How to Apply to Metopera

13 min read Last updated April 20, 2026 6 open positions
Blake Crosley
Blake Crosley Researched using publicly available information, hiring data, and ATS analysis.

Key Takeaways

  • The Met is the largest and most prestigious classical music organization in North America, and it is also a financially stressed institution with a roughly 40 million dollar deficit, an aging audience, and lingering labor wounds from the 2020-2021 season cancellation and unpaid furloughs.
  • Workforce categories matter: administrative and management roles run through Lever at jobs.lever.co/metopera, while union performer and stagehand positions follow audition and referral processes that bypass the ATS entirely.
  • Compensation is bifurcated: union scale for orchestra (AFM Local 802), chorus (AGMA), and stagehands (IATSE Local 1) is at the top of the industry, while administrative salaries are well below market for comparable corporate roles in New York.
  • Peter Gelb's tenure as General Manager since 2006 is polarizing; alignment with current artistic direction matters more for senior roles, while junior administrative candidates have more latitude to disagree privately.
  • Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin (since 2018) is broadly respected and splits his time with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Orchestre Metropolitain de Montreal.
  • The Met: Live in HD cinema broadcast program reaches roughly 200,000 attendees globally per season and is a meaningful part of revenue, audience development, and the institutional brand.
  • New commissions from Anthony Davis, Terence Blanchard, Kevin Puts, and others are drawing some new audiences but have not yet offset the structural decline in traditional subscription buyers.
  • Genuine opera literacy is non-negotiable for administrative interviews; be specific about productions, artists, and broadcasts you have seen rather than offering generic enthusiasm for the arts.

About Metopera

The Metropolitan Opera Association is the largest classical music organization in North America and one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world, founded in 1880 and based at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The Met operates a roughly 3,800-seat house and stages approximately 200 performances per season from late September through early June, with productions running in their original languages, primarily Italian, German, French, Russian, and Czech, supported by Met Titles seat-back translations in English and other languages. The organization employs approximately 750 full-time staff across artistic, administrative, and technical departments, supplemented by roughly 1,500 seasonal and per-show artists, musicians, choristers, dancers, stagehands, and crew. Principal singers are engaged on a project and contract basis through international casting, while the resident chorus, orchestra, ballet, and stage staff form the institutional core. General Manager Peter Gelb has led the company since 2006 and is one of the more polarizing figures in classical music; supporters credit him with modernizing the repertoire, commissioning new American works from composers including Anthony Davis, Terence Blanchard, Kevin Puts, Mason Bates, and Missy Mazzoli, and launching The Met: Live in HD cinema broadcasts that reach roughly 200,000 attendees globally per season, while critics point to declining single-ticket sales, contentious labor relations, and persistent financial pressure under his tenure. Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin has held the podium since 2018 and is widely respected, splitting his time with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Orchestre Metropolitain de Montreal. Be honest with yourself about how you feel about the current leadership before applying, especially for senior administrative or artistic roles where alignment with the Gelb-Nezet-Seguin direction matters. The financial reality is stark and you should walk in clear-eyed. The Met cancelled its entire 2020-2021 season due to COVID, with reported losses exceeding 150 million dollars, and furloughed orchestra, chorus, and stagehands without pay during a contentious labor dispute that was ultimately settled but left lasting wounds. In 2024 the Met reported a deficit of roughly 40 million dollars and has been drawing down its endowment, currently estimated at over 300 million dollars, at a rate that concerns trustees and external observers. The revenue mix is roughly 50 percent earned (box office plus Live in HD plus media licensing) and 50 percent contributed (individual donors, foundations, corporate sponsors, and government grants), and the audience demographic continues to age, which is the central existential question facing the institution. New commissions and modernized productions are drawing some new audiences but have not yet offset the structural decline in traditional subscription buyers. The competitive landscape for talent depends entirely on which department you are applying to. Artistic and administrative staff move between the Met, Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and globally between Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, La Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opera National de Paris, Bolshoi, Mariinsky, and Sydney Opera House. New York classical peers include the New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center Theater, and BAM. Orchestra and chorus positions are held to international standards and turn over rarely, with auditions drawing players and singers from around the world. Technical staff (IATSE Local 1 stagehands, Local 798 wig and makeup artists, Local 764 wardrobe) move within the Broadway and concert hall ecosystem in New York. Administrative staff are hired against the broader nonprofit and arts management market and are paid well below comparable corporate roles, which is the explicit trade-off of mission-driven work.

