( also infml the Met )
the leading US opera company, and one of the best known in the world, based in New York at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts . It was established in 1838. The company’s most famous head was Rudolf Bing, between 1940 and 1972. Its conductors have included Gustav Mahler and Arturo Toscanini, and its singers have included Enrico Caruso, Maria Callas , Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti. Since 1940 it has broadcast its Saturday afternoon opera productions live on radio.