Pittsburgh Opera’s ‘Così fan tutte’ Is In-Person + Livestreamed; Boaz Frankel Closes Humanities Fest (Fri., 10/23/20)

Masked opera singers? Believe it. Soprano Madeline Ehlinger and baritone Yazid Gray are featured in ‘Così fan tutte,’ which Pittsburgh Opera has reset in a World War I munitions plant—where people really did wear masks to avoid spreading the Spanish Flu. (photo: David Bachman Photography)

1) Live theater for live, indoor audiences has returned to Pittsburgh, as Pittsburgh Opera stages Mozart’s Così fan tutte. The limited-seating run is sold out—but tonight’s performance will be livestreamed free at 7:30 p.m. on the company’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. While most U.S. opera companies have canceled or delayed their 2020-21 seasons, Pittsburgh Opera is launching a full but altered season. It includes works that can be done with small casts for small audiences, with extensive Covid precautions: For the season opener, even the performers are masked. Così fan tutte is a comic opera. As scripted by Mozart’s librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte, two military officers are in love with a pair of sisters. A friend bets them that their true loves wouldn’t remain true if put to the test. He has the men pretend they’ve been called away to active duty, then show up in disguise to woo the women, each pursuing the sister that the other is smitten with. This leads to the farcical humor and lively music that have made Così fan tutte popular since the 1700s. It’s sung in Italian with English supertitles. Through Oct. 29 In the George R. White Opera Studio at Pittsburgh Opera headquarters, 2425 Liberty Ave., Strip District. (MV)

2) Along with everyone else, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has had to make adjustments to its calendar this year. The Pittsburgh Humanities Festival, which normally occurs each spring will, this year, take place as a series of virtual talks with selected cornerstone speakers. The live-streamed series of interviews, will occur over a period of several weeks in October. It will feature artists, academics, and intellectual innovators covering a variety of topics. The events can be viewed on the Pittsburgh Cultural Trusts’ Facebook and YouTube Channel. All events begin at 7 p.m. and are free to watch. The Festival is co-produced by the Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon University.

One especially interesting aspect of Pittsburgh Humanities Festival @Home is is Open Call. The Open Call provides an audition process for people to present their talk for possible inclusion into the Festival. This years winner is Boaz Frankel, his discussion topic is Don’t Google This — Offline Curiosity in an Online World. Frankel is a creative jack-of-all-trades whose website bio, in addition to TV personality, filmmaker, and storyteller; also lists him as kazoo museum curator and world record holder for high-fiving.

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