Application Process

  1. 1
    Apply directly through jobs

    Apply directly through jobs.lever.co/metopera, the canonical applicant portal; treat third-party aggregators as secondary and verify openings on the Lever board.

  2. 2
    Identify the correct workforce category before you apply: administrative and man

    Identify the correct workforce category before you apply: administrative and management roles run through standard HR screens, while orchestra, chorus, ballet, and principal artist openings follow union audition processes that bypass Lever entirely.

  3. 3
    For administrative roles expect a recruiter or HR coordinator screen of 30 minut

    For administrative roles expect a recruiter or HR coordinator screen of 30 minutes covering salary expectations, location requirements (most roles are onsite at Lincoln Center), motivation for working in opera, and a high-level walk-through of your background.

  4. 4
    A hiring manager interview follows for most administrative roles, focused on dep

    A hiring manager interview follows for most administrative roles, focused on department-specific scope; development, marketing, finance, and education each have distinct interview cultures shaped by long-tenured department heads.

  5. 5
    Technical and production roles (stage management, lighting, costume, wig and mak

    Technical and production roles (stage management, lighting, costume, wig and makeup, carpentry) are typically filled through IATSE Local 1, Local 798, or Local 764 referral and apprenticeship systems rather than open application; building a relationship with the relevant local is the actual path.

  6. 6
    Orchestra auditions are managed by the Met Opera Orchestra committee under AFM L

    Orchestra auditions are managed by the Met Opera Orchestra committee under AFM Local 802 jurisdiction and run on a national audition cycle with screened preliminary rounds; vacancies are rare and may go years between postings for certain chairs.

  7. 7
    Chorus auditions are managed under AGMA jurisdiction and require prepared operat

    Chorus auditions are managed under AGMA jurisdiction and require prepared operatic repertoire in multiple languages; the Met Opera Chorus is regarded as one of the finest in the world and turnover is very low.

  8. 8
    Principal artist casting is handled by the artistic administration through inter

    Principal artist casting is handled by the artistic administration through international agents and is not an open application process; emerging singers should pursue the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program or the National Council Auditions (Laffont Competition) as legitimate entry paths.

  9. 9
    Onsite or video panel rounds typically include 3 to 5 interviewers including pee

    Onsite or video panel rounds typically include 3 to 5 interviewers including peers from adjacent departments and at least one senior leader; expect questions about how you handle the Met's specific operational rhythm of production weeks, rehearsal periods, and dark days.

  10. 10
    End-to-end timelines for administrative roles commonly run 4 to 8 weeks; union a

    End-to-end timelines for administrative roles commonly run 4 to 8 weeks; union audition cycles are scheduled months in advance and follow strict procedural rules.

Resume Tips for Metopera

recommended

For administrative roles lead with measurable nonprofit, performing arts, or cul

For administrative roles lead with measurable nonprofit, performing arts, or cultural sector impact: dollars raised, audience grown, ticket revenue increased, programs launched, productions managed.

recommended

If you have prior opera, classical music, theater, ballet, museum, or major nonp

If you have prior opera, classical music, theater, ballet, museum, or major nonprofit experience, surface it explicitly; the Met values sector knowledge and the learning curve for opera-specific operations is real.

recommended

Use a clean, single-column ATS-friendly format

Use a clean, single-column ATS-friendly format. Lever parses standard PDF and DOCX resumes reliably; exotic layouts and design-heavy templates degrade extraction.

recommended

For development roles quantify portfolio scope (number of donors, average gift s

For development roles quantify portfolio scope (number of donors, average gift size, total raised, retention rates) and call out experience with major gifts ($100K+), planned giving, and gala or benefit events.

recommended

For marketing, communications, and digital roles highlight measurable subscripti

For marketing, communications, and digital roles highlight measurable subscription, single-ticket, or content engagement results and any direct experience with The Met: Live in HD, broadcast, streaming, or audience research.

