Great Performance at the Met premieres on MPB-TV in January

( Jackson , Miss.) - Watch Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) television as GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET , a series of six live performances, premieres Wednesday, January 24, at 8:00 p.m. with Mozart's fairy-tale classic, The Magic Flute .

GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET is a result of the Metropolitan Opera and PBS joining forces and marks the most number of complete Met operas ever presented by public television in one season.

Created to appeal to music lovers of all ages, the new English-language production of The Magic Flute is directed by Julie Taymor ( The Lion King ) and features the spectacular visual effects of her original, German-language production of Die Zauberflöte ( The Magic Flute ), including flying birds, dancing bears, and a star-shimmering Queen of the Night.

The other Met productions to air in the series are Bellini's I Puritani , featuring international sensation Anna Netrebko; the world premiere of Tan Dun's The First Emperor , starring GP stalwart, legendary tenor Plácido Domingo; Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin , with another series favorite, beloved soprano Renée Fleming; Bart Sher's acclaimed new staging of Rossini's The Barber of Seville , with the great Rossini tenor Juan Diego Flórez; and Jack O'Brien's new take on Puccini's Il Trittico , conducted by Met music director James Levine.

“The Met's new mission is to present opera as a contemporary art form for the public to enjoy. We've launched numerous initiatives this year that are designed to keep opera vital by broadening our reach to include new audiences,” says the Met's general manager, Peter Gelb.

Barry Schulman, executive producer of GREAT PERFORMANCES , says, “We are truly delighted to bring Peter Gelb's fresh, new concept to the nation's television screens. Opera has long been an integral part of GREAT PERFORMANCES and these exemplary Met productions offer the one-of-a-kind performances our viewers expect.”

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Kathy Broom
Jan 19, 2007	601.432.6683
*GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET* premieres Jan. 24 on MPB-TV
( Jackson , Miss.) - Watch Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) television as *GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET* , a series of six live performances, premieres Wednesday, January 24, at 8:00 p.m. with Mozart's fairy-tale classic, The Magic Flute . *GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET* is a result of the Metropolitan Opera and PBS joining forces and marks the most number of complete Met operas ever presented by public television in one season. Created to appeal to music lovers of all ages, the new English-language production of The Magic Flute is directed by Julie Taymor ( The Lion King ) and features the spectacular visual effects of her original, German-language production of Die Zauberflöte ( The Magic Flute ), including flying birds, dancing bears, and a star-shimmering Queen of the Night. The other Met productions to air in the series are Bellini's I Puritani , featuring international sensation Anna Netrebko; the world premiere of Tan Dun's The First Emperor , starring GP stalwart, legendary tenor Plácido Domingo; Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin , with another series favorite, beloved soprano Renée Fleming; Bart Sher's acclaimed new staging of Rossini's The Barber of Seville , with the great Rossini tenor Juan Diego Flórez; and Jack O'Brien's new take on Puccini's Il Trittico , conducted by Met music director James Levine. “The Met's new mission is to present opera as a contemporary art form for the public to enjoy. We've launched numerous initiatives this year that are designed to keep opera vital by broadening our reach to include new audiences,” says the Met's general manager, Peter Gelb. Barry Schulman, executive producer of *GREAT PERFORMANCES* , says, “We are truly delighted to bring Peter Gelb's fresh, new concept to the nation's television screens. Opera has long been an integral part of *GREAT PERFORMANCES* and these exemplary Met productions offer the one-of-a-kind performances our viewers expect.”