NEW YORK’S METROPOLITAN OPERA CELEBRATES 118TH SEASON

BUENA PARK, CA (February 21, 2003)—Few stage experiences in the world complement the seen with the unseen like the productions of the Metropolitan Opera in New York's Lincoln Center. Outside the view of enchanted opera goers, the Met is a virtual city in constant motion — with more people, a bigger budget, and more simultaneous productions than even dedicated patrons may know. The 2002 - 2003 season is no exception, with 22 repertory operas and four new pieces on the calendar.

Verdi’s Aida is one of two dozen spectacular productions this season at the Met.

This season marks Yamaha's 15th anniversary as the official piano of the Met, a milestone the company is celebrating with congratulatory advertisements in the opera's program booklet.

The Gala Opening Night Performance on September 23 featured Act II of Giordano's Fedora with Mirella Freni as Fedor and Plácido Domingo as Loris Ipanov, Act II of Saint-Saëns Samson et Dalila with Olga Borodina and Domingo in the title roles, and Act IV of Verdi's Otello with Renée Fleming as Desdemona and Domingo as Otello. The Gala commemorates Domingo's 34th consecutive season with the Met.

Between late September and early May, new productions of Jenufa and Les Troyen and the Met premieres of Il Pirata and A View From the Bridge will have taken their places alongside favorites such as Aida, Carmen, La Bohème and Parsifal.

The Met is one of few opera companies in the world to change shows from evening to evening. With as many as five different operas on stage in a given week, backstage activity can be quite complex. In addition to the physical sets that must be rotated to and from the stage, there are ongoing rehearsals for both players and orchestra. Dressing rooms are not assigned exclusively to one performer, but are shared as the performances rotate.

All of this places a premium on every moment, and every space, in which the artists can prepare — and explains why 45 Yamaha pianos of various configurations adorn the Met's dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, coaching rooms, and other spaces in order to keep the operation going. Yamaha replaces one-third of the opera's pianos annually, refreshing the entire complement on a three-year cycle.

Resident Keyboard Technician Chris Kennedy has to see that the right pianos are in place and in top condition on a daily basis.

"I call it the temple of music," Kennedy says. "You have different operas happening in every different room. It kind of makes your head spin – 'Don Giovanni' in one room and 'Die Fledermaus' in another. It's amazing."

A Yamaha C7 conservatory grand piano is installed in the main stage's orchestra pit, and in addition to its use in performances, it's put to use during rehearsals when there is no orchestra. A house-wide audio system lets Met employees and visitors hear the rehearsals on the main stage throughout the day. "Everyone loves that piano," Kennedy notes. "I get so many compliments."

C7s are also the workhorses of the Met's ballet rehearsal room, orchestra rehearsal room, and larger "C-level" rehearsal stage. Yamaha P22 upright pianos are located stage left and right for auditions and warmups, as well as in each of the 14 upstairs dressing rooms. The 14 coaching rooms are outfitted with Yamaha grands in different sizes.

Last season a Yamaha C1 conservatory grand piano even played a part on stage, as part of a jazz combo depicted in The Great Gatsby. Yamaha pianos also entertain the world during the intermission features of the company's celebrated weekly ChevronTexaco - Metropolitan Opera international radio broadcasts Saturday Afternoon at the Met, when the CFIIIS concert grand and the S6 grand pianos in Lizst Hall are used to accompany the interviews, opera quizzes, and impromptu interludes that come in between acts.

"Yamaha has an important outreach to hundreds of the world's greatest musicians with each season at the Met," says Jim Wooten, director of Yamaha Artist Services and Yamaha's liaison with the Met. "We are very proud of our involvement there."

For more information about Yamaha pianos, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; email infostation@yamaha.com; visit www.yamaha.com or telephone (714) 522-9011.