Florida Grand Opera’s 75th Anniversary Gala
Miami, FL – November 12, 2016 – Florida Grand Opera (FGO) celebrated its opening of the 2016-17 season at its 75th Anniversary Gala at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts’s Ziff Ballet Opera House. Nearly 200 of Miami’s philanthropic, social, civic and business influencers arrived in their finest to celebrate the evening’s distinguished honorees and the Opera’s accomplishments over the past 75 years. The evening began with Bernard Uzan’s brilliant re-interpretation of the opera classic, Carmen. Mezzo soprano María José Montiel dazzled audiences in the title role with her incomparable dramatic and vocal interpretation, while tenor Rafael Davila’s soared through the theatre an into audiences’ hearts. Following the performance, guests were invited to the Peacock Foundation studio for cocktails and delicious hors d’oeuvres courtesy of Brava! celebrity chef Brad Kilgore and his talented staff. The room was filled with music from Steinway & Sons beautiful new Spirio piano, provided by Steinway Piano Gallery Miami General Manager Doug Thiel.
The night’s entertainment began with a taste of flamenco, choreographed by Rosa Mercedes and featuring Carmen dancers Betzy Belen Almaguer, Liliana Gagoaga, Edwin Suarez and Carolina Torres. Gala committee co-chairs Olga Figueras’s and Kristin Podack’s warm welcome was followed by a performance by exquisite guitarist Marco Sartor of Uruguay, performing a selection entitled “Reflections on Spain”. After dinner, guests danced the night away to the lively music of Street Lights, a Steve Chase band, in the subtle ambiance created by Deco Productions in conjunction with FGO’s lighting department. The highlight of the evening was an awards presentation to honor four of Florida Grand Opera’s most distinguished patrons.
Dale Oken King & Doug Theil
Greg & Doug Theil
David Treitel & Carla D’Andre
Olga Melin, Tatiana, Sergey, & Klimenty Ponyatovsky
Sergey, Tatiana, & Klimenty Ponyatovsky
David & Olga Melin
Olga Figueras, Doug Theil, & Kristin Podack
Lori Thomas, Kristin Podack, & Olga Figueras
Lori Thomas & Susan Feldman
Gordon Silver & Carla Ginsburg
Marc & Donna Werner
Lorena Chicoye & Gale Cole-Avent
Sandy Chiu & Elizabeth Lian
Rosa Maria Ladesma, Stephen, Caroline, & Catherine Pierce, William & Michelle Roshia, & Elina Gomez
Oscar del Cid, Jeanine Watkins, John & Lucy Agnetti, Gloria Barbier, Monique Lara, Raquel Rodriguez, & Rodger Schindler
Isa & Marvin Leibowitz, Judith Carney, & Justin Moss
Bob & Florence Werner
David Treitel, William Hill, & Ira Hall
Karl & Any Muench, Jay & Lucie Spieler
Asa & Per Loof
Susan T. Danis & Caroline Pierce
Carlos & Carmen Dominguez
Kristin Podack & Olga Figueras
Kristin Podack & Olga Figueras
Juliette Valle
Laurans & Arlene Mendelson
Arlene Mendelson
