Ron Howard certainly falls into the category of a national treasure beginning with his role as America’s favorite kid, Opie, on “The Andy Griffith Show.” Since that time, that little kid from Duncan, Oklahoma, co-starred in a variety of episodic television shows as well as directing Emmy-award winning programs.

The 2017-18 season of The Met: Live in HD began (as did the season at the house) with a dazzling production of Bellini’s Norma starring Joyce DiDonato, Sondra Radvanovsky, and Joseph Calleja, a staging that was met with wide acclaim and enthusiasm.  If you had not snagged a ticket to opening night at the opera house, you still had the …

Pack up some picnic vittles and a soft chair cushion.  It is once again time for the free—as in it costs no money—eleven nights of opera (nine operas, as “Tristan und Isolde” is presented in two parts, on successive evenings, and the series kicks off with an operatic film), The Met:  Live in HD, in the Plaza at Lincoln Center. …