Quinn Kelsey makes his anticipated role debut as the High Priest of Dagon in Camille Saint-Saëns’s biblical grand opera Samson et Dalila at The Metropolitan Opera this November and December.
The engagement marks a swift return to The Met stage for the baritone, who triumphed at the house this past season as Baron Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca. Critics widely praised his interpretation, describing his singing as “self-contained and burnished” with a voice of effortless power and steady resonance (Parterre Box).
Under the baton of Giacomo Sagripanti, Kelsey headlines a world-class cast opposite dramatic tenor Clay Hilley as the Hebrew hero Samson and Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina in her role debut as the Philistine temptress Dalila. Bass-baritones Alfred Walker and Thomas Hall share the role of the Philistine satrap Abimélech, with veteran bass Morris Robinson portraying the Old Hebrew.
The production runs November 27-December 23, and will be transmitted live to movie theaters worldwide on Saturday, December 5, 2026, as part of The Met: Live in HD series, accompanied by live radio broadcasts across the Toll Brothers–Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.