recommended

For orchestra, chorus, and ballet candidates a CV (not a resume) is appropriate,

For orchestra, chorus, and ballet candidates a CV (not a resume) is appropriate, listing prepared repertoire, principal teachers, conductors and directors worked with, competition results, and major performances by venue and date.

recommended

For technical and production roles list shows worked, scale of productions, spec

For technical and production roles list shows worked, scale of productions, specific equipment and software experience (lighting consoles, costume construction techniques, wig ventilating, scenic carpentry), and union local membership status.

recommended

Call out language ability honestly; reading and conversational ability in Italia

Call out language ability honestly; reading and conversational ability in Italian, German, French, or Russian is genuinely useful in artistic, music staff, and titles departments and should be marked at an honest level (not inflated).

recommended

Keep administrative resumes to one or two pages; artist and conductor CVs follow

Keep administrative resumes to one or two pages; artist and conductor CVs follow industry conventions and may run longer with selected repertoire and engagements lists.

recommended

Save and upload as a PDF unless the application explicitly requests another form

Save and upload as a PDF unless the application explicitly requests another format, and name the file with your full name and the role or department.

ATS System: Lever

The Metropolitan Opera uses Lever as its applicant tracking system, hosted at jobs.lever.co/metopera. Lever is a modern, candidate-friendly ATS used by many mid-size and large organizations including a meaningful slice of the nonprofit and arts sector. It parses standard PDF and DOCX resumes well, supports structured interview kits and scorecards, and generally produces a more transparent process than legacy enterprise systems. The Met uses Lever primarily for administrative, technical management, and non-union artistic staff roles; union performer and stagehand vacancies are handled outside Lever through audition processes and union referral systems.

  • Apply through jobs.lever.co/metopera directly rather than third-party aggregators to ensure your application lands in the correct Lever pipeline with full metadata.
  • Use a single-column resume with standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills); Lever parses these reliably and incorrect parsing can drop your application from search filters.
  • Mirror language from the job description honestly where you have real experience; if the posting calls for Tessitura, donor database management, production scheduling, or specific software, name those tools by name where applicable.
  • Complete the optional fields including LinkedIn URL and any voluntary self-identification questions; recruiters often filter on these and a complete profile signals seriousness.
  • Submit a tailored cover letter that names the Met specifically and explains your motivation for opera and Lincoln Center; generic cover letters are visible to recruiters and undermine the application.
  • If you applied previously and were not selected, wait at least 6 to 12 months and apply only to materially different roles; repeat applications to the same role within a short window are flagged.

Interview Culture

The Met's interview culture varies enormously by department and workforce category, and you should research which culture you are walking into rather than assuming a single house style.

Administrative interviews (development, marketing, finance, IT, HR, education, special projects) tend to be conventional nonprofit-sector loops with hiring manager, peer panel, and senior leader rounds, often including a written exercise or portfolio presentation for marketing, communications, and development candidates. Department heads at the Met are frequently long-tenured and have strong views about how their function should operate; interviewers want to see that you understand the specific pace and constraints of producing 200 performances per season in a building with deeply unionized stage operations and a calendar that is locked years in advance. Expect explicit questions about why you want to work in opera specifically, not just nonprofit arts generally, and be prepared to name productions you have seen, broadcasts you have watched on The Met: Live in HD, and artists or conductors whose work you follow. Generic 'I love the arts' answers are immediately discounted; the bar is genuine knowledge of and engagement with the art form. Be honest about your level of opera literacy; faking expertise with senior artistic staff or long-tenured department heads will be obvious and will end your candidacy. Union auditions for orchestra, chorus, and ballet are not interviews in the conventional sense; they are highly structured, screened (often blind for at least the first round), and follow procedural rules established by AFM Local 802, AGMA, and the audition committees. Repertoire requirements are published in advance and adjudication is based strictly on demonstrated artistry and technical execution. Technical and production interviews skew toward practical scenario walkthroughs (how would you handle a quick change in 90 seconds, how do you sequence focus calls during tech week, how do you manage a wig fitting on a touring artist) and references from prior productions and locals. Across the entire institution, expect questions about the Met's financial situation and your view on the artistic direction; thoughtful, specific answers that acknowledge the deficit, the labor history, and the audience demographic challenges without either catastrophizing or dismissing them are far stronger than uncritical enthusiasm. The Met is a serious institution undergoing serious challenges, and interviewers are looking for people who can hold both reality and mission simultaneously.

