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Date: October 11, 2026Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Tolhouse (1447 N Summit St., Toledo, OH)
Tickets: $75
At the heart of Aida is an Ethiopian princess, captured and enslaved in Egypt, who finds herself caught between two worlds: the man she loves and the homeland and people to whom she belongs. Before the curtain rises, Aida: Homelands invites us to spend an evening exploring that part of her story; and the culture, music, food, and history of Ethiopia.
Set throughout the beautiful and distinctive spaces of TolHouse, this special evening will feature traditional Azmari music, an Ethiopian buffet from Taste of Ethiopia in Detroit, and a presentation by musicologist Dr. Ryan Ebright. Through music, food, and scholarship, Dr. Ebright will explore Aida, Ethiopia’s role in the opera, and some of the historical and cultural context surrounding Verdi’s iconic work.
Special guest soprano Mariam Battistelli, who was born in Ethiopia and raised in Italy, will also speak with guests about her own story and her experiences as an artist whose personal history connects her to the cultures explored throughout the evening. Battistelli has performed at leading opera houses and festivals throughout Europe and internationally, including Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna State Opera, Staatsoper Hamburg, Teatro La Fenice, the Royal Opera House of Muscat, and the Glyndebourne Festival.
Following the success of last season’s Top Shelf, Toledo Opera’s Audience Development Committee is delighted to once again bring our community together for an evening that invites us to experience opera from a different perspective. With Aida, exploring the Ethiopian heritage of its central character felt like a particularly meaningful place to begin.
Whether you’re discovering Aida for the first time or have loved the opera for years, we hope Aida: Homelands offers an opportunity to listen, learn, gather, and connect. Opera has a remarkable way of bringing together music, history, culture, and human stories; and sometimes, looking at a familiar work through a new lens can reveal a connection we hadn’t seen before.
This event generously sponsored by: Kelli and Thomas Winston; Shumaker Loop & Kendrick, LLP; and Nathaniel-Waldon Group, LLC.
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Event venue
TolHouse, 1447 N Summit St, Toledo, OH 43604-1821, United States
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.
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