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This may not come as news to many opera fans, but I still can’t pass on discussing the Met’s Live in HD series. Starting with the 2006-2007 season, the Met has been broadcasting live opera performances in movie theatres across Canada and the US. Reception has been very favourable, and the series has grown from 6 transmission in 2006-2007 to 11 in the current 2008-2009 season.

The series usually has something for everyone, from the classic repertoire Verdi, Rossini and Puccini, to the contemporary Adams.

Tickets are more expensive than general movie tickets at about $25, but that’s still incredible value. You’d be hard-pressed to find professional opera tickets for that price anywhere, much less Met tickets.

If you’re interested, it’s best to buy tickets early. Movie theatres in many locations sell out months in advance. Even the encore performances sell out.

For more information or to buy tickets, visit Cineplex.com or Empire Theatres (Atlantic Canada).

As I sit in a comfy chair in Montreal’s fabulously lofty Grande Bibliothèque, connected to free Wi-Fi, I felt it only appropriate to write about using public libraries. Memberships are free (or rather included in your taxes), and most good libraries have excellent movie and music collections.

Having grown up in small town, I didn’t make much use of the public library. Its encyclopedias were handy for grade school projects, but beyond that, it wasn’t of much particular value. Its fiction collection was outdated, and multimedia was virtually non-existent.

So imagine my surprise when I moved to Kingston in 2006. Even though its only a small city (or large town), it shows that even moderately populated areas can have excellent public library systems. The Kingston Frontenac Public Library is a network of 17 libraries with an excellent collection of music and videos. That’s where I was first introduced and became addicted to Absolutely Fabulous, because the library had the entire series on DVD. Through countless recordings, I also learned just how fabulous Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland are.

After my short 8 months in Kingston, I moved to Montreal and immediately got a membership to their Grande Bibliothèque. Due to their huge multimedia collection (70,000 music CDs and 16,000 films on DVD and VHS), in the 18 months I’ve been using it, I’ve saved a small fortune in foregone movie rentals and CD purchases.

Saving money on movie rentals is great, but a secondary benefit is that you explore films and genres that you wouldn’t necessary if you were paying. (I’ve developed a fondness for Poirot, but Miss Marple does nothing for me.) I’ve also seen world-class opera productions by the Met, and discovered the lesser-known but also fantastic Glyndebourne Festival Opera. 

While I can’t vouch for all cities, if you live in an urban area, you should take a day to explore your public library. I think you may be pleasantly surprised.