Opera executive director applauds TOG support

Dear fellow Opera Guild members,

How wonderful to see so many of you at Wildwood in September! Thanks to Cindy Niggemyer and Laura Draheim for organizing a great season kick-off. I also must add that the MAGIC FLUTE luncheon was another triumph; thanks goes to guild members and luncheon chairs Megan Kabour and June Galvin.

Flute and bell centerpieces at TOG's MAGIC
FLUTE luncheon at Registry Bistro.

Please know that these gatherings are essential to helping promote Toledo Opera and are enormously appreciated by the staff, the Opera Board of Directors, and myself. Thank you all!

In 2019 we celebrate Toledo Opera's 60th anniversary. The Toledo Opera Guild was instrumental in the creation of Toledo Opera 60 years ago and has been present in absolutely every chapter of the opera company's 60-year-history. I am certain that having the Opera Guild alongside us has been critical to the remarkable resilience and stability of Toledo Opera.

As we continue marching through the fall and our 60th season, let us gain new energy and a renewed commitment to all things wonderful in Toledo. Live, professional opera being one of those things!

Much thanks to you all,
Suzanne Rorick,
Toledo Opera Executive Director

Guild Heralds Summer at Soiree

Another successful Brunhilde Party is on the books for the Toledo Opera Guild!

Guild member Susan Conda, left, and Toledo Opera executive
director Suzanne Rorick chat at the Summer Soiree at the
Paula Brown Shop. (Photo courtesy Girl in the Glass City)

Members and guests gathered recently for the Summer Soiree at Paula Brown Shop and Gallery in downtown Toledo for fun and food, spirited conversation and conversational spirits, an art show, and shopping that directly benefited our fundraising efforts for the Toledo Opera.

Organized by Brunhilde Party chair Laura Draheim, the event raised more than $1,400.

"It was a beautiful evening and the turnout was wonderful," said Shelli Jacobs, the guild's newly installed president, in an email to members. "It was lovely to see so many of our guild members and exciting to see so many new faces as well!"

Brunhilde Parties are smaller events intended to promote guild membership and its mission, as well as raise the crucial funds on which the opera depends. Hosts underwrite expenses and volunteer their time. Parties have ranged from painting and flower arranging workshops to yoga classes to teas and dinners.

At the Summer Soiree, attendees paid a small cover charge to gather at Paula Brown after hours. Some dined outdoors on delicious meals prepared by the Displaced Chef food truck, while others sipped wine, beer and cocktails at the bar inside. For those who bought merchandise during the event, 10 percent of the sale was donated to the guild.

Guest Baher Hanna enjoys the art exhibit.

A lovely element of the event was the four-generation art show in the gallery. The show includes photography spanning three centuries, illustrating the creative connections between four generations of photographer Penny Gentieu's family. Penny was influenced not only by her mother, pastel portrait artist Audrey Gentieu, but also by Pierre Gentieu, her photographer ancestor. Penny’s daughter, Anna Friemoth, has followed in their footsteps by becoming a photographer.

The show runs through July 11. It features Pierre Gentieu's artwork and photography of the Civil War, Audrey Gentieu's pastel portraits, Penny Gentieu's photography (including an amazing 12-shot series of the implosion of the former Jeep administration building in Toledo), and Anna Friemoth's fashion photography.

Draheim is looking to organize more Brunhilde Parties for the Toledo Opera Guild's upcoming 2015-2016 season, and perhaps some throughout the summer. Contact her at at 419-475-1720 or ldraheim3434@att.net.

For more photos of the Summer Soiree, view the Girl in the Glass City's online album.

Guild, Guests Strike Warrior Pose at Brunhilde Party

From a standing position, exhale and step your feet apart wide, raising your arms out to the sides, palms down. Turn your right foot at 90-degree angle, creating an alignment from your right heel that intersects the heel of your left foot, and turn your right thigh outward so that your your right knee cap is aligned with the center of your right ankle.

Keep your torso straight and facing forward and turn your head to look over your right fingers. Slowly bend your right knee, exhaling as you bring your right shin perpendicular to the floor, keeping your arms outstretched. Anchor your left foot into the floor.

You are now in the yoga position of Warrior 2 -- one of the several confident and strong and centering poses that Toledo Opera Guild members and guests stretched into for a recent Brunhilde Party fundraiser. The event raised $1,000 toward the guild's mission of supporting the Toledo Opera.

More than two dozen women gathered in the Hanna family home for an opera-inspired yoga class led by guild member Shirley Joseph, who also prepared an amazing brunch with the help of fellow guild members Barbara Brown and Wafaa Hanna.

Baher Hanna greeted guests at the door as they scurried in from a burst of spring rain. "Wafaa's husband, Baher, worked so hard to guarantee that our event would be lovely," Joseph said. "I told him we should make him an honorary Guild member!"

