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Guild welcomes new members 35 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, October 9, 2009 Presented By: Continued from page 31 And while the music nourishes the soul, the `lovely' refreshments nourish the body. Membership has fluctuated over the past five decades, currently sitting at just under 90. Most of the members are retired folk, as many of the meetings are held on weekday afternoons. However, there are some younger members, as well. "We usually get between 35 and 40 people to meetings," said Hall, who adores Verdi. Many members are very musical, making for interesting discussion, Stoten said. "A lot of them have got quite a musical background," said Stoten, whose favourite opera is Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte. The guild also organizes bus trips to performances by Opera Hamilton, which have been taking place for the past five years. "It is easier to get there than to get into Toronto for a lot of reasons," said Hall. "The COC is okay with that because they are really trying to encourage all opera, not just their own." One of the initiatives the Oakville Opera Guild is proudest of is its scholarship program. Every year since 1979, the guild has funded a $1,500 scholarship awarded annually to a young Canadian singer studying at the faculty of music, opera division at the University of Toronto. "Just about all of the recipients that we still know about are having quite good careers," said Stoten. "At least two of them in recent years, David Pomeroy (tenor) and Brett Polegato (baritone), have been singing leading roles at the COC." Hall said she hopes the guild is also raising awareness for the musical genre. "If you walk down Yonge Street and ask 100 people who Ben Hepner, Richard Margison and Michael Schade (Canada's three tenors) are, you'd be lucky if you'd get one who knew," Hall said. "But if you ask people who Wayne Greztky is, you'd get 99. They say that two per cent of Canadians have interest in opera. But once you get people in, they usually really enjoy it." An annual membership to the Oakville Opera Guild costs $20. All membership fees are donated to the Canadian Opera Company. Tea With Opera events cost $7 to $10, with proceeds going to the scholarship program. For information or to join the Oakville Opera Guild, contact Nancy at 905-337-0477. A Fa mily Th a n ksgivi ng Monda y LIVE WHEN: Monday, October 12, 2009 WHERE: Heritage Square, Oakville WHAT: 9:45 am - 5k Run 9:50 am - 5k Power Walk 11:00 am - Officer Ellie's 1k Run/Walk PLUS: Corporate/Team Challenge SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS Presented by State Farm Agent Stacey Sutherland www.5ksmrunforhope.com Technical caps for the first 250 5k Run/Power Walk registrants* * Supplied by EmbroidMe Title Sponsor All proceeds go to www.kerrstreet.com Platinum Sponsor Gold Sponsors ® Silver Sponsors Enabling Engineering Innovation Silver Sponsor Bronze Sponsors EMPTY BOWLS 2009 A fundraising event where you... A fundraiser for: made by artisans, from top local chefs and as a reminder of the renewed hope you have given to Halton's homeless! Gold Spoon Sponsors Help us address poverty in our community... includes tax receipt for $35 per ticket Tickets are limited, please purchase in advance. A