Dinner and a Diva: Verdi's La Traviata

Capitol City Opera Company is back at Petite Violette on Wednesday, October 21, for another installment of Dinner and a Diva. This time the music comes from Verdi's La Traviata, with singers from the company performing selections from the opera throughout the evening. It's a monthly series, so if you've been before, you know the drill: the singing is woven into the meal rather than being a separate act.

The dinner is a fixed-price four-course menu—hors d'oeuvres, salad, an entree, and dessert—accompanied by coffee or tea and two glasses of wine. The singers perform between the courses, so the music and the food run together. If you're not usually one for opera, this is a low-stakes way to get into it: you get the highlights of La Traviata without having to commit to a full night at the opera house.

There's a bit of history behind the company, too. Capitol City Opera was formed in 1983 to give classically trained singers in the Atlanta area a chance to learn and perform complete opera roles and to develop their post-graduate vocal and acting skills at a professional level. That's the context for the voices you'll hear—these are singers working through the repertoire in a live setting, not a recording.

It all happens at Petite Violette Restaurant, 2948 Clairmont Road N.E. in Atlanta, starting at 6:30 PM. The cost is $75, which covers the four courses, the wine, and the performance.