According to Dallas Opera‘s First Sight and First Night Chair Lynn Mock,
“’Two Great Events—Both Come FIRST!’
“We hope you’re intrigued.
“I can assure you, it’s an incredible thrill to find myself the 2013 Chair of the Dallas Opera’s FIRST NIGHT celebrations that mark the official opening of each new season, especially on the heels of two very successful events that sparked widespread buzz among both media and passionate music lovers. Building on that firm foundation, we decided that now’s the time to add another exciting element to the mix: FIRST SIGHT, a reception, fashion show and luncheon presented by J.P. Morgan, which will be introduced on Thursday, October 24th at 10:00 a.m. in the Winspear Opera House.
“What’s it all about? In a word: fashion. Five extraordinary international designers have volunteered their time and talent to create one-of-a-kind designs inspired by each of the operas being produced this season—in addition to an “umbrella-themed” gown that will exemplify the Dallas Opera 2013-2014 Season Theme, “By Love Transformed.”
“The operas in question are Bizet’s Carmen, one of the sexiest and most popular operas ever written, in performances featuring the American debut of French mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine in the title role; Death and the Powers, a playful yet profound 2010 opera by MIT Media Lab’s resident genius: Tod Machover; Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s dark romance, Die tote Stadt (“The Dead City”), with an all-star cast led by Jay Hunter Morris fresh from his triumph as Seigfried on the Metropolitan Opera Stage and as Ahab in San Francisco Opera’s revival of a Dallas Opera world premiere, Moby-Dick; and Rossini’s delightful masterpiece, The Barber of Seville, featuring a fabulous cast that includes Nathan Gunn as Figaro and this year’s Richard Tucker Award winner Isabel Leonard as the spunky Rosina.
“We’ve paired each of these works with a superb, sought-after designer: Elizabeth Anyaa, Michael Faircloth, Abi Ferrin, Khanh Nguyen and Nicolas Villalba; who will give each opera their most imaginative and dramatic interpretation. Fashionistas will be happy to hear that the fashion show will include sumptuous new designs, Resort 2014, presented by ESCADA, a name synonymous with the highest quality and luxury. The Shannon and Ted Skokos stage of the Winspear will be transformed into a couture fashion runway to capture all the excitement, through the experienced leadership of Event Architect Jeffrey Horn FPLtd., Event Designer Larry Leathers and Fashion Show Producer and Chair Rhonda Sargent Chambers.
“Afterwards? Expect a beautifully prepared luncheon catered by Wolfgang Puck in the C. Vincent Prothro Lobby hosted by Chair Elizabeth Z. Naftalis.
“Only you can decide whether it will be Love at FIRST SIGHT; I’m confident it will be an event to remember.
“The following evening, Friday, October 25th, marks the much-anticipated return of FIRST NIGHT, celebrating the Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance of Carmen in a glamorously transformed Sammons Park, on the approach to the Winspear. The evening begins with a sumptuous pre-performance dinner in a lavishly decorated tent at 6:00 p.m., chaired by Mary Beth and Jay Marshall, followed by the live opera performance at 8:00 p.m. and the sensational after-party hosted by Chairs Rhonda and Fraser Marcus.
“I hope by now you are impatient to find out how to join us at the Dallas Opera’s most fun-filled fund-raiser of the year, benefiting a genuinely community minded arts organization that touched the lives of over 90,000 people during the 2012-13 Season—from a host of public and private schools and after-school programs, to libraries, community centers, parks, theaters, farmer’s markets and museums, the Winspear Opera House and AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys!
“We would love to bring you to the table—our table—to learn more about the immeasurable joys and incomparable thrills of opera and how you can play a part in making this art form available for generations of Texans to come. Visit dallasopera.org/first-night for more information or to make your reservation now. Or call Special Events Manager Tracy Mott at 214.443.1063 ([email protected]).
“I can’t wait to see you there!”
* Photo credit: Rob Wythe