GOTTA TALK BEFORE YOU CAN SING

When it comes to chatting with the L.A. Opera’s all-volunteer speakers bureau, no mere plot summaries are allowed, says education and community programs director Stacy Brightman. Their typical orator spends 40 hours whipping up a 50-minute, interactive discussion, and that’s after filing an application and passing eight weeks of training. “These talks are about the big ideas -- what makes this work important? Why is it relevant?” she says. All this week, learn a little something about Wagner’s classic “Tristan und Isolde” (pictured, opens Jan. 19) at a public library near you. Various times at different branches, (213) 972-3157; www.laopera.com