Basking in Heightened Brilliance

Refurbished in time for the inaugural celebration of the Opera’s 125^th anniversary season on September 22, 2008, the chandeliers in the Grand Tier Restaurant and lobby of the opera were brought back to their original resplendence. 50,000 strands of beautiful Swarovski custom-made crystals achieved the desired outstanding luminosity.

Every summer, the Metropolitan Opera House cleans their chandeliers in preparation for the upcoming season. But this unprecedented project was more:  many of the original crystals in the grand Sputnik chandelier were lost or damaged. Met officials had considered fixing the chandeliers in the past however abstained due to project cost and complexity. After fixing another chandelier for the Opera Club in 2006, Swarovski volunteered to repair the spectacular Sputnik as well. 

Opera fans were able to acquire a precious piece of history by purchasing Swarovski crystals from the original chandeliers in the renovated opera shop.