VIKING SATURN Naming Ceremony in New York City

On June 6th, the VIKING SATURN was christened in New York City. Godmother was Philanthropist and Metropolitan Opera Chairwoman Ann Ziff. Metropolitan Opera has been Viking Cruises‘ long-standing cultural partner. The christening was celebrated in his very solemn ceremony: Lady Fiona Carnarvon, Countess of Carnarvon and godmother of the VIKING MARS, handed over a steel sword from the metropolitan production of Verdi’s Il Travatore to godmother Ann Ziff, who in turn cut a ribbon with the sword and thus released a bottle of Norwegian aquavit shattered on the ship’s hull. Among others, Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world’s leading crossover sopranos, and the Norwegian violinist Tor Jaran Apold took part in the christening ceremony. After a celebratory dinner on board the ship, the stars of the Metropolitan Opera – soprano Susanna Phillips, tenor Charles Castronovo and baritone Quinn Kelsey – treated guests to a performance of operatic classics, including excerpts from Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, Antonín Dvořák’s Rusalka and Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, as well as a collection of American music classics by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jerome Kern, and others. photo credit: Viking Cruises #vikingcruises #vikingsaturn #newyork