The Metropolitan Opera’s 2025-26 season of Saturday matinee broadcasts continues on January 24 with a live broadcast of the Gershwins' "Porgy and Bess."
Bass-baritone Alfred Walker and soprano Brittany Renee headline this defining work of American music drama, playing two outsiders whose unexpected love gives them newfound strength and hope. A stellar ensemble cast portrays the community of Catfish Row — including Ryan Speedo Green as Porgy’s rival, the brutish Crown; Freddie Ballentine as the drug dealer Sportin’ Life; Leah Hawkins as the pious matron Serena and Vuvu Mpofu as Clara, a young mother whose lullaby “Summertime” is one of many iconic melodies in Gershwin’s score. And Denyce Graves is the matriarchal Maria, in a performance which the legendary mezzo-soprano has announced will be her last on the operatic stage. The acclaimed Trinidadian-Canadian conductor Kwamé Ryan makes his network broadcast debut leading the Met Orchestra and Chorus.
Listen to the broadcast of "Porgy and Bess" on Classical IPR at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 17.
From the Met: "A supremely American operatic masterpiece and the most ambitious work by one of the nation’s greatest musical talents, 'Porgy and Bess' focuses on the joys and struggles of a Black neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 20th century. The opera’s score features a rich cache of individual solos, many of which have become classics of the Great American Songbook, but the true core of this story is in its depiction of a remarkable community. Many of the memorable supporting characters have important musical and dramatic functions within the opera, and the chorus maintains a central role throughout.
"The disabled Porgy and the abused, addicted Bess are microcosms of their world: outcasts among outcasts who are granted further insights as a result. As an offset to this isolated community, there is also the idea of a far-off, vaguely comprehended New York, home of vice and sin but also a golden land of opportunity. The overall combination of music, word, and idea among a complex blend of Americana make this a unique and impressive work both within and beyond the operatic repertory."
Read the synopsis from the Metropolitan Opera.
Composers: George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward and Ira Gershwin
CAST
Porgy: Alfred Walker
Bess: Brittany Renee
Clara: Vuvu Mpofu
Serena: Leah Hawkins
Maria: Denyce Graves
Sportin' Life: Frederick Ballentine
Crown: Ryan Speedo Green
Jake: Benjamin Taylor
