The Metropolitan Opera: Champion (2023)

Plot Summary

Six-time Grammy Award–winning composer Terence Blanchard brings his first opera to the Met after his Fire Shut Up in My Bones triumphantly premiered with the company to universal acclaim in 2021. Bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green is the young boxer Emile Griffith, who rises from obscurity to become a world champion, and bass-baritone Eric Owens portrays Griffith’s older self, haunted by the ghosts of his past. Soprano Latonia Moore is Emelda Griffith, the boxer’s estranged mother, and mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe is the bar owner Kathy Hagan. Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium for Blanchard’s second Met premiere, also reuniting the director-and-choreographer team of James Robinson and Camille A. Brown.

Full Cast & Characters

Eric Owens

Emile Griffith

Latonia Moore

Emelda Griffith

Eric Greene

Benny "Kid" Paret / Benny Paret, jr.

Paul Groves

Howie Albert

Lee Wilkof

Ring Announcer

Stephanie Blythe

Kathy Hagen

Edward Nelson

Man in Bar

Krysty Swann

Cousin Blanche

Ethan Joseph

Little Emile

Helena Brown

Lucia Paret

Tshombe Selby

Mano Alfano

Brittany Renee

Sadie Donastorg Griffith

Director & Crew

Official Trailer

Where to Watch The Metropolitan Opera: Champion Online

Frequently Asked Questions