Question: What are you doing on Saturday, October 10?

Come to New York “with” me, by joining in on a New Season of live HD Satellite Broadcasts from The Metropolitan Opera in New York City.  Yes, these amazing performances are streamed live, to movie theaters near you!  And the first one, on October 10, is a Performance of . . . TOSCA!   Yes, Tosca.

In Unit 17 of Discovering Music, you’ll hear me admit that Tosca is one of the works that grips me the most.  I even say  something like “if you can attend only one live performance of an opera, a good performance of Tosca is pretty high on the list!”

So, for everyone in the Discovering Music circle, I can’t tell you how excited I was to realize that Tosca is the Met’s Season opener!  And this performance will be a knock-out.

Here’s the plan.  Find the closest movie theater outfitted with the satellite equipment necessary to carry this live HD broadcast.  Many Cinemark theaters, for example, are part of the Metropolitan broadcast circle.  Then, double-check the time:  the performance starts at 1:00 in New York. That’s Eastern Standard Time, so do your math, wherever you live!

Get there early—in some areas these broadcasts are very popular! But no matter where you sit in the movie theater, you’ll be right at the edge of the Metropolitan Opera’s stage. If you were in New York, you’d be paying about $220 for this seat!  But, instead, you’ll be in your movie clothes, chomping popcorn and “Hot Tamales.”

Best of all, you’ll have one of opera’s superstars as your host or hostess, someone to take you backstage before the performance, and at intermissions. You’ll be able to follow the conductor into the orchestra pit, and see all kinds of amazing things no one in the real audience ever gets to see (like the singers calming their nerves with yoga and deep-knee bends before the curtain rises).  Or there might be interviews with the people who train the animals for the productions, or a visit to the costume designer who will show you the amazing fabrics that create the glittering illusions on stage.  Sometimes you watch as the sets slide or drop into place (that can be pretty scary, especially for the singers who have to be standing already in place—watch out!).

Oh, don’t worry: the broadcasts have English sub-titles so you’ll know everything that’s going on.   And I do mean everything.

I promise you this: Tosca is a fabulous story.  The first act (like many first acts) moves a little slowly, in part because the rest of the opera is so tense!  I can’t tell you what happens (although I do in Unit 17 . . . but don’t peek!).  I can tell you this: you should be pretty breathless at the end.

You can get tickets at the theater, or buy them on line.  Just check the website.

(Please note: these broadcasts  cost more than a regular movie ticket, but they give you so much more than an ordinary movie).  Do ask if there’s a student or senior discount —some theaters do this.  And do let me know what you think!

Every time I go to these live broadcasts, I forget I’m in Wichita Falls, or Grapevine, or Dallas.  I really feel as though I’m in New York City!  It seems I should be able to walk out the exit doors and grab a taxi over to Broadway!

p.s.  If you can’t go on Saturday, there will be an Encore rebroadcast on the evening of Wednesday, October 28, 2009 across the United States (and in the afternoon in Canada on Saturday, October  31, 2009).  Go to the Met’s website to find the exact times, which will vary from theater to theater.