Brace yourselves for an overdose of culture during the final three months of the year, a period which often serves up the juiciest morsels on the entertainment calendar.

JALISCO PHILHARMONIC

As promised by Maestro Hector Guzman, the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra’s final season of concerts will be dedicated to opera.

Devotees of the genre can enjoy three full operas, two non-scenic operas and one gala performance. The season concludes with “The Nutcracker” and three Christmas concerts in December.

Perhaps the boldest choice is a “Mexicanized” performance of “The Pirates of Penzance,” a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by William S. Gilbert. Perhaps the most popular of the pair’s “Savoy Operas,” “Pirates” premiered at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York in 1879 before going on a long run in London’s West End.  Specially adapted for Mexico – a Mexican pueblo is substituted for the English fishing village, for example – the opera first hit the boards in Mexico City in August last year. The same cast will appear at the Degollado. Plays November 14 and 16.

The JPO season kicks off October 24 with excerpts from Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” followed by a non-scenic version of “La Traviata” on October 30 and 31.

November 28 and November 30 see full productions of Leoncavallo’s “I Pagliacci” and Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” – almost always performed as a double bill. “I Pagliacci” recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell’arte troupe. “Cavalleria rusticana” is set in a Sicilian village and has a similar theme.  (See next week’s paper for full details of the JPO season.)

FIESTAS DE OCTUBRE

Guadalajara’s annual month-long fair kicks off on Friday, October 3 at its traditional site on the northern periferico (intersection with Av. Alcalde).

Open daily, the fair serves up the usual mix of nightly entertainment (mainly popular Mexican bands), mechanical and children’s games, themed pavilions and food and vendors’ booths.

The colorful opening parade takes place in downtown Guadalajara on Sunday, October 5, 10 a.m. The city center also hosts free, nightly open-air shows in the Plaza Fundadores behind the Teatro Degollado (starting 7 p.m.), the annual stone masonry contest in the Plaza de la Liberacion (it runs throughout the month), and the Salon de Octubre, a state-wide art competition at the Ex-Convento del Carmen. Several additional cultural events are planned at the Degollado Theater (see next week’s issue for full details).

CERVANTINO FESTIVAL

From October 8-28, Guanajuato hosts its much-feted annual Cervantino Festival, now rated as one of the world’s premier cultural shindigs.

Visitors can bask in the festive ambience and see hundreds of performers from more than 20 nations at seven classic venues in this beautiful colonial city, located a mere four hours from Guadalajara.  This year’s invited “country” is the autonomous community of Catalonia, while Campeche is the guest Mexican state.

Renowned artists coming this year include Spanish folk singer Juan Manuel Serrat, tenor Ramon Vargas and Mexico’s National Symphony Orchestra.

The festival’s jumbo schedule can be browsed at one’s leisure at the excellent website: www.festivalcervantino.gob.mx .

Guanajuato draws thousands of tourists to the Cervantino, so finding a last-minute hotel room in town is next to impossible. Nearby Leon, San Miguel or Celaya are safer bets.