Save the Date! Diamonds and Denim

Mark your calendars now for the Toledo Opera Guild's major fall event, which benefits the amazing efforts of the Toledo Opera to bring you three fully staged operas this season.

Diamonds and Denim will be held the evening of Nov. 8, 2014 at the Toledo Club, 235 14th St. in downtown Toledo.

We are so looking forward to having fun with this theme, and great committees of guild members are shaping up under the co-chairmanship of Bonnie Milano and Rebecca Conklin Kleiboemer. If you would like to serve, please email Bonnie at bmilano@buckeye-express.com or Rebecca at rckleiboemer@gmail.com.

Shelli Jacobs and Traci Schwann are coordinating silent and live auctions full of fabulous items, and Barbara Baker and Diane Rusk will fill tables to the breaking point with delicious wine for sale. This will be the perfect opportunity for holiday shopping. Proceeds directly benefit the Toledo Opera.

We're also breaking a long-held club rule by actually encouraging guests to wear their blue jeans!

So, start thinking about how you'd creatively embrace our theme by wearing the glitz and glitter of diamonds, the sexy ruggedness of denim, or both!

Save the date of Nov. 8, and keep checking this blog, our Facebook page and your mailbox for information and invitations.

Toledo Symphony Principal Hornist Dies

From the Toledo Symphony:

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Toledo Symphony Principal Hornist Sandra Clark after a long battle with brain cancer. She worked tirelessly and long past the point where anyone thought humanly possible, which echoes the work she put into the Toledo Symphony for over 20 years, both as a player and behind the scenes in the office.

During this period she also found time to work on a composition for tenor and orchestra titled "Letter to Sarah by Sullivan Ballou," which was very important to her. In full, here is Letter to Sarah by Sullivan Ballou, performed by members of the Toledo Symphony, and conducted by Sandra Clark. The soloist is Ben Fidler, audio by Dr. Todd Brady, and video production by Randy Zalewski.

Catch 'Otello' at Local Movie Theaters

Get transported to Cyprus in the opera "Otello" by just a quick trip to a local movie theater.

The Metropolitan Opera offers this big-screen viewing Wednesday as part of its Summer Encore series. Rave Cinemas has scheduled showings for 2 and 7 p.m. at Franklin Park 16 (at the mall on Monroe Street in Toledo) and 7 p.m. at Fallen Timbers 14 (at the mall on Russell Road in Maumee).

Faithful love will be tested by jealous plots, military ambition, and the angry vices that have plagued men and women since their first pairings.

In Verdi's retelling of Shakespeare's towering tragedy, Renée Fleming gives a captivating performance as the innocent Desdemona, a role long considered one of her calling cards. As the title hero, Johan Botha, delivers an imposing portrayal of a proud warrior brought down by jealousy, with Falk Struckmann as the villainous Iago.

The Live in HD series includes interviews and behind-the-scenes features.