Anima-ted youth chorus performance
Another youth chorus is visiting Alaska this month. Anima -- Young Singers of Greater Chicago will perform at the Chapel by the Lake in Juneau at 7 p.m. on July 6 and at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Eagle River at 7 p.m. on July 9. The Alaska Children's Choir will join the Chicago kids in their Eagle River concert. Both shows are free to attend, though donations will be accepted.
Cold and dry
Among the least-expected geographical curiosities of Alaska are the Kobuk Sand Dunes. A show on the top floor of the Anchorage Museum, "Arctic Desert: Kobuk Valley National Park," explores the anomaly with helpful explanatory text and stunning photos from the National Park Service and Daily News contributor Seth Kantner. On view through September 7, the exhibit will probably be your best opportunity to experience a little bit of what the place is like. With no roads or services, it's the least-visited National Park in America. Lake Clark, Gates of the Arctic, Wrangell-St. Elias and Katmai also make the 10 least-visited list, but even Gates of the Arctic (fourth least-visited) has 100 times more sightseers than the dunes.
Eagle's-eye view
Alaska is the star in the first episode of a new series on the Smithsonian Channel (Channel 642 on GCI and 570 on DirecTV). "Aerial America: Alaska" will air at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 6. Actually, it's two new episodes: "Alaska's Fire and Ice," about glaciers and volcanoes, and "Alaska's Call of the Wild," about all of our lovable critters. Dubbed "the most expansive aerial series in U.S. television history," the series features overhead views of such sights as Ruth Glacier in Denali Park and the Novarupta caldera in the Valley of 10,000 Smokes.
Iago says, 'See this'
The next in the Metropolitan Opera's summer reruns on the big screen will be Verdi's "Otello," which is Italian for "Othello." South African tenor Johan Botha will perform the title role with Renée Fleming as his adoring wife, Desdemona. German baritone Falk Struckmann is the charming but treacherous Iago, perhaps the most believable and terrifying villain in theater, musical or otherwise. The full show lasts almost three hours and will start at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9, at Century 16 in Anchorage.
Mike Dunham
mdunham@adn.com