A philanthropist has given $30 million to the Metropolitan Opera.
The gift from Ann Ziff is the largest in the institution's history.
Met general manager says the gift is sorely needed.
The Met is projecting a $4 million budget deficit this year.
The opera has been trying to expand its audience in recent years by beaming high-definition feeds of its live performances into movie theaters around the world.
Ziff's husband was the publishing executive William Ziff. Her mother was the soprano Harriet Henders, who performed at the Met in the late 1930s.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
