The Mary D. Fisher Theatre is home for the Met Live Opera programs for the 2024-2025 season, presented by the Sedona International Film Festival.

The season continues with Beethoven’s “Fidelio” live via simulcast on Saturday, March 15 at 10:00 a.m. and the encore presentation on Wednesday, March 19 at 3 p.m.

Plan to come early as John Steinbrunner will lead a pre-opera talk one hour before the LIVE production on Saturday.

Following a string of awe-inspiring Live in HD performances, Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Leonore, the faithful wife who risks everything to save her husband from the clutches of tyranny in Beethoven’s “Fidelio”. Completing the distinguished cast is British tenor David Butt Philip as the political prisoner Florestan, Polish bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny as the villainous Don Pizarro, veteran German bass René Pape as the jailer Rocco, Chinese soprano Ying Fang and German tenor Magnus Dietrich as the young Marzelline and Jaquino, and Danish bass Stephen Milling as the principled Don Fernando. Susanna Mälkki conducts the performance.

ACT I
Marzelline has fallen in love with her father’s assistant, Fidelio, who is in reality Leonore. Searching for her husband, Florestan, who is being held as a political prisoner, Leonore has disguised herself as a man. When Rocco mentions a prisoner in a subterranean cell, Leonore suspects it might be Florestan and begs Rocco to take her on his rounds. When the prison governor, Don Pizarro, learns that the minister of state, Don Fernando, is on his way for an inspection, he realizes that if Fernando discovers that his friend Florestan is alive, all Pizarro’s plans will be lost. He decides to murder Florestan and orders Rocco to dig the grave. Searching for her husband, Leonore asks for the prisoners to be given a moment of fresh air. Pizarro orders them back into their cells, and Rocco and Leonore descend into the dungeon.

ACT II
Florestan languishes in his cell. Rocco and Leonore arrive and begin digging the grave. Pizarro arrives and is about to kill Florestan, but Leonore reveals her identity and stops Pizarro with a gun. A trumpet announces that the minister has arrived. Rocco and Pizarro leave to meet him as Leonore and Florestan are reunited. Don Fernando proclaims justice for all. Pizarro is arrested, and Leonore frees Florestan from his bonds. All hail Leonore’s fidelity and heroism.

The 2024-2025 Met Live Opera season in Sedona is generously sponsored by Chris Fladlien.

The Met Live Opera’s “Fidelio” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Saturday, March 15 at 10:00 a.m. (live simulcast) with an encore on Wednesday, March 19 at 3 p.m. The pre-opera talk will take place one hour before the live Saturday simulcast.

Tickets are $25 general admission, $22 for Film Festival members, and $15 for students. Tickets are available in advance at the Sedona International Film Festival office or by calling 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.