Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall cancel performances
NEW YORK (AP) — The Metropolitan Opera has canceled performances and rehearsals through March 31 because of the coronavirus.
The move was announced Thursday, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a suspension of travel to the U.S. from Europe for 30 days starting Friday.
Many of the Met's singers and conductors travel regularly from Europe. Soprano Anna Netrebko posted on Instagram on Wednesday that she would not be traveling to New York for performances of Puccini's "Tosca" that had been scheduled to start March 26.
"With health authorities urging social distancing with greater emphasis, it is simply untenable for us to continue to perform, as it puts our artists, staff, and audiences at risk. I would like to express my deep personal regret that the situation has led us to this point," Met General Manager Peter Gelb said.
READ MORE: Most coronavirus patients recover, still anxiety, fear loom
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
Among the 21 canceled Met Opera performances is this Saturday's matinee of a new staging of Wagner's "Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman)" that was to have been televised to movie theaters around the world. Also canceled was a March 29 recital by soprano Diana Damrau with Royal Opera music director Antonio Pappano at the piano.
Carnegie Hall also announced it was closing its doors at midnight Thursday for all public events through the end of March, cancelling performances from The Philadelphia Orchestra, Angélique Kidjo, the Castalian String Quartet and Musical Armenia.
Support Canvas
Sustain our coverage of culture, arts and literature.
The play "Life of Pi" opened this winter at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. You may know the…
A University of Michigan student is one of the world's foremost "speedcubers," a person capable of quickly solving a Rubik's…
A response from artists to Hurricane Maria and its aftermath is billed as the first major U.S. Museum exhibition of…
Morrisett and Joan Ganz Cooney worked with Harvard University developmental psychologist Gerald Lesser to build the show's unique approach to…
A bronze statue of a Native ballerina was stolen, dismantled and sold for scrap in Tulsa, Oklahoma. One artist is…
Slick-fielding third baseman Scott Rolen has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with five votes to spare above…
The U.S. Senate has bad blood with Ticketmaster after the company botched ticket sales for Taylor Swift's upcoming tour. In…
The multiverse-skipping sci-fi indie hit "Everything Everywhere All at Once" led nominations to the 95th Academy Awards as Hollywood heaped…
Senators grilled Ticketmaster Tuesday, questioning whether the company's dominance in the ticketing industry led to its spectacular breakdown last year…
The artist and filmmaker Sky Hopinka was awarded the prestigious MacArthur Genius Award last fall, celebrating a decade of his…
As actor Alec Baldwin faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a cinematographer on a New…
The Sundance Film Festival went virtual for the past two years because of the coronavirus pandemic. but on Thursday, there…
The brash rock musician evolved from a baby-faced harmony singer with the Byrds to a mustachioed hippie superstar and an…
Actor Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a…
A new film is getting Oscar buzz for its standout acting performances and unusually deep exploration of sexual violence. Sarah…