The Future Of Opera: A Conversation with Marcia Sells
The Metropolitan Opera (the Met) is the largest performing arts institution in the United States. Each season, the Met stages more than 200 opera performances in New York with over 800,000 people in attendance. Millions more experience the Met through its 90-year-old radio broadcast series, its new media partnerships and state-of-the-art technology, including Metropolitan Opera Radio on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Met Opera on Demand and free live audio streaming of performances on its website during the opera season. Yet for all of its acclaim and reputation for being innovative and forward thinking, true inclusion has not been part of the Met’s story. Enter Marcia Sells, the first Chief Diversity Officer for the Metropolitan Opera and a phenomenal mom to her daughter and step-son. Marcia joined the Met Opera after serving as Associate Dean and Dean of Students at Harvard Law School. Her storied career includes positions in academia, the private sector and public service. She is here to talk today about her work to make opera inclusive and ready to thrive in an increasingly diverse world