About Twin Cities TOSCA

Twin Cities TOSCA is a privately owned business dedicated to bringing more people to the arts. Theatre, Opera, Shakespeare, Culture and Art -- that's TOSCA. Making the link between the curious and the culture, the audience and the performers, and the art lovers and the local artists.

Exploring TOSCA
The Twin Cities' most comprehensive quarterly events guide, Exploring TOSCA lists literally hundreds of events and opportunities for subscribers. Many at absolutely no, or very little, cost! The events are listed by category and by weekend.

Experiencing TOSCA
Shakespeare, Shoes and Champagne. Needles and Noodles. Verdi, Velvet and Vases What do all of these have in common? They are entertaining, yet educational Experiencing TOSCA events. Become a part of TOSCA and you'll be invited to attend events like Frost on Flowers, which featured the poetry of Robert Frost at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, or Corsets & Croissants which explored the connection between ballet and fashion at the Bloomington Art Center. And did we mention that you'll meet interesting people?

Expressing TOSCA
Expressing TOSCA is a forum for all forms of artists, including actors, authors and poets, to promote their art and for all of us to find and nurture our own muse.

Interviews/Press
TOSCA - As in Magazine, by Judy Westergard
Twin Cities TOSCA honors Twin Cities Daily Planet and others for contributions to the arts, By Jay Gabler
Some Thoughts on Sensational Women, by Judy Westergard
My Minnesota: In tune with the opera playing out on the prairie, by James Lileks

About our Team
Gail Weber, owner, editor
Gail Weber grew up in Austin, Minnesota, the middle child of parents who each grew up on farms in Iowa. Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father a tool and die maker and real estate investor. After graduating from college with two degrees, one in English literature and the other in psychology, Gail went on to earn a law degree. As an attorney, Gail advocated for victims of discrimination and domestic assault. In her efforts to promote social justice, cultural diversity and improve the lives of others she has sued, wooed and booed for the benefit of those in need of an advocate. She was a recipient of several awards and was named a Leading American Attorney by the American Research Corporation and a Preeminent Attorney by Martindale Hubbell. In 2001, Marilyn Chelstrom honored her by including her in A Tribute to Outstanding Women.

During her 23 years of litigation, Gail explored the arts and even started a drama club for her daughter and daughter's friends. She discovered that she also loved opera, especially Pucinni's TOSCA. In 2005, ready to meet a new challenge, she launched what is now known as Twin Cities TOSCA™ to formalize what had become an ongoing endeavor to spread the word about the joy of arts. The next year she closed her law office in order to focus exclusively on TOSCA. Gail lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, who is a musician and attorney, her teenage daughter, also a musician, their Beagle, Alex and loads of books about opera and the arts.

Laura LaBounty, layout & design
Laura LaBounty grew up in Two Harbors, Minnesota, and is a recent graduate from the University of Minnesota Duluth, with a BFA in Graphic Design and a focus in environmental studies. She is the mother of a rescued mutt named Brutus, and has a passion for art and design, music, animal rights, Minnesota and the environment. She was an active member for several years in UMD's student design organization and is a current member of the Minnesota chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design. She also volunteers annually at the Bayfront Reggae Festival in Duluth, MN. She has been doing the layout and design for Exploring TOSCA since March 2009.

Madeline Salmon
Madeline Salmon grew up and still lives in Hopkins, Minnesota. She graduated from St. Olaf College in 2010 with a major in Biology and a concentration in Environmental Studies. After college she worked for a year for the Minnesota Reading Corps, tutoring at risk preschoolers from low income and ESL families to get them ready for kindergarten. Madeline loves photography, singing, writing, nature, and animals, particularly her two standard poodles, Scout and Audrey, and her cat, Pickles. She has been proofreading Exploring TOSCA since the summer of 2010.

Molly Cassidy
Molly Cassidy is a graduate of St. Thomas University where she earned her degree in English, with a writing emphasis. She was born and raised in St. Paul, MN where she currently resides.