The Toledo Opera Guild did in fact gain two new members at the event, one which was gifted by a drawing. They both hail from the University of Toledo's medical college: Dr. Thea Sawicki, vice provost for health science affairs and university accreditation; and Dr. Amira Gohara, pathology professor and dean emerita.

The brunch menu was presented in acts like an opera:

ACT I

Mimi’s Mimosas: orange juice and champagne cocktails topped with fresh raspberries as a nod to Puccini's "La Bohème" character Mimi.

Valkyries Vidalia Onion/Swiss Cheese Bake and other assorted cheeses: Brunhilde, a Valkyrie in Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen," is the namesake of the guild's fundraising series; according to Norse mythology, the Valkyries were female warriors who choose who may die in battle or live.

Melba Toast: inspired by the Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba and created in her honor by famous chef and fan Auguste Escoffier in 1897.

Assorted Vegetables with a Hummus Dip.

ACT II

Tosca Salad and Figaro Dressing: tossed organic field greens with cranberries and toasted walnuts with fig-infused balsamic vinegar and organic Adriatic fig spread dressing

ACT III

Chicken Tetrazzini: a delicious blend of chicken breasts and pasta in a harmonious sherry wine cream sauce with a special blend of herbs and a Parmesan cheese topping. This dish was created by Luisa Tetrazzini from Tuscany when she tasted turkey for the first time in America and added it to her pasta.

Red Cabbage with Granny Smith Apples and Tart Montmorency Cherries: a German recipe in honor of composer Richard Wagner

Phyllo Dough Roll-Ups with Beef Rolls and Butter

ACT IV

Opera Cake: the Classic Opera Cake created for the Paris Opera House. Almond cake with coffee-flavored buttercream, chocolate ganache and chocolate glaze, adorned with the word OPERA.

Butterfly Cookies: in honor of Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s famous opera "Madama Butterfly," which the Toledo Opera will present in October.

ENCORE

Opera Prima, a Spanish Moscato, will caress the palate as an aperitif or with dessert -- or both! -- in honor of the prima dona in Bizet’s "Carmen."

Attendees first worked up their appetites and centered themselves for relaxing company on yoga mats in the large open basement. With lights dim and the instructor's gentle voice encouraging awareness of one's body and mental presence, guests filled their bodies with cleansing oxygen and aligned themselves with peace and clarity, working out stresses and worries as well as tight muscles and sore joints.

"I try to teach yoga as a way of life so that people can reach their full potential," Joseph said.

Such could be said of the guild's mission to spread passion for opera, enriching lives and helping our amazing local opera reach its full potential. It is a way of life.

Joseph shared this message: "Learning to stand strong creates confidence; and confidence empowers you to face whatever challenge comes your way. ... Remember to call on your 'inner warrior' as you face the battles in life. Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming challenges is what makes life meaningful and fulfilling."

Our next Brunhilde Party is scheduled for June 16 at the Paula Brown Shop in downtown Toledo. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advance from guild members, at Hafner Florist and at Paula Brown, as well as at the door on the day of the event. Keep checking this blog and the guild's Facebook page for details!

Put Some Flowers in Your Helmet

Designer Keith Brooks arranges flowers for the 2014 Crosby
Arts Festival preview party. (Photo courtesy Facebook)

Some characters have really good stories to tell.

When that character is a master designer and has been in the Toledo area for decades, those stories are going to be great.

Spend an evening with Keith Brooks as part of the Toledo Opera Guild's Brunhilde Parties Fundraising Series and hear some of these colorful tales firsthand.

Guests will gather in two locations Tuesday, April 14: first, at 5:30 p.m., dinner at Memphis Pearl restaurant, 5147 Main St., Sylvania; then at Hafner Florist next door, 5139 Main St., where Brooks will demonstrate flower arranging.

One lucky guest will get to keep the stunning creation he will make, but all will leave with a little gift from Hafner Florist.

Cost for the entire evening is $35 per person. Dinner is included; a cash bar will be available at the restaurant.

Proceeds will directly benefit the opera guild, thanks to event organizer and underwriter Laura Draheim.

To RSVP, contact Draheim at 419-475-1720 or ldraheim3434@att.net.

Guild Party Paints Masterpieces

Brittany McMahon Craig paints swirls of pink and orange.

As part of the Brunhilde Party Fundraising Series, Cindy Niggemyer recently hosted guild members and other guests at CBK Studio for a painting workshop and gourmet luncheon.

Canvas masterpieces were created while attendees sipped wine and listened to the music of Bolero on March 11 at the studio at 2620 Centennial Road in Toledo.

For more photos, check out the album on our Facebook page.

The event was sold out and raised $280 to support the Toledo Opera Guild and its mission to raise awareness of and financial support for opera in Toledo and northwest Ohio.

Upcoming Brunhilde events that are open to the public include: an evening with Keith Brooks at Memphis Pearl restaurant and Hafner Florist, hosted by Laura Draheim; and opera-inspired yoga and lunch at the home of Wafaa Hanna, hosted by Shirley Joseph and Barbara Brown.