Metropolitan Opera House, Opera house at Lincoln Center, Upper West Side, New York City, United States.
The Metropolitan Opera House is an opera house at Lincoln Center in the Upper West Side neighborhood of New York City. The white travertine marble structure shows five concrete arches with bronze-framed glass windows and holds 3,850 seats spread across multiple tiers.
The opera company left its original Broadway house from 1883 and moved into this new building at Lincoln Center in 1966. The relocation marked the start of an urban renewal effort that reshaped the entire neighborhood.
Performances follow European opera traditions with continuous acts and fixed intermissions, while audiences often wear formal dress. Many regular attendees occupy the same seats for years and consider their visits a steady part of their social lives.
The house opens roughly one hour before curtain time and allows visitors to walk through the public areas and lobby. The box office sells remaining available tickets on the day of performance at reduced rates.
Two large murals by Marc Chagall frame the main staircase on either side, while they remain visible from the outside through the glass facade. Eleven crystal chandeliers in the auditorium are mechanically raised to the ceiling before each performance begins.
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