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You, yes you, can pick which opera will be part of Chicago Opera Theater's 2011 spring season. Beginning today, voting is available for the "People's Opera."

General Director Brian Dickie has picked three operas to choose from: "The Magic Flute" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), "Moscow, Cheryomushki" (Dmitri Shostakovich) and "Capriccio" (Richard Strauss).

Unlike democracy, however (well, sorta), you have to pony up for these votes. One dollar equals one vote — so you're donating to the cause and investing in your cultural experience. Voting lasts until 5 p.m. June 12, and the winning production will be announced this summer.

The first "People's Opera", launched during COT's 2008 Spring Season, raised over $47,000 for the company — and the winner, Rossini's "Mosè in Egitto," will be presented during the 2010 Spring Festival Season.

Last month, we told you about Chicago Opera Theater's YouTube contest, which offered free spring season subscriptions (up to a $570 value) to those who most creatively answered the question, "Why Do You Deserve Free Tickets to Chicago Opera Theater?"

The four winners were announced today, and we have to say, we agree with the selections. Check out the top vote-getter below, and view all the entries here.

Jealous? Tickets for the season are still available.

If you're like us, you've thought of going to the opera once or twice — just because it's something a cultured human being should experience every now and then, eh? — but then you saw the ticket prices. Mamma mia! That would cover, say, "Iron Man" 10 times in the theater and 25 times on pay-per-view!

Well, here's your chance to get a freebie. Not Lyric Opera but Chicago's other acclaimed opera company, Chicago Opera Theater, is offering free tickets for its 2009 Spring Festival Season (April 18-May 26) to the person who makes the best plea in a YouTube video. Just turn on the camera and answer the question "Why Do You Deserve Free Tickets to Chicago Opera Theater?" The contest started today, so be the first to state your case here.

Meanwhile, COT interns kicked-off the page with this innuendo-packed reel about their first time ...

Not a fan of opera? Operaphobes don't realize it, but arias and overtures turn up everywhere in pop culture: films, commercials, television, books and video games. Here are several examples how pop culture has embraced opera:

First up is "What's Opera, Doc?" Animation genius Chuck Jones creates his own cartoon opera from snippets of Wagner's "Tannhauser," "The Flying Dutchman" and "The Ring" cycle as Elmer Fudd tries to "kill the wabbit."

Check out the other nine while you're at it.