teresa Stratas, who gives tour-de-force performances in this week’s streams of Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles and Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, enjoyed a Met career spanning more than three decades.  Read more about this fascinating and elusive artist.

Shortly before the Met premiere of Glass’s Akhnaten, its star Anthony Roth Costanzo joined with the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Mannes Orchestra, and Gandini Juggling to perform excerpts at the Brooklyn Museum.

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