Utica, N.Y. — Munson will present Richard Wagner’s transcendent meditation on love and death, “Tristan und Isolde,” at noon Saturday, March 21, in the Museum’s Sinnott Family–Bank of Utica Auditorium in Downtown Utica as part of the The Met: Live in HD, a series of live cinema transmissions. Tickets are $26 for Munson Members, $32 for the general public, and $16 for students and can be purchased by calling 315-797-0055 or online at munson.art/met-live.
After years of anticipation, a truly unmissable event arrives as the electrifying Lise Davidsen tackles one of the ultimate roles for dramatic soprano: the Irish princess Isolde. Heroic tenor Michael Spyres stars opposite Davidsen as the love-drunk Tristan. The momentous occasion also marks the advent of a new, Met-debut staging by Yuval Sharon—hailed by “The New York Times” as ‘the most visionary opera director of his generation’ and the first American to direct an opera at the famed Wagner festival in Bayreuth—as well as Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s first time leading “Tristan und Isolde” at the Met. Mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova reprises her signature portrayal of Brangäne, alongside bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny, who sings Kurwenal after celebrated Met appearances in Wagner’s “Der Fliegende Holländer” and “Der Ring des Nibelungen” cycle. Bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green makes an important role debut as King Marke.
Volumes have been written about the influential score of “Tristan und Isolde.” The music is built on the idea of a great yearning, irresistible and self-perpetuating, that cannot be fulfilled in this life. The prelude sweeps the listener into an ecstatic yet tortuous world of longing, and the vocal parts are of unique stature. The opera culminates in Isolde’s famous final aria, “Mild und leise,” with a final octave leap that concludes this unique musical-dramatic journey.
Enjoy the final performances this season as The Met: Live in HD at Munson continues through May with the following operas:
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“Eugene Onegin” by Wagner — 1 p.m., May 9, 2026
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“El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego” by Gabriela Lena Frank — 1 p.m., May 20, 2026
For more information on each performance and to purchase tickets, visit munson.art/met-live.
“The Met: Live in HD” at Munson is sponsored by Elizabeth R. Lemieux, Ph.D.
“The Met: Live in HD” series is made possible by a generous grant from its founding sponsor, Neubauer Family Foundation. Digital Support is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. “The Met: Live in HD” series is supported by Rolex.
For media inquiries, please contact Katie Voce, communications manager, at 315-797-0000 ext. 2147 or via email at kvoce@munson.art.
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Munson is at 310 Genesee St. in Utica. For more information, visit munson.art.
About Munson
Munson is an internationally recognized fine arts organization in Utica, serving diverse audiences through a renowned Museum of Art, live performances and events, community arts classes, and Pratt Munson College of Art and Design, the upstate extension campus of the prestigious Pratt Institute.
