The Metropolitan Opera’s live HD simulcasts are back at SUNY Sullivan’s Seelig Theater this Saturday, kicking off the 2025-26 season with Puccini’s beloved La Bohème. La Bohème, the passionate, timeless, and indelible story of love among young artists in Paris, can stake its claim as the world’s most popular opera.
“This is the most popular of all operas — everyone knows it,” said Dan Rigney, SUNY Sullivan’s assistant director of development. “Even if you’ve never seen an opera, you’ve heard Puccini’s music.”
Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) was immensely popular in his own lifetime, and his mature works remain staples in the repertory of most of the world’s opera companies. His librettists for La Bohème, Giuseppe Giacosa (1847–1906) and Luigi Illica (1857–1919), also collaborated with him on his next two operas, Tosca and Madama Butterfly. Giacosa, a dramatist, was responsible for the stories, and Illica, a poet, worked primarily on the words themselves.
The HD experience brings the opera house to Sullivan County, complete with backstage access, interviews, and behind-the-scenes magic. Lead Soprano Juliana Grigoryan is the feeble seamstress Mimì, opposite tenors Freddie De Tommaso, as the ardent poet Rodolfo.
Doors open at noon Saturday, Nov. 8, with the simulcast starting at 1 p.m. Early arrivals can enjoy a pre-show discussion and refreshments from Neversink General Store. Tickets information at sunysullivan.edu/met-opera.
Image: Soprano Juliana Grigoryan is the feeble seamstress Mimì, opposite tenor Freddie De Tommaso as the ardent poet Rodolfo in Franco Zeffirelli’s production of La Boheme which will be transmitted live from the Met stage to cinemas worldwide. (Credit: The Metropolitan Opera)