The Met Chorus Artists Inc. logo was designed by the lovely and talented Chelsey Hill, illustrator and Met Opera dresser!

An Introduction to the Met Chorus Artists, Inc.

Who We Are:

Met Chorus Artists, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created by members of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, and is organized exclusively for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes.

Our mission is:
- To expand interest in opera, and to develop musical awareness and curiosity via public performances throughout the region;
- To encourage passion and enthusiasm for classical music in both children and adults through educational outreach programs;
- To raise funds and provide assistance to artists;
- To cooperate with established local charities by offering volunteer and monetary support for their endeavors

Why We’re Here:

For years, the members of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus have discussed ways that they could give back to the artistic community and our New York City neighbors. In 2017, after a good bit of research, a fair amount of paperwork, and some help from our friends and colleagues of the Met Orchestra Musicians, Met Chorus Artists, Inc. was born.

What We’ve Done:

Over the years, Met Chorus Artists, Inc. created and participated in a number of educational outreach opportunities that brought opera to the community, including:

singing in a holiday fundraiser for the Show Me Your Heart foundation
creating and performing a kids-centric opera outreach concert for the Howland Chamber Music Circle Classics for Kids program in Beacon, NY
volunteering to teach voice lessons through Culture for One (with thanks to board member Nathan Carlisle for the connection!)
participating in Castle Bridge Elementary School’s “Opera Ambush” program
Handing out candy and engaging with the Upper West Side community with the Lincoln Center Halloween for Kids Event
collaborating with members of the Met Opera Orchestra in a Musical Read-Aloud for kids
bringing opera to visually impaired and blind children at The Lighthouse Guild’s after-school program in Manhattan

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The last two months of the 2019-2020 season were abruptly cancelled, followed by the entirety of the 2020-2021 season. Artists were left scrambling without a financial safety net, with no safe way to perform and make a living with the art form that they spent their entire lives perfecting. It was at this moment that Met Chorus Artists, Inc. made the decision to create our first ever fundraising campaign for out-of-work Met AGMA artists. With the help of hundreds of generous individual Met Opera lovers and supporters, and major donations from Rolex, Graham Berwind, Bob Doorenbos, and a generous anonymous donor who spearheaded a $25,000 matching campaign, we raised over $500,000 for the dancers, choreographers, soloists, chorus members, stage managers, staff performers, and stage directors whose livelihood was threatened as a result of the Met’s closure. You can read about our summer fundraiser here.

What We’re Doing:

But the pandemic isn’t over. As the days, weeks, and months pass without the ability to perform for audiences, our beloved Met artists are reaching new, troubling levels of financial instability and crisis. Unemployment Insurance is set to run out as early as January, and it is now clear that there will be a period of time when our artists will be entirely without a financial safety net before the Met goes back to work for the 2021-2022 season.

How You Can Help:

On December 1, 2020, we launched our Face The Music fundraising campaign, which you can read about here. All monetary donations to Met Chorus Artists, Inc. are tax-deductible and will go towards supporting out-of-work Met AGMA artists who continue to struggle financially due to the Met’s extended closure. Thank you so much in advance for your interest and generosity!

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