2008 Opera Ball
A Seductive Night in Spain Gala
Featuring soprano Angela Brown, in the majestic Music Hall Ballroom, which will be transformed into a romantic Spanish plaza. This elegant event is Cincinnati Opera's largest annual fundraiser, generating essential support for the company's 2009 Summer Festival, which features four marvelous Spanish-themed operas: The Marriage of Figaro, Don Carlo, Ainadamar and Carmen.
- 6:00 p.m. Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and entertainment
- 7:30 p.m. Dinner
- 9:30 p.m. Entertainment by Angela Brown
- 10:00 p.m. Dancing
- 10:30 p.m.–1:00 a.m. Late Night in Spain with midnight buffet (Young Professionals Invited)
Individual tickets begin at $250 (a portion is tax-deductible), and include the Opera Ball dinner, Angela Brown performance, post-concert live entertainment/dancing, and a midnight buffet. Tickets for “Late Night in Spain” are $30 and include music, dancing, and a midnight buffet.
Table sponsorships are available. Proceeds benefit Cincinnati Opera's 2009 Summer Festival. For ticket and sponsorship information, please contact Christine Reed at 513-768-5520 or creed@cincinnatiopera.org.
About Angela Brown
International opera star Angela Brown personifies the ideal dramatic soprano with her sheer vocal power, luxurious finesse, shimmering, high pianissimos, and a charming personality. Her highly successful Metropolitan Opera debut in 2004 inspired The New York Times to write: "At last an Aida," and CBS Evening News to report: "the future of opera has arrived." She has been featured on the cover of The New York Times and in O, The Oprah Magazine, Essence, Reader's Digest, and Psychology Today. In 2007, Miss Brown returned to the Metropolitan Opera to sing the season premiere of Aida and in 2008 she sang the role of Amelia in A Masked Ball.
No stranger to Cincinnati, Miss Brown sang at the NAACP's National Spingarn Freedom Fund Awards Dinner in July, and in May, she sang Leonora in Verdi's La Forza del Destino for the opening of the 2008 Cincinnati May Festival season. In 2005, she thrilled audiences with her powerful portrayal of Cilla in Cincinnati Opera's Margaret Garner, and she will return to sing the role of Elisabetta in Verdi's Don Carlo in June 2009.
Miss Brown is a trailblazer on a mission to bring operatic and classical vocal performance to a diverse audience. Her witty recital program, Opera from a Sistah's Point of View, dispels the myths of opera through lively commentary on opera plots and characters, show-stopping arias, poignant art songs, and moving spirituals. A noted interpreter of African-American spirituals, Miss Brown's recordings include Mosaic, a collaborative recording of spirituals with guitar and piano.
Committee Members
2008 Cincinnati Opera Ball co-chairs are Jennifer Allen, Mary Ann Boorn, Bo-Kyung Kim Kirby, and Ronna Willis. Barbara Hahn and Patrick Korb are serving as the advisory chairs, and committee members include Cathy Crain, Cincinnati Opera board president; Melanie Chavez, past Gala chair; and Jeannine Winkelmann, Opera Guild president-elect. The Host & Hostess Committee chair is Joanie Lotts. The Host & Hostess Committee includes Shari Einsel, Mona Kerstine, and Tom Osterman.
The 2009 Summer Festival is made possible with support from the Fine Arts Fund, Ohio Arts Council, City of Cincinnati, and many generous foundations, corporations, and individual donors. Delta Air Lines is the official airline of Cincinnati Opera. Seta Music is the official piano supplier for Cincinnati Opera. www.cincinnatiopera.org.
