125 Years of the Metropolitan Opera

October 22, 2008

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Profile America — Wednesday, October 22nd. One of the nation’s great cultural treasures opened on this day 125 years ago — the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The Met’s first home was built by a group of wealthy businessmen and lasted until the 1960s. From its beginning, the Met has featured some of the top operatic talent from around the world, such as Enrico Caruso, Beverly Sills and Luciano Pavarotti. Many famous operas had their American or even world debut at the Met and performances have been broadcast weekly on radio for more than 75 years. Across the nation, there are 93 professional opera companies, which stage more than 2,000 performances each year. These draw an audience of more than 5 million annually. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2008, p. 524
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1207
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html