Welcome to the Met Chorus Artists website, managed by members of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus! You’ll find articles, photos, roster information, and other delightful sundries here. We’re pretty stoked that you stopped by!
All in Spotlights
The COVID-19 pandemic brought varying degrees of stress, anxiety, and confusion to the lives of our beloved Met artists. Thankfully, Met Chorus soprano Maria D’Amato had a weekly oasis of yoga, along with a regular crowd of current and retired Met artists to breathe through the stress and find peace during a challenging time. Maria talks about the importance of community and healing through movement.
When the pandemic hit and the performing arts industry was silenced, the intrepid Dancers of the Met worked tirelessly to safely bring live art to a culture-starved world.
The life of a Met Chorister is full of “top ten” (or twenty, or thirty) performances for all time, but nothing could prepare us for the emotional experience of performing Verdi’s Requiem inside the Metropolitan Opera House for the first time in over a year and a half…
When Chelsey Hill isn’t a dresser at the Metropolitan Opera, she’s using her incredible talents as an illustrator to create brilliantly quirky masterpieces featuring opera stars, female composers, and more. She even designed the Met Chorus Artists fancy new logo!
An outspoken advocate for artists and our industry, Met dancer Cara Seymour offers meaningful commentary and a comprehensive plan so that our country's beloved arts and cultural institutions, as well as the artists who bring you the performances you love, are not lost forever in the tidal wave of pandemic closures and financial collapse.
Chorus mezzo-soprano Rosalie Sullivan says "from the time I was young, I’ve had this driving inner force that says more is possible and I’m fascinated with trying to figure it out." So it's no surprise that during the Met's closure, she focused her numerous talents on becoming a Certified Life Coach.
Read all about the Met Chorus Negotiating Committee members juggling collective bargaining agreements and term papers at the same time, and learn about our union’s incredible Free College program!
Hear what Met choristers have been doing, both remotely and in-person (masked and physically-distanced, of course) to keep the love of opera alive and to create a feeling of community in an increasingly isolated world.
In an interview with Timothy Bostick of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Ned Hanlon gives us a clear and detailed picture of what it's like to be an out-of-work Met chorister during the pandemic, and what the future holds for performing artists.
Met Chorus mezzo-soprano Rebecca Carvin introduces us to Danielle Bavli, a young opera singer who got her start singing (and even soloing!) on the Metropolitan Opera stage as a member of the children's chorus.
Though the annual Metropolitan Opera Service Awards, normally held in the spring, were canceled along with the rest of the season, the Met Artists Newsletter still wants to give two very special Met Chorus members their moment in the sun! Join us in congratulating Kurt Phinney and Gloria Watson for 25 years of service at the Met!
The Met Chorus’s own Kate Mangiameli wrote a book with her good friend, Broadway star Laura Benanti. Disguised as a charming children’s book, “M is for Mama…And Also Merlot” is a hilarious, no-holds-barred romp through the alphabet that will make a great gift for all the mamas in your lives!
Times are tough right now, particularly for performing artists whose livelihoods have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the form of theater closures and travel restrictions. Where can they turn for help? The AGMA Relief Fund is one of many invaluable organizations on the front lines, assisting performers in need.
Met Chorus Soprano Abigail Mitchell was a guest contributor to the newsletter back in 2018, giving us an illuminating (and amusing) picture of what it's like to work for the Met Opera for the first time as an extra chorister (spoiler: it involves getting lost in the building. A lot.). Now a beloved full-time chorus member, she gives us an equally illuminating take on what it's like to balance a new baby with the Met Chorus's often heroic schedule.
In this edition of Meet The Dancers, we introduce you to Michelle Vargo, a talented dancer who has been an important part of the Metropolitan Opera's productions for the past 22 years. "I never imagined I'd have such a long career here", Vargo said. But we're so glad she has!
Carolyn Sielski was a member of the Met Chorus for 21 years, but that didn't stop her from staying connected to her beloved former colleagues after she retired.
In the spirit of the holidays, we are paying homage to a fabulous foursome of Metropolitan Opera Chorus retirees who, between the four of them, experienced a combined 129 seasons at the Met and four different chorusmasters! Chorister Brandon Mayberry had a lot of fun looking back on their experiences. Let's see what they're up to post-retirement!
In our inaugural “Meet the Dancers” column, we’re getting to know Sarah Weber Gallo, who has been elevating the operatic art form with her gorgeous dancing at the Metropolitan Opera for 21 years. We’ll focus on what it’s like to be a professional dancer both on and off the Met stage.
Soprano Jamet Pittman makes her Met chorus debut in Porgy and Bess this year, along with dozens of her talented colleagues. She gives us a small taste of what everyone was thinking during their first week on the job. (Spoiler alert: everyone was pretty excited about being here. I mean, can you blame them? We’re excited about it, too!)
Soprano April Haines gives us a taste of her pre-Met chorus history, which includes numerous Porgys around the world and invaluable time studying voice with the talented baritone who premiered the role, Todd Duncan.
