Met Opera Opening Night

“New Metropolitan Opera House Opens in a Crescendo of Splendor” was the front page headline on Sept. 17, 1966, during the opening of Lincoln Center’s newest edition. Seen here is a view of the audience on opening night, which featured Samuel Barber’s “Antony and Cleopatra.” The Times reported that the great arched house was a brightly lighted architectural toy that was “expected to dominate salon conversations for weeks.” The conductor in front is Thomas Schippers.