It is frightening and flattering to me to see how many readers this blog has gained over the past few months. A big THANK YOU to all readers for your loyalty and interest. Listening recommendations, reviews of performances I’ve attended and restaurants seem to be on top of your list. I will try to give you more of it. I have also heard that you would like to read more gossip. I will try to make this happen as well.

Talking about favorite things, one of the nicest galleries here is Clark & Faria in the Distillery District. They opened a new exhibition with works of Mark Lewis yesterday. It is well worth seeing. If you go don’t miss your chance to meet Daniel Faria, the gallery’s charming co-owner.

For lunch yesterday I received a very kind invitation to my favorite Toronto restaurant from Sabine Sparwasser, the new German Consul General, to celebrate the opening of the renovated Goethe Institute. There were some eminent Toronto Germanophiles present as well as Georg Witschel, the new German Ambassador, who had come from Ottawa for the occasion and the President of all Goethe Institutes, Klaus-Dieter Lehmann. Over lunch I learned that the restaurant had been chosen because of my recommendation on this blog! I was pleased that everybody seemed to enjoy the food.

If you are interested in German culture, the new Goethe Institute (100 University Ave. at King Street West) is a wonderful space to learn more. They have a small library with German literature as well as a CD and DVD collection. And of course, you can learn German there.

My development staff had been praying and burning candles for weeks to obtain good weather for our donor event last evening. We were lucky and had gorgeous weather for the Season Opening Party with the members of our President’s Council Program, the group of our most loyal supporters. The program celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and has contributed over $40 million to the COC since its inception. An incredible achievement!

Our annual Season Opening party right after Labour Day is a great occasion to share our excitement about the coming season with our supporters, and I was very glad to learn that people are impatient for us to be back in the theatre again. People are back from their holidays and they want opera. What more could we ask for?

On another matter I want you to know that you will be able to hear my interview with Bill Richardson on the radio this coming Saturday, Sept. 12. You will not only hear me talk, but also get three top musical recommendations (one of them you already know). Stay tuned.