Live opera from The Met to be broadcast in Whitefish

Stories filled with drama, satire, intrigue, love and more will take center stage this fall and spring when the opera comes to Whitefish

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2013-14 season will be broadcast live to the Whitefish Performing Arts Center beginning next month. The broadcasts will bring opera to an audience that might not otherwise get the chance or would have to travel a long distance to see it in person.

“This brings opera to rural communities,” Carol Atkinson said. “Anyone in the area can come — from Coram to the Yaak.”

The Whitefish Arts Council is bringing “The Met: Live in HD” to the PAC. The council applied and received permission to broadcast the performances. Then fundraised to purchase the necessary audio equipment, high-definition projector, a new screen and the satellite dishes.

“We wanted to promote the strong artist community and had the idea of adding opera,” Atkinson said. “People are already excited about it.”

Atkinson said the broadcasts go beyond what would be seen by audience members in attendance at the Met Opera.

“During intermission they go backstage,” she said. “They show the sets being rearranged and do interviews with the singers.”

In conjunction with the opera broadcasts, the arts council is also holding two special events during the season.

“Opera by the Glass” will be held Friday, Oct. 4 at McGarry’s Roadhouse from 6-7 p.m. The season kickoff celebration is a no-host cocktail party with Glacier Chorale performing.

The Whitefish High School drama, band, choir and orchestra teachers will hold an Opera Preview Session on Saturday, Nov. 9 beginning at 10:30 a.m. Students will put on a performance about opera.

“Opera involves all of these areas from acting to singing and music,” Atkinson said. “This is way to get kids interested in opera.”

The 10-production series begins Saturday, Oct. 5 and runs to Friday, June 13. Friday performances start at 7 p.m. and Saturday shows start at 10:55 a.m. The lobby opens one hour before the performances.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students. Season pass is $180. Tickets are available by cash or check at the door or by calling 862-7591.

For more information, visit www.whitefishpac.com

Eugene Onegin - Oct. 5

Anna Netrebko and Mariusz Kwiecien star as the lovestruck Tatiana and the imperious Onegin in Tchaikovsky’s fateful romance. Deborah Warner’s new production, directed by Fiona Shaw, is set in the late 19th century and moves episodically from farmhouse to ballroom, with a powerful snowstorm providing the dramatic setting for the finale. Piotr Beczala is Lenski, Onegin’s friend turned rival.

The Nose - Oct. 26

William Kentridge stormed the Met with his inventive production of Shostakovich’s opera, which dazzled opera and art lovers alike in its inaugural run in 2010. Now Paulo Szot reprises his acclaimed performance of a bureaucrat, whose satirical misadventures in search of his missing nose are based on Nikolai Gogol’s comic story.

Tosca - Nov. 9

Puccini’s timeless verismo score is well served by an exceptional cast, led by Patricia Racette in the title role of the jealous diva, opposite Roberto Alagna as her lover, Cavaradossi. George Gagnidze is the villainous Scarpia.

Falstaff - Dec. 27

Robert Carsen’s production—the first new Met Falstaff since 1964—is set in the English countryside in the mid-20th century. Ambrogio Maestri sings the title role of the brilliant and blustery Sir John Falstaff, opposite a marvelous ensemble that includes Angela Meade, Stephanie Blythe, Lisette Oropesa, and Franco Vassallo.

Rusalka - Feb. 8

The great Renée Fleming returns to one of her signature roles, singing the enchanting “Song to the Moon” in Dvorák’s soulful fairy-tale opera. Tenor Piotr Beczala co-stars as the Prince, Dolora Zajick is Jeibaba, and dynamic young maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin is on the podium.

Prince Igor - March 1

Borodin’s defining Russian epic, famous for its Polovtsian Dances, comes to the Met for the first time in nearly 100 years. Dmitri Tcherniakov’s new production is a brilliant psychological journey through the mind of its conflicted hero, with the founding of the Russian nation as the backdrop. Star bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov takes on the monumental title role, with Gianandrea Noseda conducting.

Werther - March 28

Jonas Kaufmann stars in the title role of Massenet’s sublime adaptation of Goethe’s revolutionary and tragic romance, opposite Sophie Koch as Charlotte. The new production is directed and designed by Richard Eyre andRob Howell, the same team that created the Met’s recent hit staging of Carmen. Maestro Alain Altinoglu conducts.

La Boheme - April 5

Puccini’s moving story of young love is the most performed opera in Met history — and with good reason. Anita Hartig stars as the frail Mimì in Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production, with Vittorio Grigolo as her passionate lover, Rodolfo.

Cosi fan tutte - May 15

Music Director James Levine conducts Mozart’s beloved opera about testing the ties of love. The cast is filled with youthful Met stars: Susanna Phillips and Isabel Leonard are the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, Matthew Polenzani and Rodion Pogossov are their lovers, with Danielle de Niese as the scheming Despina.

La Cenerentola - June 13

A peerless pair of Rossini virtuosos joins forces in La Cenerentola—a vocal tour de force for mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, singing her first Met performances of the Cinderella title role, and the high-flying tenor Juan Diego Flórez, as her Prince Charming. Alessandro Corbelli and Luca Pisaroni complete the cast, with Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leading the effervescent score.