Dead Man Walking
great performances at the met

American composer Jake Heggie's masterpiece, the most widely performed new opera of the last 20 years, has its highly anticipated Met premiere, in a haunting new production by Ivo van Hove. Based on Sister Helen Prejea's memoir about her fight for the soul of a condemned murderer, Dead Man Walking matches the high drama of its subject with Heggie's beautiful and poignant music and a brilliant libretto by Terrence McNally. Met Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin takes the podium for this landmark premiere, with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato starring as Sister Helen. The outstanding cast also features bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as the death-row inmate Joseph De Rocher, soprano Latonia Moore as Sister Rose, and legendary mezzo-soprano Susan Graham who sang Helen Prejean in the opera's 2000 premiere as De Rocher's mother.

Duration: 2 hour 56 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 1802

About Great Performances at the Met:

Great Performances at The Met delights audiences with productions featuring the world's leading stars of opera.


Watch Great Performances at the Met - Clips, Episodes & Previews




NHPBS Over-the-Air Broadcast

WENH-TV Ch. 11 Durham

WLED-TV Ch. 48 Littleton

WEKW-TV Ch. 18 Keene

W50DP-D Ch. 50 Hanover

W34DQ-D Ch. 34 Pittsburg

Cable and Satellite Channels


NHPBS Five Channels

NHPBS - 11.1

Explore - 11.2

World - 11.3

Create - 11.4

Kids - 11.5

All of our channels and NHK World Japan are streaming LIVE ONLINE and on the PBS App, available on most devices.

Learn More


 

Community Impact

NHPBS NHPBS Passport Passport

Bring Them Home | Bring Them Home - ASL
This Old House | E18 | Suburban Victorian | Going Through Customs
Ask This Old House | E18 | NOLA Shutters, Hardwired Alarms | Ask This Old House
American Masters | Bella! This Woman's Place Is in the House [ASL]
Antiques Roadshow | Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Hour 3
White with Fear | White With Fear
The Forsytes | Episode 1
History with David Rubenstein | Ken Burns
The Making of The American Revolution | The Making of The American Revolution
The Count of Monte Cristo | Episode 2: The Castle
Nature | The Greatest Adventure | Parenthood
Finding Your Roots | Artistic Roots
Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History |
NOVA | Mammal Origins
Austin City Limits | Leon Thomas
Secrets of the Dead | The Quest for Camelot
Safe Harbors: Lighthouses of Maine | Safe Harbors: Lighthouses of Maine
A Fuller Education | A Fuller Education
North to New York: The Great Migration in NY's Capital Region | North to New York: The Great Migration in NY's Capital Region
Bigger than Africa | Bigger Than Africa
The Puzzle Lady | Episode 1
All Creatures Great and Small | Episode 1: Gathering the Flock
American Experience | Bombshell
From That Small Island: The Story of the Irish | New Worlds
London's New Year's Day Parade | The London Parade 2026
Rome New Year's Day Parade 2026 | Rome New Year's Day Parade 2026
Bookish | Slightly Foxed, Part 1
Happiness | Episode 1