Pictured is Soprano Nadine Sierra starring as the self-sacrificing courtesan Violetta – one of opera’s ultimate heroines – in Verdi’s beloved tragedy.

Live at the Met, the Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning series of live, high definition (HD) opera transmissions to theaters around the world, continues at the 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center at 1 p.m Saturday, with Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata.”

Soprano Nadine Sierra stars as the self-sacrificing courtesan Violetta – one of opera’s ultimate heroines – in Michael Mayer’s vibrant production of Verdi’s beloved tragedy. Tenor Stephen Costello is her self-centered lover, Alfredo, alongside baritone Luca Salsi as his disapproving father. Maestro Daniele Callegari conducts.

La Traviata survived a notoriously unsuccessful opening night to become one of the best-loved operas in the repertoire. Following Verdi’s larger-scale dramas of Rigoletto and Il Trovatore, its intimate scope and subject matter inspired the composer to create some of his most profound and heartfelt music.

The title role of the “fallen woman” has captured the imaginations of audiences and performers alike with its inexhaustible vocal and dramatic possibilities – and challenges. The vocal and emotional scope of the character is enormous; from her Act I show-stopper aria “Sempre libera degg’io” to the extended Act II confrontation with her lover’s father, Germont, to the haunting regret of “Addio, del passato” in Act III, Violetta is considered a pinnacle of the soprano repertoire.

Sung in Italian with English subtitles, this production runs three hours, 11 minutes with two intermissions. Live at the Met is underwritten with support from Daniel S. Kaufman and Timothy W. Beaver.

Individual tickets to each of the operas in the Live at the Met season are $20, ($18 Opera House members, $10 students). A flexible subscription of eight tickets which can be used however you want – one at a time to eight different operas, all at once for eight people, or anything in between – is available for $142. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Opera House Box Office or by phone at 716-679-1891, Tuesday-Friday, noon to 4:30 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased online anytime at www.fredopera.org.

The Opera House is equipped with assistive listening headsets for the hearing-impaired. Simply request one from any usher or Opera House staff member.

The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center is a member-supported not-for-profit performing arts center with a mission to “present the performing arts for the benefit of our community and region … providing access to artistic diversity … and high quality programming at an affordable price.” It is located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.fredopera.org.