According to a press release, The Asheville Lyric Opera will open its 14th season with "La Traviata," "Giuseppi Verdi’s tale of desire, love, and redemption." The performances will take place at Diana Wortham Theatre on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 5 and 6. All performances will be sung in Italian, with English supertitles.

About the opera: "It's 1850 in Paris, France. Amongst a lavish party filled with noble born men and women we meet Violetta Valèry, the most desirable courtesan in the city. She develops an intense love for a young nobleman, Alfredo. Their love, although passionate, is destined to be extinguished. Pressure is mounting from Alfredo's father Germont, played by Mark Owen Davis, for Violetta to break off their relationship in order the save the family's reputation. Violetta returns to Paris, slowly deteriorating from tuberculoses. She sacrifices her love for Alfredo in order to save him from social destitution and the heart ache caused by watching a loved one fall to disease."

Says the opera company: "Adult tickets range from $30-$53 with student tickets available from $17-$35. Single tickets go on sale September 6. Go to http://www.dwtheatre.com to purchase tickets online, or call the box office at 828-257-4530. One hour before each public performance, audience members are invited to attend a pre-show talk given by the conductor and stage director in the lower lobby of Diana Wortham Theatre. Additionally, a preview dress rehearsal evening (October 3 at 7pm) will be made available for student and senior citizen groups through the opera office. Interested groups may contact the opera office for more information about eligibility for the preview dress rehearsal. For more information about La Traviata, call 828-236-0670 or go to the Asheville Lyric Opera’s website, http://www.ashevillelyric.org."