For the past two seasons, the Metropolitan Opera has been broadcasting operas into movie theaters around the country. This year, two movie theaters in/near West Virginia will be showing the Metropolitan Opera HD Broadcasts, and I just happen to have some free passes to share with readers of Classically Speaking! 
I’ve been to as many of the shows I can get to, and I think it’s a great opportunity to experience opera in a more laid-back setting. At Bellini’s I Puritani, I sat next to an entranced four-year old in a booster seat, who told me she now wants to see “all the operas.” My favorite performances were probably Peter Grimes and Eugene Onegin (check out what Garrison Keillor had to see about that performance). What I like the most about these broadcasts is the chance to experience many different operas, close to home, for a reasonable price. Now that I’ve seen several operas from the Met, I enjoy listening to the radio broadcasts on Saturday afternoons even more (I wasn’t always a fan—as a kid, I used to kick the back of my dad’s seat in the car when he played the opera on the car radio!)
The two theaters showing these operas are: Hollywood Stadium in Granville, WV (near Morgantown) and Town Cinema in Ashland, KY (not too far for people in the Huntington/Charleston area), and I have 5 pairs of tickets for each theater.
The first event is Monday September 22nd at 6pm, and it’s the Metropolitan Opera opening gala concert, featuring Renée Fleming. The rest of the shows are a bit different—they’ll be full operas and take place on Saturday afternoons (there will be chances to win those tickets later).
If you would like a pair of tickets, leave a comment on this blog post, sharing a favorite opera story: perhaps the first opera you remember seeing or your favorite opera. I’ll need to contact you if you’re one of our winners, so leave your address in the comment, or if you don’t want to post your email publicly, you can then email me: mseghatoleslami@wvpubcast.org.
So, here’s what to do:
1) Create an account (if you don’t already have one)
2) Leave a comment, telling a story about one of your experiences with opera
3) Say whether you’re interested in tickets for Granville/Morgantown, WV or Ashland, KY
4) Include your email address OR send me an email with your contact info
Submit your comments ASAP--I'll be giving the tickets away as I hear from people, and I also want to make sure there's enough time for them to reach you in the mail!