The Painted Sky Opera Masquerade Ball is two weeks away
It's amazing to me how quickly everything goes. It seems just like yesterday that we were closing Tosca, which opened our second season of existence. Well, I guess it was only 18 days ago, so it really wasn't that long ago after all.
In another 18 days, Painted Sky Opera will have held its first honest-to-goodness black tie gala. We've chosen our theme to be the Masquerade Ball which is fitting considering that masks have prominently featured in many operas (including Verdi's Un ballo in maschera which means exactly what it sounds like it means) and other shows that are not operas but that some people refer to as their favorite opera (I'm talking about you, The Phantom of the Opera, although Andrew Lloyd Webber does use a lot of Puccini as "inspiration"). Masks for the ball are optional, but encouraged.
The Nitty Gritty
Painted Sky Opera Masquerade Ball
6-10 pm, November 10
14th Floor of the Skirvin Hotel
5 pm - VIP event on the 14th floor
5 pm - Tom Nix plays requests in the Red Piano Bar
Request tickets by October 30
I think that the Masquerade Ball is going to be a whole lot of fun. Our committee, which is co-chaired by Ashley Baumgartner and Barbara Fox DeMaio, has come up with a great evening of events including a delicious dinner, a cocktail hour, dancing to 1930s jazz played by some of the best jazz musicians in OKC, and a silent auction of great items, including courtside Thunder tickets, a week in an house in France, and a weekend spa visit at the Artesian Hotel. Plus, the event is in the extremely cool fourteenth floor of the Skirvin Hotel, which has great views of Oklahoma City and several interesting rooms, including the Venetian Room which sports the same art deco interior as the rest of the Skirvin.
If that's not enough, we are taking over the Red Piano Bar on the first floor of the Skirvin before and after the event with pianist Tom Nix playing requests (with a small donation to Painted Sky Opera).
Plus, the money goes for a great cause. Part of Painted Sky Opera's mission is to educate about opera. Kids watching our Intro to Opera program invariably come away excited to see more (and usually also are singing loudly - sorry teachers!). We want to expand the number of schools to which we are able to offer this program. Plus, we also want to produce a touring interactive children's opera that can give kids a second operatic experience. The money we earn from the gala will go towards bringing more opera to students and community groups.
So, interested in going? Well, you only have a few more days to request tickets, which can be done on our website. So, you should do that. Tickets are $150 - exactly what it costs us to put on one Intro to Opera program at a school. If you really want to support us, you can even buy a whole table or sponsor the event. There's more info on our page about the Masquerade Ball.
As a special deal, you can join our new Young Professionals group and get a ticket to the Masquerade Ball for free. For a $75 annual fee, the Young Professionals group allows those under 40 a chance to meet up regularly to network, hear some great music, attend productions at a reduced price, get into special Painted Sky Opera events, and support opera in OKC. This year only as a special thank-you for being a founding member, membership will get you a free ticket to the Masquerade Ball. Join the Painted Sky Opera Young Professionals group by letting us know you are interested and we'll get you hooked up with a ticket.
And that's all we have for the Masquerade Ball. We hope you'll join us for the party.
It's going to be a great evening. #operainokc #paintedskymasquerade