FRYEBURG — The Metropolitan Opera’s Emmy and Peabody Award-winning “Live in HD” series presents ‘The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess’ at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center at Fryeburg Academy. Since 2006, the Met’s live cinema transmissions have brought world-class opera productions to more than 2,200 theaters in over 70 countries worldwide.

“The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess,” one of America’s favorite operas, returns to the Met for the first time since 1990 in a new production director by James Robinson in his company debut. America’s “folk opera,” as the 1935 creators described it, tells the story of disabled beggar Porgy, sung by Eric Owens, and his love for the drug-addicted Bess, portrayed by Angel Blue. James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. Infused with the timeless melodies of the much-loved classics “Summertime,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” Bess, You Is My Woman Now,” “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin,” and “My Man’s Gone Now,” the new co-production with English National Opera and Dutch National Opera was hailed as a triumph at its premiere in London earlier this year. “If you’re going to stage Gershwin’s opera, this is how,” raved the Guardian.

Local opera enthusiast Joe De Vito will present his ongoing Opera Lecture Series at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, in the LHE/PAC seminar room. The series is geared toward music lovers and opera aficionados who are looking for insights while preparing to attend the Metropolitan Opera “Live in HD” broadcast. During each session, De Vito guides attendees through the upcoming production and includes an analysis of the plot and musical composition with detailed excerpts of the music. The lectures are free and open to the public.

The Feb. 1 simulcast will run approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission. Tickets are $26 for adults, $23 for seniors, and $18 for students. Pre-order online at www.fryeburgacademy.org/pac, or call the box office at 207-935-9232. The LHE/PAC is located at 18 Bradley St., Fryeburg, on the campus of Fryeburg Academy.

The Metropolitan Opera’s Emmy and Peabody Award-winning “Live in HD” series presents ‘The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess’ at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center at Fryeburg Academy. Submitted photo