Do you love Met Live and BBC Last Night of the Proms?
Tickets for these upcoming performances at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre are now available from the Cowichan Ticket Centre.
The Met Live in HD is celebrating its 10th season of live transmissions to movie theatres around the world, adding some new twists along the way.
A “ten operas in ten” idea features five new Metropolitan Opera productions along with a Met premiere. As in previous years, patrons may choose a series of three, five or all ten operas and save up to $4 off the individual ticket prices.
The Met is a special draw for Valley fans.
The upcoming season is exciting.
It includes Il Trovatore, (Verdi) Saturday, Oct. 3; Tannhäuser, (Wagner) Saturday, Oct. 31; Lulu (Berg) Saturday, Oct. 21; Otello (Verdi) Saturday, Dec. 19; Les Pêcheurs de Perles (Bizet) Saturday, Jan. 16;
New Production Turandot (Puccini) Saturday, Jan. 30; Manon Lescaut (Puccini) Saturday, March 5; Roberto Devereux (Donizetti) Saturday, April 16; Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Saturday, May 14 and finally Elektra (Strauss) Saturday, June 4.
“Opera lovers in our region are very appreciative of the opportunity to see these HD broadcasts from New York. We hear that feedback quite often. There is a core group of attendees for The Met, but we’ve seen those numbers triple when it’s an especially well-known and popular opera,” said Kirsten Schrader, Manager, CVRD Arts and Culture Division.
But there’s more this year.
Returning after its inaugural broadcast in Duncan last year is BBC’s colourful and fun Last Night of the Proms.
Billed as the world’s largest classical musical festival, the Proms [or Promenade Concerts] began in Britain in 1895. Never stuffy, the music has a wide appeal.
Now, the concerts have turned into an eight-week summer extravaganza, culminating in a rousing Last Night.
One of the highlights of the final night is the traditional sing-along featuring Rule Britannia, Land of Hope and Glory and Jerusalem: three selections that would have been great favourites even before the First World War.
Schrader loves to see the Cowichan Valley enjoy the spectacle.
“Each year hundreds of thousands attend Proms concerts in Britain, while many millions watch around the world. So we are delighted to extend the live experience to our patrons here via satellite from London. The Last Night is an especially stirring experience and we expect it to be just as successful this year as last, she said.
For The Met: Live in HD tickets are $27 for adults, $25 for seniors, $23 for students, and $16 for children.
For BBC Last Night of the Proms, tickets are $23 for adults, $22 for seniors, $15 for children.
Call the Cowichan Ticket Centre at 250-748-7529 and buy online at cowichanpac.ca.