A respectable murmur drifts from the mouths of the awaiting spectators. Emotions ranging from excitement to impatience cling to their words as they watch for movement behind the curtain. The lights are dimmed, and the heavy, crimson veil separates to reveal a translucent screen with the beginnings of an opera. Chatter is hushed and plush, red seats are reclined for comfort. Singing emerges from the surround sound, which fabricates the feeling of being at The Met, and culture explodes on the stage.

Year two of live screenings of operas from The Met to Marion Ross Performing Arts Center has begun.

“It was great,” said ALHS teacher Neal Skaar, about attending the operas last year. “It’s an opportunity to go to a local venue with a big screen, high definition, and a great sound system. It was almost as good as being there.”

Skaar has appreciated operas from both the U.S. and Europe, and has been a fan of opera for 60 years. As a child he would come home on Sundays and his older brother, Jerry, would be stretched out on the carpet listening to a Wagner opera on their radio. Skaar would join him in the living room and enjoy the infectious sound of “good music.” Skaar also offers extra-credit in all of his classes to whoever attends, though he hopes students would go anyway, to soak in some culture.

“Opera singers are the ultimate in vocal music,” Skaar said. “They are the elite.”

There are many operas from a variety of composers, such as Mozart, Rossini, Bizet and Purcell, and like movies there are also a scale of genres from which operas are categorized. Italian composers, Puccini and Verdi, known for influencing operas in many ways, are both Skaar’s favorites (he couldn’t decide between the two).

“That’s like asking who your favorite child is,” Skaar said.

Senior Tyler Egge attended “Aida” by Verdi last year and enjoyed every minute. He hopes the operas will continue to be shown in Albert Lea and is looking forward to going as soon as they start up on Oct. 5. Though he was one of the youngest people at the opera, he encourages more students to visit Marion Ross Performing Arts Center this upcoming season.

“The stories are really good, nothing like movies today. They’re so sophisticated and pretty classy, …like me,” Egge said, jokingly. “It’s also cool to get something musical from New York City in Albert Lea.”

A schedule of the operas is on the Albert Lea Civic Theater web site and each ticket is $20. The season will kick off with Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” at 11:55 a.m. on Oct. 5. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or online.

New traditions are starting up in Albert Lea, and another activity option to engage in – besides, of course, walking around Wal-Mart – never is a bad thing.