Toledo Opera will present “Aida” All Access, a package of events surrounding opening night of Verdi’s “Aida,” on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Toledo, Ohio.

The evening begins at The Toledo Club with Operatizer, a pre performance gathering in the club’s Red Room featuring heavy hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and a presentation by Dr. Sophie Ong, assistant director of strategic initiatives at the Toledo Museum of Art and curator of the museum’s “Ethiopia at the Crossroads” exhibition. Guests will then head to the Valentine Theatre for the 7:30 p.m. performance, with round trip transportation included.

After the final curtain, guests will return to The Toledo Club for Afterglow, the company’s opening night cast party. The event will run from approximately 10:30 p.m. to midnight and will include late night appetizers, a cash bar, and the chance to meet members of the cast and creative team and Toledo Opera staff.

Soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams will sing Aida in her company debut, joined by tenor Brendan Boyle as Radamès, contralto Lauren Decker as Princess Amneris, and baritone Nmon Ford as Amonasro, also in his company debut.

“Opera has the power to transport us, but it also has the power to bring us together,” said Toledo Opera Artistic Director Kevin Bylsma, per an official press release. “With All Access, we have the opportunity to extend the ‘Aida’ experience beyond the stage; to explore the history and culture that inform this extraordinary story, share an evening with fellow opera lovers, and celebrate with the artists who bring the production to life. It is a wonderful reflection of what makes opera such a collaborative and communal art form, and we are delighted to welcome audiences to experience ‘Aida’ with us from the first conversation to the final toast.”

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