Paul Appleby Replaces Rolando Villazon in Metropolitan Opera's DON GIOVANNI

Paul Appleby will sing the role of Don Ottavio in this season's September and October performances of Mozart's Don Giovanni, replacing Rolando Villazón, who has withdrawn due to illness. In addition to the October 15 matinee, which Appleby was already scheduled to sing, the American tenor will now perform the role on September 27, October 1 matinee, 5, 8, 11, 19, and 22 matinee.

Paul Appleby is a graduate of the Met's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. He made his Met debut in 2011 as Brighella in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos. His other roles with the company have included Demetrius in the world premiere of the Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island, Hylas in Berlioz's Les Troyens, the Chevalier de la Force in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites, Brian in the North American premiere of Nico Muhly's Two Boys, David in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Tom Rakewell in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, and, last season, Belmonte in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

The September and October performances of Don Giovanni are conducted by Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi and will also star Simon Keenlyside in the title role, Hibla Gerzmava as Donna Anna, Malin Byström as Donna Elvira, Serena Malfi as Zerlina, Adam Plachetka as Leporello, Matthew Rose as Masetto, and Kwangchul Youn as the Commendatore. The October 22 matinee will be transmitted worldwide as part of the Met's Live in HD series, which now reaches more than 2,000 movie theaters in 70 countries around the world.