What Metopera Looks For

  • Genuine knowledge of and engagement with opera as an art form, demonstrated through specific productions, artists, conductors, and broadcasts you can discuss substantively rather than generalities about the arts.
  • For administrative roles, sector expertise in performing arts, museums, classical music, or major nonprofits, with measurable results you can name and quantify.
  • Comfort with the Met's union environment and the pace of producing roughly 200 performances per season in a deeply institutional setting with long-established processes.
  • For artist roles, demonstrated technical and artistic excellence at international standards; the Met Opera Chorus and Orchestra are among the finest ensembles in the world and audition standards reflect that.
  • For technical roles, IATSE local membership or a credible path to it, plus production experience at scale (Broadway, major regional theater, opera, or symphony).
  • Comfort with mission-driven compensation; administrative salaries are below market for comparable corporate roles in New York and the trade-off is the institution and the work, not the pay.
  • Ability to operate during the production season's punishing rhythm of evening performances, weekend shows, dress rehearsals, and dark Mondays, and to schedule personal life around the season calendar.
  • Language ability where relevant (Italian, German, French, Russian) for artistic, music staff, titles, and casting-adjacent roles; this is genuinely useful and should be honestly represented.
  • Maturity to engage with the Met's financial challenges and labor history without either deflection or alarmism; interviewers test for thoughtful realism.
  • For senior roles, alignment with or at minimum constructive engagement with the current Gelb-Nezet-Seguin artistic direction; misalignment at senior levels surfaces quickly and is rarely workable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Metropolitan Opera financially stable?
Stable enough to operate but under real pressure. The Met reported a deficit of approximately 40 million dollars in 2024 and has been drawing down its endowment (estimated at over 300 million dollars) at a pace that concerns trustees. The 2020-2021 season cancellation cost over 150 million dollars and the institution is still rebuilding from that. Roughly 50 percent of revenue is earned (box office plus Live in HD plus media licensing) and 50 percent is contributed (donors, foundations, corporate, government). Job security exists but is not on the same footing as a financially robust corporate employer; understand the financial picture before accepting an offer.
What ATS does the Met use and where do I apply?
The Met uses Lever as its applicant tracking system at jobs.lever.co/metopera. This is the canonical portal for administrative, management, technical leadership, and non-union artistic staff roles. Union performer positions (orchestra, chorus, ballet) and union stagehand positions (IATSE Local 1, 798, 764) are filled through audition processes and union referral systems, not through Lever. Apply through Lever directly rather than third-party aggregators to ensure your application lands in the correct pipeline.
How are orchestra, chorus, and ballet positions filled?
Orchestra positions are filled through formal auditions managed by the Met Opera Orchestra committee under AFM Local 802 jurisdiction, with screened preliminary rounds and published repertoire requirements. Chorus positions are auditioned under AGMA jurisdiction with prepared operatic repertoire in multiple languages. Ballet positions are auditioned through the Met's ballet leadership. Vacancies in any of these are rare; some chairs go years between openings. The standard is international and the candidate pool is global.
How do I get cast as a principal singer at the Met?
Principal artist casting is not an open application process. The artistic administration works with international agents to engage singers based on voice type, repertoire, and career trajectory. For emerging singers the legitimate entry paths are the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and the Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition (formerly the National Council Auditions), which serve as the institutional pipeline for North American singers. Building an international career through European houses and major American regional companies is the realistic path; do not expect to apply directly for principal roles.
What is the Met's union environment like?
Heavily unionized and proud of it. The orchestra is AFM Local 802, the chorus and dancers are AGMA, stagehands are IATSE Local 1, wig and makeup artists are Local 798, wardrobe is Local 764, and other crafts have their own representation. Union scale is at the top of the industry and protections are strong. The 2020-2021 season cancellation included a contentious dispute over furloughs without pay that left lasting tension and shaped subsequent contract negotiations. If you are joining as administrative staff you will work alongside and depend on union colleagues every day; understanding and respecting the labor culture is essential.
How does Met administrative pay compare to corporate jobs in NYC?
