abstract:The Metropolitan Opera Guild was established in 1935 to broaden the base of support for the Metropolitan Opera, promote greater interest in opera, and develop future audiences by reaching out to a wide public and serving as an educational resource that provides programs, publications, materials and services to schools, families, individuals, and community groups nationwide.Guild was the brainchild of Eleanor Robson Belmont], a retired actress and the first female member of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Opera.