Mac Rating: 0.00 | Votes: | Date: 03/06/2026 03:15:00

The grandest of the halls at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera House is the home of the Metropolitan Opera, the largest classical music organisation in North America. Opened in 1966 as the centrepiece of the arts complex on the Upper West Side, the auditorium seats roughly 3,800 people, making it one of the biggest opera houses in the world. The Met itself is far older than the building. The company was founded in 1883 and performed for decades in an earlier house downtown, before moving to the new Lincoln Center theatre designed by the architect Wallace Harrison. The auditorium is famous for its starburst chandeliers, made of Austrian crystal, which rise dramatically to the ceiling just before each performance begins, and for the sweeping curved balconies and red-and-gold decor within. Two enormous murals by Marc Chagall hang behind the glass front of the building, glowing out over the plaza and its fountain at night, while inside the stage machinery is among the most elaborate anywhere, capable of mounting lavish productions of the standard operatic repertoire. The company performs a long season each year, and its Saturday broadcasts and cinema relays carry performances far beyond the house. The plaza outside, shared with the other Lincoln Center venues, has become a gathering place in its own right, its central fountain a popular meeting point and backdrop. The opera house anchors a campus that also includes concert and ballet halls. For visitors the house offers both performances and behind-the-scenes tours, with tickets ranging from costly prime seats to far cheaper places high in the upper tiers and standing room. It is easy to reach by subway on the Upper West Side, and many people pair an evening at the opera with the restaurants and the lively cultural quarter around the center. Small seatback screens display translations of the foreign-language librettos, easing the way for newcomers, and a relaxed dress code lets visitors choose between formal finery and smart casual attire. The fountain plaza outside is a popular meeting point before performances, especially at dusk when the building glows and the Chagall murals shine out through the glass facade.