Diva Today, Song Tomorrow

Seattlest likes to think that we’re on the cutting edge, that we have all the hot tips, and that we are always part of the see-and-be-seen crowd. Often, sadly, we are just deluding ourselves.

This weekend, however, we have three chances to at least feel like these delusions are true.

First, bright and early Saturday morning, the Metropolitan Opera National Council is having their District Auditions, which just happen to be open to the public (and free!). They’re being held at the Illsely Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall in Benaroya Hall, and start at 10 am. (They tend to run until 6 pm or later, so feel free to come late or leave early – just be respectful of the singer on stage, and try to time your entrances and exits between singers.) Seattlest will be there with our pencil, taking notes in the margin of the program.

On Saturday night, you can hear another batch of opera’s rising stars in Kirkland. Six of the singers from Seattle Opera’s Young Artists program will be singing arias, duets and ensemble pieces from works by Verdi, Puccini, Handel, Bizet, Donizetti, Bernstein, and Sondheim. The performance begins at 8 pm, and tickets are $21 for adults, $19 for seniors and $10 for students.

Wrapping up a weekend of music is an operetta at Town Hall on Sunday afternoon at 1:30. Seattlest knows next-to-nothing about it. Here is a brief description from Town Hall’s website:

In memory and celebration of beloved Seattle music personality and conductor, Hans Wolf, artistic director of Community Outreach Productions, Roupen Shakarian conducts a concert version of Jacques Offenbach’s popular and humorous operetta La Perichole. A reception follows.

The reason we’re telling you about it is that we stumbled into a pair of free tickets, so we figured: why not? Plus, who doesn’t like “popular” and “humorous” on a rainy Sunday afternoon? Tickets are $14-18.

Illsely Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall
Benaroya Hall
200 University Street
Seattle, WA 98101

Town Hall
1119 Eighth Avenue (at Seneca Street)
Seattle, WA 98101
Call 206/525-0443 or 206/528-6878 for tickets
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