Administrative compensation at the Met is meaningfully below comparable corporate roles in New York City, often by 20 to 40 percent at mid and senior levels. This is the explicit trade-off of mission-driven nonprofit work in the performing arts, and it applies broadly across opera, symphonies, museums, and major presenters. If you need corporate-level compensation, the Met is not the right employer. If you can structure your finances around nonprofit pay and value the institution and the work, the trade-off can be worth it.
Is Peter Gelb still General Manager and how does his leadership affect hiring?
Yes, Peter Gelb has been General Manager since 2006 and remains in the role. He is polarizing in the classical music world; supporters credit him with modernizing repertoire, commissioning new American works, and launching The Met: Live in HD, while critics point to declining single-ticket sales, contentious labor relations, and persistent financial pressure. For senior administrative or artistic roles, alignment with current direction matters because the leadership team will shape your portfolio and reporting lines. For junior administrative roles you have more latitude to hold private reservations; what matters in the interview is thoughtful engagement, not uncritical enthusiasm.
What is The Met: Live in HD and does it employ separate staff?
The Met: Live in HD is the company's cinema broadcast program, transmitting roughly 8 to 10 productions per season live to approximately 200,000 cinema attendees in over 70 countries, plus on-demand and streaming distribution. It is a major part of the Met's media strategy, revenue mix, and audience development. The HD program is staffed by a combination of dedicated Met media employees (production, technical, marketing, distribution) and freelance broadcast specialists for camera, sound, and direction. Open roles in the media department appear on the Lever board when they exist.
Does the Met sponsor visas?
For artists yes; the Met routinely sponsors O-1 and P-1 visas for principal singers, conductors, directors, and artist staff coming from abroad, which is standard practice for international opera houses. For administrative and technical staff, sponsorship is rarer and depends on role, level, and team. Ask the recruiter directly in the first screen rather than assuming based on the job posting. Union audition winners from abroad require visa sponsorship and the Met's labor and immigration teams handle this routinely.
What languages should I know to work at the Met?
English is the working language for administration. For artistic, music staff, casting, titles, and production roles in direct contact with international artists, working knowledge of Italian, German, French, and Russian is genuinely useful and is honestly assessed in interviews. You do not need to be fluent in all four, and over-claiming is worse than honest beginner status; mark each language at the level you can actually function in. For chorus and principal singer auditions, idiomatic pronunciation and stylistic command of repertoire languages are part of the audition assessment.
What is the season schedule and how does it affect work-life balance?
The performance season runs roughly late September through early June, with approximately 200 performances. Production departments work an intense schedule during the season including evenings, weekends, dress rehearsals, and load-ins; Mondays are typically dark and the summer is reduced staffing or institutional planning periods. Administrative staff have more conventional schedules but should expect evening and weekend work around openings, galas, board events, and broadcast performances. If you have small children or other rigid evening commitments, evaluate carefully whether the season rhythm works for your life.
Who are the Met's main peer institutions if I want to compare?
Within the United States: Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Seattle Opera, and Santa Fe Opera. Internationally: Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opera National de Paris, Bolshoi, Mariinsky, and Sydney Opera House. Within New York for adjacent classical and performing arts roles: New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center Theater, BAM, and the major museums. The talent market for senior administrative and artistic roles is genuinely global.

Open Positions

Metopera currently has 6 open positions.

Check Your Resume Before Applying → View 6 open positions at Metopera

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Sources

  1. The Metropolitan Opera Careers (Lever board) —
  2. The Metropolitan Opera official website —
  3. The Metropolitan Opera About Us (history, leadership, mission) —
  4. The Met: Live in HD program overview —
  5. Lindemann Young Artist Development Program —
  6. Laffont Competition (formerly National Council Auditions) —
  7. AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) - chorus and dancer representation —
  8. AFM Local 802 - Met Opera Orchestra union representation —
  9. IATSE Local 1 - stagehands representation —
  10. New York Times coverage of Met Opera 2024 financial situation and deficit —
  11. The Metropolitan Opera on Wikipedia (history, founding, statistics) —
  12. Peter Gelb biography and tenure overview —
  13. Yannick Nezet-Seguin biography and Met Music Director role —
  14. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts - campus and tenant overview —