Layoffs news: New York's iconic Met Opera to fire nearly 10% administrative staff amid financial strain

The Metropolitan Opera of New York on Tuesday announced a round of layoffs as it continues to face financial strain, even as it has taken other drastic financial steps over the last five years.

The other measures that Met announced included a salary cut for its top-paid employees and the postponement of a new production from its coming season.

According to a report by The New York Times, the opera house will cut 22 administrative staff from a total of 284, about 10% of the division's workforce.

Salary cuts and other cost-cutting measures

According to the NYT and a separate report by The Guardian, the Met Opera layoffs will be accompanied by graduated salary cuts for top executives, including general manager Peter Gelb.

The Met Opera, as part of the cost-cutting measures, will cut salaries by 4% to 15% for its top 35 executives who earn more than $150,000 annually, including Gelb, who received $1.4 million in 2024.

Other senior figures whose pay will be temporarily reduced include music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who earned $2.05 million in the most recently disclosed financial year that ended in 2024.

According to the NYT report quoting Gelb, the salary cuts are expected to be temporary, and employees have been told that their salaries will be revised by August 2027 or earlier as the Met Opera's financial situation improves.

“I have to show we can finance the Met going forward and at the same time demonstrate that we can cut the costs that we can cut without undermining our artistic results,” he told the newspaper.

The measures will also see the opera house postpone a new production from its upcoming season, consider selling naming rights, and pursue the sale of two Chagall murals, valued at $55 million by Sotheby’s.

These cost-cutting measures are expected to save millions for the Met Opera in the coming months, The Guardian reported, citing a spokesperson. “These staff reductions, combined with some temporary salary reductions and other cost-cutting measures, will reduce the Met’s expenses by $15m for the remaining six months of the Met’s fiscal year, and by another $25m in the Met’s following fiscal year.”

The measures come after a tentative deal was struck in September 2025 between the Met Opera and Saudi Arabia. Valued at around $200 million, the agreement would see Met — which has an annual operating budget of $330 million — perform for five winters at Riyadh's own opera house in exchange for Saudi subsidies.

However, Gelb told NYT that the cuts were prompted in part due to delays and uncertainty linked to the Saudi agreement. “I’ve been assured that it’s going to go forward. But we have been waiting for some time,” he said.