The gala as a whole was sponsored by Mrs Emily Fisher Landau. Samuels Foundation and of the Metropolitan Opera Guild.

Harrington a Günther Schneider-Siemssen design for Act 2 of Arabella, a gift in part of Mrs Michael Falk and a Schneider-Siemssen design for Act 2 of Tannhäuser, a gift of the Fan Fox and Leslie R. They performed on three sets: an Ezio Frigerio design for Act 1 of Francesca da Rimini, a gift of Mrs Donald D. Fifty-eight soloists contributed to a gala that lasted from 6 p.m. The Met celebrated the silver anniversary of Levine's arrival there with a concert on 27 April 1996. He had also notably initiated the Met's series of television broadcasts with a production of La Bohème starring Luciano Pavarotti and Renata Scotto in 1977. At the time of his gala, he had led the Met in 1,646 performances of sixty-eight operas, twenty-one of which he had introduced into the company's repertoire. Levine was the longest serving conductor in the Met's history, becoming its principal conductor in 1973, its music director in 1976 and its inaugural artistic director in 1986. On 5 June 1971, he conducted a matinée performance of Tosca with Grace Bumbry in the title role, Franco Corelli as Cavaradossi and Peter Glossop – also making his Met début – as Scarpia. James Levine made his début at the Metropolitan Opera at the age of twenty-seven. 3 Laserdisc and VHS videocassette chapter listing.

James levine met opera