Following his smash-hit company debut with The Hours, composer Kevin Puts returns to the Met with his Pulitzer Prize–winning first opera, inspired by the true events of the 1914 Christmas truce, when soldiers spontaneously set aside the horrors of the First World War and crossed the trenches to mingle, exchange gifts, and sing carols with the enemy. A poignant depiction of shared humanity in the most inhumane circumstances, Puts’s grand, cinematic opera—with a libretto by Mark Campbell based on the film Joyeux Noël—has been widely acclaimed since its 2011 premiere, hailed as “an overwhelming emotive experience” by The Guardian. Silent Night receives an evocative staging by James Robinson that takes the audience directly to the battlefields of the Western Front. The star-studded cast, featuring soprano Elza van den Heever and tenors Ben Bliss and Rolando Villazón, among many others, is conducted by debuting maestro Dalia Stasevska live from the Met to cinemas worldwide.

Ticket holders are invited to a pre-opera talk 30 minutes prior to curtain time in the theater.

Made possible through the support of Premier Medical Group, the Jane W. Nuhn Charitable Trust, the Dr. Edwin Ulrich Charitable Trust, the Benjamin R. Strong Opera Fund, the Stephen & Julia Dunwell Fund, the Dr. Mary Louise Van Winkle Fund, and all of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley. Promotional support courtesy of WMHT – FM 88.7 Poughkeepsie.

Reminder: This is a live satellite broadcast direct from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. On occasion there may be visual or sound disturbances that are beyond the Bardavon’s control. In the event a disturbance does occur, please be patient. Thank you.