Met Opera’s Shrinking Season Reveals a Struggling Cultural Monolith Sacrificing Ambition to Budget Cuts

The Metropolitan Opera, long a beacon of American cultural prestige, is now grappling with its most constrained season in over six decades. Announcing only 17 productions for the 2026-27 season—the lowest output since the Met moved to Lincoln Center in 1966—General Manager Peter Gelb candidly admits this is an "experiment" driven by financial necessity rather than artistic vision. Why does this matter to American families and taxpayers? Because at a time when our nation needs strong, sovereign cultural institutions that embody freedom and excellence, the Met’s retrenchment signals a troubling retreat. It reflects not just budget cuts but a willingness...