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The Metropolitan Opera is joining the now hefty list of local organizations trying to lend a helping hand to the people of Ukraine. The iconic institution is hosting a concert dubbed A Concert for Ukraine on March 14 and all ticket sales and event proceeds will benefit relief efforts in the Eastern European country.
Tickets for the event cost between $50 and $75 each and will go on sale at NOON today right here.
Met Music Director Yannick Nezet-Ségun will direct the 70-minute-long program, which will feature some of the opera's most renowned soloists and acts, in addition to other Ukrainian elements, including the country's national anthem performed by Ukrainian bass-baritone Vladyslav Buialsky alongside the Met Chorus.
Valentin Silvestrov will then recite "Prayer for the Ukraine" before a slew of other acts take the stage. Samuel Barber will be performiang Adagio for Strings, for example, and Elza van den Heever, Jamie Barton, Piotr Beczala and Ryan Speedo Green will take on the Finale from Beethoven's Smphony No. 9, Op. 125.
"The Met and its artists, led by Yannick, wish to lend our support to the innocent victims of Ukraine, whose lives have been torn asunder," said Met general manager Peter Gelb in an official statement. "We hope the power of our performance will provide some measure of artistic solace while helping to inspire empathetic people around the world to make donations."
If you can't make it to the event, make sure to tune into a radio station that usually carries the Met's Saturday Matinee Radio Broadcasts as the concert will be broadcasted live there as well. You will also be able to hear it on the Met's own website, on Channel 355 of Sirius XM and on some National Public Radio stations.
This isn't the Met Opera's first effort in conjunction to the current war. Last month, the institution officially cut ties will all performers who support Russian President Vladimir Putin, including soprano Anna Netrebko. The opera announced that the artist would not longer be performing on premise given, according to The New York Times, her silence on the Russian invasion and her past endorsements of Putin.
At the end of February, New York governor Kathy Hochul also signed an executive order effectively ending all of the state's business with Russia. Local businesses have also announced plans to support the Ukrainian cause. Iconic downtown restaurant Balthazar, for example, pledged to donate every penny from last night's dinner service to help the country. The New York Public Library, on the other hand, released a list of books to help better understand the region's history while NYC landmarks have been lighting up in blue and yellow in support of the cause throughout the past few weeks.