Met Opera, NY Philharmonic Cancel Shows As COVID-19 Precaution

UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN — The Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic have both canceled all their Lincoln Center shows until the end of the month amid coronavirus fears, the organizations announced.

The Metropolitan Opera, whose opera house is found at Lincoln Center, and the symphony orchestra, which performs there, said Thursday that all shows starting that night would be suspended until March 31 to prevent the spread of the virus.

"The safety and security of our audiences and employees is the Met’s highest priority, and in canceling performances, we are following the lead of our city, state, and federal elected officials as well as the recommendations of the Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control," Met Opera officials wrote on their website.

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The cancellations are the latest among New York City institutions as the number of coronavirus cases mount in the city and state.

Also on Thursday, all three of the city's library systems announced that they would be canceling public programs and Madison Square Garden chose to go ahead with Big East Tournament games, but without crowds of fans.

The New York Philharmonic said ticket holders should contact their Customer Relations department, at (212) 875-5656.

The Met Opera similarly suggested logging onto a metopera.org account or calling Met Customer Care at 212-362-6000. Ticketholders can request a full refund, donate the value of their ticket or use a credit to purchase tickets to a future performance.