During the New Year's Eve gala performance of Franz Léhar's The Merry Widow, Cook will appear in the Act III party scene. Cook will offer renditions of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "A Wonderful Guy," Rodgers and Hart's "He Was Too Good to Me," Stephen Sondheim's "Losing My Mind" and Carl Fischer and Frankie Laine's "We'll Be Together Again" during the aforementioned scene. The Met often adds performances by guest artists at this point in the operetta as part of the yearly New Year's Eve celebration. The Merry Widow cast features Susan Graham in the title role, Bo Skovhus as Danilo, Emily Pulley as Valencienne, Paul Groves as Camille and James Courtney as Baron. Kirill Petrenko will conduct the orchestra. Wally Harper will serve as Cook's accompanist and conductor.

Cheered for her beautiful, crystal-clear soprano voice, Barbara Cook has starred on Broadway in Flahooley, Candide, The Gay Life, The Music Man (Tony Award) and She Loves Me. She received a 2002 Tony nomination for Best Special Theatrical Event for her Sondheim tribute, which she premiered at Carnegie Hall prior to extended engagements at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Cook's recordings are numerous; her most recent is titled "Count Your Blessings."

Tickets for The Merry Widow are available by calling (212) 362 6000 or by logging on to www.metopera.org. The Dec. 31 performance begins at 7:30 PM.