Met Opera's Multimillion-Dollar Deal With Saudis Falls Through [View all]

Source: New York Times

April 23, 2026, 4:00 p.m. ET


In a major blow to the Metropolitan Opera, the Saudi Arabian government has backed out of a deal that would have provided significant relief to the nation’s premier opera company as it struggles to recover from the most acute financial crisis in its history, Met officials announced on Thursday.

Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, said the Saudis cited damage to the country’s economy caused by the war in Iran and the blockading of oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Under the arrangement, announced in September, the Saudis were to have provided the Met with as much as $200 million over the next eight years — a major boon for the New York company as it tried to recover from a loss of revenue and audience during the Covid pandemic.

The deal called for the Met to decamp to Saudi Arabia for three weeks each February for a residency at the Royal Diriyah Opera House on the outskirts of Riyadh. In recent years, the Met has not staged performances in February.

In an interview, Gelb said the Saudi government told him it had pivoted away from many plans because of the war’s impact on its economy. “They are only doing the projects that are essential,” he said recounting his conversation with Saudi officials, and the Met deal “falls outside what is essential.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/arts/music/met-opera-saudi-deal-funding.html