Portland Opera opens its season's big stage with Verdi's La Traviata, the story of Violetta, a woman who chooses love and her own terms over polite society's verdict, and pays for it. It's one of the most beloved operas ever written, packed with tunes you'll recognize, and an ideal first opera if you've been meaning to try one. Sung in Italian with English captions projected above the stage. Students get $15 seats by phone, and Oregon Trail Card holders may qualify for $5 tickets.