Approximate running time 3 hrs. 20 min. Sung in Italian with Met Titles in English.

On the heels of her triumph in Jenufa, Finnish phenomenon Karita Mattila adds another landmark role to her Met repertory, the free-spirited beauty Manon Lescaut. The story of the magnetic attraction between two young lovers is the perfect vehicle for the soprano?s exhilarating charisma, especially when matched by the ardent tenor of Marcello Giordani. Puccini never surpassed the erotic sweep of his own youthful hit.

**PLEASE RSVP for the following! Complimentary Pre-Opera lecture at St. James Church in Great Barrington with Juilliard's Scott Eyerly. 10:30am lecture, ending at 11:15am. 11:30am lunch at Castle Street Cafe / $15 per plate

[Manon Menu: Filet of Sole Stuffed with Spinach, with Basmati rice and string beans, coffee and oatmeal cookie. Veggie option upon request.]

The Monument Mountain Regional High School Band, under the direction of Jeffrey Stevens, returns to the Mahaiwe Theater to present its 26th Annual Pops Concert.

This event is part of the band's celebration of national "Music in the Schools" month that will also include performances for young people at several area schools. The concert features performances by the MMRHS Jazz Ensemble and the 88 member MMRHS Concert Band. This year's guest artist will be Rolf Smedvig, one the world's foremost trumpet virtuosos and founder and director of the Empire Brass. The Monument Band has performed in Virginia, Washington, D.C., Toronto, New York City, and at the Massachusetts State House in Boston. Recent performances include the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield and last year's nearly sold out show at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.

Crazy 'Bout Patsy - The Patsy Cline Show is an incredible recreation of Patsy Cline in concert. This outstanding performance featuring Sherrill Douglas and her band has received rave reviews worldwide.

You'll hear all the great hits, including Crazy, Walking After Midnight, I Fall to Pieces, Sweet Dreams of You, She's Got You, You Belong To Me, and many more. One night only!

Of all the arts, music is the one that best communicates mysticism and timelessness, poignantly evoking the past and reaching for the essence of our existence. Beethoven's Ghost Trio, Rachmaninoff's Trio Elegiac, Liszt Transcendental Etude No. 10 in F minor, and Scriabin's Sonata No. 5, opus 53. Also featuring world premiere of Jorge Martin's Recuerda, bridging East and West, and the departed with those who remember.

Walter Ponce, piano; Yehonatan Berick, violin; Yehuda Hanani, cello. www.cewm.org

Sung in German with Met titles in English. Approximate running time 5 hrs. 0 min.

Deborah Voigt, one of the world?s most celebrated Wagnerian sopranos, undertakes this iconic role for the first time at the Met. Cast update includes Tenor Robert Dean Smith portraying the other half of the archetypal couple on their mystical journey of love, sex, and death.

Is it illusion or reality? Known internationally for presenting work of exceptional inventiveness and physical beauty, MOMIX is a company of dancer-illusionists under the direction of Moses Pendleton. MOMIX makes you gaze in awe and wonder as its dancer-illusionists fool the naked eye using props, light, shadow, humor and the human body. Marvel at the very The Best of MOMIX, a chronicle of the evolution of MOMIX over the past 20 years, performed through vignettes of previous shows: Opus, Cactus, Lunar Sea, and MOMIX in Orbit. Best noted for wily illusion paired with acrobatic physicality, the group is one of today's most entertaining movement acts.

?One only has to look at Cirque du Soleil or the musical The Lion King to see the influence of Moses Pendleton. This show is truly a treat for those lucky enough to see it.? ? Pegasus News http://www.mosespendleton.com/

Composer Benjamin Britten. Sung in English. Approximate running time 3 hrs. 15 min.

Peter Grimes is under investigation for unthinkable transgressions, yet Benjamin Britten's probing exploration of the nature of guilt and judgment implicates an entire fishing village. Director John Doyle, a Tony Award¨ winner for his interpretation of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, makes his Met debut answering the challenges of this modern masterpiece. Tenor Anthony Dean Griffey takes on the complex title role, and the riveting Patricia Racette plays Ellen Orford, the woman who refuses to abandon him. Featuring what may be 20th-century opera's most impressive tenor role, Peter Grimes, with its sweeping orchestral beauty, is a haunting theatrical journey.

Saturday afternoon's LECTURE with Juilliard's own Scott Eyerly has been MOVED to Castle Street Cafe (in lieu of St. James Church)*All are welcome to attend! Lecture begins at 11am at 10 Castle Street, Great Barrington. Lunch at noon - $15pp cash or check only, please! Phone:413-528-5244