New York, NY (April 9, 2017) – For the first time in its history, the Met will present Cendrillon, Jules Massenet’s 1899 operatic adaptation of the classic Cinderella story, with performances beginning April 12, 2018. Joyce DiDonato stars in the title role, conducted by Bertrand de Billy in a staging by Laurent Pelly. The cast also features Kathleen Kim as the Fairy Godmother, Alice Coote as Prince Charming, Stephanie Blythe as the evil stepmother Madame de la Haltière, and Laurent Naouri as Pandolfe. Eight performances run through May 11, with the April 28 matinee transmitted throughout the world as part of the Met’s Live in HD series.
Joyce DiDonato has previously sung the title role of Cendrillon to acclaim at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, The Santa Fe Opera, and Royal Opera, Covent Garden. Her other roles at the Met have included Rossini heroines such as Angelina in La Cenerentola, the title role of La Donna del Lago,Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Isolier in Le Comte Ory. In 2011, she created the role of Sycorax in the Met’s Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island, and in 2012, she sang the title role in the Met premiere of Maria Stuarda. Last season, she sang in the Met’s 50th Anniversary at Lincoln Center Gala, and earlier this season, she was seen as Adalgisa in the new Met Production of Bellini’s Norma.
Kathleen Kim makes her company role debut as La Fée, a role she has sung previously at Opéra de Lille. She made her company debut in 2007 as Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figarofollowed by performances as Oscar in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Chiang Ch’ing in John Adams’s Nixon in China, Tytania in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Blondchen in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail and most recently, Sophie in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier.
Alice Coote adds a new role to her Met repertory as Le Prince Charmant, which she has previously sung, opposite Joyce DiDonato, at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She made her Met debut in 2006 as Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro followed by performances as Sesto in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Anne Strawson in Nico Muhly’s Two Boys, and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier. Earlier this season, she was was seen as Leonora Palma in the Met premiere and Live in HD performance of Thomas Adès’s The Exterminating Angel.
Stephanie Blythe makes her company role debut as Madame de la Haltière. She has given over 215 Met performances in a varied repertory that includes 27 different roles, which in recent seasons have included Mistress Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff, Fricka in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, Ulrica in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, Amneris in Verdi’s Aida, and Eduige in Handel’s Rodelinda. Blythe is a graduate of the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Next season she will be seen in Marquise of Berkenfield in Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment and in Puccini’s Il Trittico repeating her much admired portrayals of Frugola in Il Tabarro, the Principessa in Suor Angelica, and Zita in Gianni Schicchi.
Laurent Naouri has previously sung Pandolfe at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. He made his company debut in 2012 as Sharpless in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and has also sung Capulet in the Met’s new production of Roméo et Juliette. Earlier this season, he was seen as the Four Villians in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann and later this season sings the High Priest in Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.
Bertrand de Billy made his Met debut in 1998 leading Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. He has conducted many company performances including Bizet’s Carmen, Verdi’s La Traviata, and Puccini’s Turandot. Other recent credits include leading Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera at the Paris Opera, Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra at the Bayerische Staatsoper, and Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore and Verdi’s Don Carlo at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. He is currently the principal guest conductor at the Dresdner Philharmonie.
Cendrillon Radio Broadcasts
The April 28 matinee performance of Cendrillon will be transmitted live around the world at 1:00 p.m. The transmission will be seen in more than 2,000 movie theaters in 73 countries around the world.
The April 12 and April 17 performances of Cendrillon will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 75, and the April 12 performance will also be streamed live on the Met’s web site, www.metopera.org.
The April 28 matinee performance will be broadcast live over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.
For More Information
For more information on Cendrillon, including casting by date, please click here.
