The Metropolitan Opera Company was founded in 1883 in New York City, where it is still located today at the Metropolitan Opera House in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. It is the largest classical music organization in the United States, and is currently managed by Peter Gelb and directed by James Levine. The Met for the 2012-2013 season is offering 28 distinct operas performed on 209 occasions from September through May, and the rest of the year is reserved for revival productions and new works.
The Met holds auditions for opera performers across the nation each year, organized into 13 regional districts. The Central Region comprises Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, where Edward Reicin is actively involved in the development of opera culture and opera performers for the region and the nation.