Sofia is a young Spanish girl who experiences an acute emotional crisis after her mother’s death. Then an enigmatic letter falls into Sofia’s hands, returned by the post office when the addressee could not be found. It is a letter her mother had sent to Chile, and its contents raise stirring questions in Sofia, who embarks on an adventure-filled journey. The destination: an unknown and remote town south of the world called Desierto Sur. Featuring stunning cinematography and standout performances, this is a beautiful and touching film. In Spanish with English subtitles. Admission is $6 for all University of Miami alumni, faculty, and staff, and is free for students. General admission is $8. Desierto Sur screens on Friday, October 9 at 8:45 p.m.; Saturday, October 10 at 4 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, October 11 at 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com.

In the words of the prestigious German weekly Die Zeit, the stage production of Wagner’s Rheingold by La Fura dels Baus “quite possibly shows us the path that musical theater will be taking in the future.” Musically, Das Rheingold is on a par with productions from historically prestigious opera houses. Legendary conductor Zubin Mehta leads world-class Wagner singers such as Peter Seiffert, Petra-Maria Schnitzer, and Matti Salminen, as well as promising young talent including Jennifer Wilson (Brünnhilde), John Daszak (Loge), and Juha Uusitalo (Wotan), whom the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung hailed as a new “Number one among the opera gods.” Filmed at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in crystal-clear high definition and presented in stunning 5.1 surround sound; two hours and fifty minutes with one intermission. The opera screens on Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11 at 1 p.m.

The comedy hit of the summer returns. Two days before his wedding, Doug (Justin Bartha) and his three buddies (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis) drive to Vegas for a night they’ll never forget. But when they wake up the next morning they can’t remember a thing. With no time to spare, the trio must attempt to retrace the night before to figure out where things went wrong and hopefully get Doug back to L.A. in time for his wedding. Admission is $6 for all University of Miami alumni, faculty, and staff and is free for students. General admission is $8. The film screens on Saturday, October 10 at 10 p.m. and Sunday, October 11 at 8 p.m. For more information visit www.cosfordcinema.com.

Herb and Dorothy tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. In the early 1960s, the couple quietly began purchasing the works of unknown artists. Devoting all of Herb’s salary to purchasing art they liked while living on Dorothy’s paycheck alone, they continued collecting guided by two rules: The piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. After 30 years of meticulous collecting and buying, the Vogels managed to accumulate more than 2,000 pieces, filling every corner of their tiny apartment. The film screens on Friday, October 9 at 7 p.m., Saturday, October 10 at 6 p.m., Sunday, October 11 at 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com.

The 2009-2010 concert season of the UM Choral Studies Program opens on Saturday, October 10 at 7:30 p.m. with “Transformations” at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 1142 Coral Way, Coral Gables, featuring the Frost Women’s Chamber Ensemble and Frost Chamber Singers, both conducted by Beth Gibbs.

Highlighting many different styles of music, this free performance will focus on the choral music of Cuba, and specifically the arrangements of Maestro Electo Silva, of Santiago de Cuba. These popular traditional songs include compositions from such famed Cuban composers as Sindo Garay, Joseíto Fernández, and the legendary Miguel Matamoros.

For more information, call 305-284-4162, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.music.miami.edu/choralstudies.