Yannick mourns a vital patron

Peter Gelb has issued the following notice about the death of Jacqueline Desmarais, Canadian philanthropist and Yannick’s chief champion.

The Metropolitan Opera mourns the passing of Jacqueline Desmarais, the extraordinary French Canadian philanthropist and longtime Board member of the Metropolitan Opera. Ms. Desmarais generously supported the Met’s Live in HD transmissions to Canada and funded Met productions, including our recent new staging of Tosca.

In her native Quebec, Ms. Desmarais championed the careers of young artists and provided financial support to some of Canada’s most important cultural institutions. We will dedicate the remaining performances of Elektra, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin and our live global cinema relay and radio broadcast of Rossini’s Semiramide on Saturday, March 10th to her memory. We send our condolences to her family, friends, and countless admirers around the world.

Peter Gelb, General Manager