Metropolitan Opera Gets New Sponsor for Broadcasts

[Helene]

The Metropolitan Opera announced yesterday that they have a new sponsor for the Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts:

(The full press release)

Metropolitan Opera General Manager Joseph Volpe announced today that Toll Brothers, America’s luxury home builder™, will be the corporate sponsor for the Metropolitan Opera Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts which will celebrate their 75th anniversary this season. The twenty-one radio broadcasts will run from December 17 of this year to May 6, 2006, and will be heard over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network, which comprises over 300 stations in the United States and reaches eleven million people in forty-two countries around the globe. The Annenberg Foundation and the Vincent A. Stabile Foundation will continue to provide generous support for this season’s broadcasts as part of their long-term commitments to the future of this program.

Mr. Volpe welcomed the new corporate sponsor to the Met broadcasts saying, “I am delighted that Toll Brothers has agreed to support this landmark series, the longest running classical radio program in the history of American broadcasting. I am certain I speak for millions of opera lovers around the world in expressing thanks to Toll Brothers for their generosity.”

Robert I. Toll, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Toll Brothers, Inc., said, “We are honored and excited to share the spirit of excellence of The Metropolitan Opera.”

Regular radio broadcasts from The Metropolitan Opera began on December 25, 1931, with a broadcast performance of Humperdinck’s “Hänsel und Gretel.” This season’s 75th Anniversary celebration will include a special January 14 broadcast honoring the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth with excerpts from historic performances chosen from The Met’s vast broadcast archives. In addition, special intermission features throughout the radio season will present great moments from both performances and intermissions of past Met broadcasts.

After the announcement in May 2003 that the broadcasts would lose their corporate sponsor following the 2003-04 season, The Metropolitan Opera launched the “Save the Met Broadcasts Campaign,” under the leadership of Beverly Sills, the company’s chairman at the time. Since then, thousands of individuals, corporations, and foundations from around the world have contributed to the campaign.

“Thanks to the generosity of these donations, The Met has been able to continue the broadcasts without interruption,” said Mr. Volpe. “Our challenge now is to continue to build our Broadcast Fund to guarantee the future of these treasured broadcasts.”

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/new...ail.aspx?id=115

[bart]

Excellent.

[richard53dog]

Metropolitan Opera General Manager Joseph Volpe announced today that Toll Brothers, America’s luxury home builder™, will be the corporate sponsor for the Metropolitan Opera Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts which will celebrate their 75th anniversary this season. The twenty-one radio broadcasts will run from December 17 of this year to May 6, 2006, and will be heard over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network,

Robert I. Toll, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Toll Brothers, Inc., said, “We are honored and excited to share the spirit of excellence of The Metropolitan Opera.”

After the announcement in May 2003 that the broadcasts would lose their “Thanks to the generosity of these donations, The Met has been able to continue the broadcasts without interruption,” said Mr. Volpe. “Our challenge now is to continue to build our Broadcast Fund to guarantee the future of these treasured broadcasts.”

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/new...ail.aspx?id=115

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is certainly good news and Toll Brothers seems like a quality outfit looking for a high end exposure for their company.

On one of the opera boards I'm on, people have been calling and emailing them, thanking Toll Brothers for their support. The phone calls have been received with somewhat surprised delight, but sending thanks via email probably means more

Robert Toll is reachable at rtoll@tollbrothersinc.com if you want to send thanks

Of course if you are a NOLP, then this is probably no big deal for you.

Richard

[dirac]

I'd love to be able to offer the Toll Brothers some of my business, but my pocketbook won't allow it, unfortunately.

I don't even get the broadcast in my area any more. Last season I had to listen to it on a distant AM station with terrible reception, but at least I could hear it.

[BW]

I noticed this while flipping through an opera magazine at a friend's house. My first reaction was more shock and awe than happiness, because I am not a big fan of the never ending conquest of buildable space out in the Westchester/Fairfield county areas, but I suppose financial backing is financial backing - perhaps this will up the radio output, dirac.

[dirac]

Thanks, BW -- that's looking on the bright side, I suppose. As one who's seen virtually all the open space nearby gobbled up by housing, I feel your pain. There's no stopping it.

[zerbinetta]

The other night, the "patron pick-up" desk in the Met outer lobby was unmanned but with dozens of Toll Bros brochures displayed in pretty fan shapes.

I picked one up. They seem to do a lot of mega buildings, resorts, etc. Rather Palm Beachy. Tastefully done but Large.

Not too many brochures were gone when we left.