The Opening of the Metropolitan Opera 1883 (ENCORE)

Celebrate the opening of the opera season Gilded Age style! In this encore episode, Carl delves into how the Metropolitan Opera came to be and what it meant to those bejewelled Gilded Age audiences. Most of the drama took place in the audience - and not so much on the stage.

On the night of October 22, 1883, the brand new Metropolitan Opera House opened its doors. The new theater was able to accommodate many more prime seats than the old Academy of Music, and as a result, "new money" socialites like Alva Vanderbuilt could finally get their dream - a private box at the opera.

But most of these opera goers weren't there for the music. They were there to jockey for social position, play the game of "see and be seen" and hopefully get one's daughter married off to an appropriate fortune.

This episode goes in to the drama -- on stage and off -- that accompanied that first opera season at the net Met - so put on your favorite gown from Paris, don your top hat and cane and join The Gilded Gentleman for a Gilded Age night at the opera.

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