| The Metropolitan Opera has arrived in Japan with a total of over 400 members for a tour of 13 performances, starting with a performance in Nagoya on June 4 and ending on June 19. This will be the first Japan tour of an internationally renowned large-scale opera company since the Tohoku earthquake disaster occurred. Although there were concerns at first about coming to Japan due to the effects of the nuclear power plant accident resulting from the earthquake and tsunami, Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb continued to follow the situation objectively and calmly; and, based on the Met’s friendship and high regard for Japan, as soon as the U.S. State Department lifted its travel advisory regarding Japan in mid-April, the Met announced its decision to carry out the tour in spite of this unprecedented situation. Great efforts have been made to ease the members’ concerns regarding the Japan tour, such as creating an opportunity to hear an explanation of the current situation in Japan by an expert on radiation from Columbia University. Once again, we are pleased to announce that the Japan tour is taking place as planned. However, we regret to inform you that some of the artists originally scheduled to come to Japan have withdrawn from the tour due to concerns about the nuclear power plant situation. Anna Netrebko had stated her intention to come to Japan until just before the tour. However, having closely experienced the tragedy of the nuclear power plant accident at Chernobyl in Russia, she was unable to overcome her worries in this regard. In the end she felt that this anxiety would make it impossible for her to perform at her highest level, and she made the decision to withdraw from the tour. Joseph Calleja had also stated his intention to take part in the tour, but canceled his participation just prior to leaving for Japan, also due to concerns over the effects of the nuclear power plant accident. We at Japan Arts sincerely regret these developments, all the more because we had confirmed Ms. Netrebko and Mr. Calleja’s intention to join the tour and were making concrete preparations for their participation. In place of Ms. Netrebko, Barbara Frittoli will perform the role of Mimi in all performances of La Boheme. Because Ms. Frittoli will appear in La Boheme, we would like to announce that the role of Elisabetta in Don Carlo, which was to be performed by Ms. Frittoli, will instead be performed by Marina Poplavskaya As one of the world’s top opera companies, the Metropolitan Opera considers that its mission is to present audiences with the highest-quality performances of the complete artistic experience that is opera. Their aim is to offer superb productions of every opera they perform. Our company has reached these decisions based on close consultation with the Metropolitan Opera. We will be grateful for your kind understanding. Instead of Joseph Calleja, the role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor will be performed by Roland Villazon on June 9, and by Alexei Dolkov on June 12. On June 17 and 19, the role of Rodolfo in La Boheme will be peformed by Marcelo Alvarez. Currently final arrangements are being made with regard to the performers and program in the Metropolitan Orchestra Special Concert on June 14 at Suntory Hall. We will announce the details soon. The problem of the nuclear power plant has affected the lives and activities of many people in many ways, and we are very sorry to have to announce that the participation of some members of the Japan tour has been canceled as a result of this situation. We had previously announced the withdrawal from the tour of Maestro Levine and Ms. Borodina due to health reasons, and of Mr. Kaufmann due to the nuclear power plant situation. We are very sorry to have to announce these developments to everyone who was looking forward to seeing performances with the originally announced cast of the Metropolitan Opera Japan tour. We would like to thank you for all your views with regard to changes in cast members. We seriously considered every opinion we received and had many careful discussions. It is especially meaningful to us that the Metropolitan Opera will carry out its 7th tour, the first in 5 years, at this time, in view of the continued difficulties that people are experiencing due to the earthquake and the as yet unresolved situation at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. We would like to express our deep respect and appreciation for the Metropolitan Opera and the many artists who made the decision to come to Japan in the current situation. We will do our utmost to present a superb Japan tour. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer ticket refunds or changes in performance dates in the case of changes in cast members or programs. Once again, we ask for your kind understanding. We are sure you will be thrilled by the performances on this Japan tour, led by Fabio Luisi and Gianandrea Noseda, two of the leading opera conductors of the 21st century, and featuring the talented and acclaimed new cast members Ekaterina Gubanova, Yonhung Lee, Marina Poplavskaya, Roland Villazon, Alexei Dolkov, and Marcelo Alvarez. Please refer to the biographies of the new cast members below. Lastly, we would like to express our deepest sympathy to all those who have suffered as a result of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and to those who are still facing difficulties as a result of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. A portion of the proceeds from tickets sales for this tour will be sent to disaster victims through the intermediary of organizations such as the Japan Red Cross. It is our hope that the arts and culture will play a vital role in the efforts towards early recovery.
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