The Met Orchestra

When the Metropolitan Opera opened its doors in 1883, it also marked the birth of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, known as The Met Orchestra. From the outset, the ensemble worked with the finest conductors and soon attained a high degree of stylistic assurance and technical precision, including in the symphonic repertoire. In its early decades, Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini, and Bruno Walter stood on the podium, while virtuosos including Leopold Godowsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Arthur Rubinstein, Pablo Casals, Ferruccio Busoni, Jascha Heifetz, and Fritz Kreisler were regular guests. To this day, leading classical stars continue to appear with the orchestra. Yannick Nézet-Séguin has served as Music Director since 2018. Under his leadership, The Met Orchestra has once again expanded its touring activity, appearing in Europe in 2023 and in Asia in 2024. In the summer of 2026, alongside its Lucerne appearance, the ensemble is also performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London and at the Paris Philharmonie. Based at a 3,732-seat theater in New York’s Lincoln Center, the orchestra contributes to daily opera performances for 32 weeks each year. Additional activities include concert programs — during the 2026-27 season, Nézet-Séguin will conduct Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, and Sir Simon Rattle will lead works by Janáček and Bruckner — as well as concerts by the Met Orchestra Chamber Ensemble. Performances from the Metropolitan Opera have been broadcast on radio since 2010 and, since 2006, via a dedicated satellite channel; they are also shown on television, in cinemas worldwide, and on demand via online streaming.

One previous guest performance at Lucerne Festival: in the summer of 2002, when The Met Orchestra gave two concerts here under the baton of James Levine, with works ranging from Mozart to John Cage.

May 2026