See classic opera on the big screen

You can see a lot of the Metropolitan Opera this season if you happen to live in Auburn. Or Spokane, or Redmond.

These three sites are the only places in the state of Washington where the Metropolitan Opera's first live high-definition "simulcast" broadcasts into movie theaters will take place, starting Jan. 6. Only Auburn has all five of the opera broadcasts. (There's also a Dec. 30 showing of "The Magic Flute," staged by Julie Taymor and conducted by James Levine, but it won't be shown in any theaters in our state.)

The other five of the six broadcasts, sent into selected movie theaters in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. via satellite, will include Bellini's "I Puritani" (with Anna Netrebko), Tan Dun's "The First Emperor" (with Plácido Domingo), Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" (with Renée Fleming), Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" (staged by Intiman Theatre's Bartlett Sher) and Puccini's "Il Trittico" (with Salvatore Licitra and Stephanie Blythe). Those five operas will be broadcast in our state.

It helps if you happen to like hearing opera in midmorning. The broadcasts all start at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time. They are designed to "build a larger audience around the globe," according to the Met's official statement. Company general manager Peter Gelb calls the movie broadcasts "a front-row seat to the unique spectacle of live opera."

Eight cameras will capture the performances live at the Met and relay them to 40-foot screens in the theaters. With a U.S. cinema partner, National CineMedia, and a Canadian partner, Cineplex Entertainment, the Met is broadcasting into select movie theaters equipped with satellite-based HD (high definition) projection systems, including those of the Regal Entertainment Group (Regal Cinemas, United Artists and Edwards), Cinemark, and AMC theaters in the U.S. and Cineplex Odeon, Galaxy, and Famous Players Theatres in Canada. An estimated 135 theaters across the country have the special technology for high-definition events. Only 56 of them have signed on to present the first production, "The Magic Flute," but by the end of the first season, the number of theaters presenting the simulcasts is planned to rise to 117.

To read more about the movie-theater live broadcasts, including synopses and information about the operas, visit www.metoperafamily.org/hdlive. There you also will find a link to purchase tickets.

Here's the schedule of broadcasts in Washington state, beginning Jan. 6.

• Bellini's "I Puritani," 10:30 a.m. Jan. 6: Auburn Stadium 17 Theatres, 1101 Super Mall Way, Suite 901, Auburn.

• Tan Dun's "The First Emperor," 10:30 a.m. Jan. 13: Auburn Stadium 17; Bella Bottega Stadium 11 Cinema, 8890 N.E. 161st Ave., Redmond; Northtown Mall Stadium 12, 4750 N. Division St., Spokane.

• Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin," 10:30 a.m. Feb. 24: Auburn Stadium 17; Bella Bottega Stadium 11 of Redmond, Northtown Mall Stadium 12 of Spokane.

• Rossini's "The Barber of Seville," 10:30 a.m. March 24: Auburn Stadium 17; Bella Bottega Stadium 11 of Redmond; Northtown Mall Stadium 12 of Spokane.

• Puccini's "Il Trittico," 10:30 a.m. April 28: Auburn Stadium 17; Bella Bottega Stadium 11 of Redmond; Northtown Mall Stadium 12 of Spokane.

Melinda Bargreen: mbargreen@seattletimes.com