Cali Students and Faculty Experience “La Traviata” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City

Students and faculty from the John J. Cali School of Music recently shared a special pair of outings to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, attending Verdi’s La Traviata on March 24 and April 7 at one of the world’s leading opera houses.

Before each performance, Assistant Professor of Music History and Music History Area Coordinator Dr. Leah Batstone gave a pre-performance talk at the Met, offering Cali students and the wider audience an engaging introduction to the opera’s story, musical highlights, and place in operatic history. Her talks added an extra layer of insight to the experience and helped bring the work to life before the curtain even rose.

Most of the students who attended were from MUHS 308, joined by voice students and opera students from the Cali School. Photos from the second performance include opera students from Professor Karen Driscoll, Head of Opera Artistic Operations. Also in attendance were Lori McCann and Beth Roberts, Cali Voice Area Co-Coordinators, as well as Cali School of Music Director Shea Scruggs.

For the Cali community, the chance to experience opera at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, just across the river from campus in Manhattan, is both inspiring and meaningful. It is one thing to study a work like La Traviata in the classroom and another to see it fully realized on the Met stage. Experiences like these strengthen the connection between academic study and live performance and remind students how close they are to extraordinary artistic opportunities in New York City.