Hello all,
It’s that time again: The National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with Opera America is presenting the 4th Annual Opera Honor Awards. Previous winners include Leontyne Price and John Adams; this year’s honorees are famed mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens, composer Robert Ward (The Crucible), designer John Conklin, and Speight Jenkins, the general director of the Seattle Opera.
This ceremony is a great event – this year it’s at the Harman Center in Washington, DC, and as always, it’s free. The evening will feature video tributes to the honorees, personal acceptances by all but Mme. Stevens, and performances by world-renowned singers Lawrence Brownlee and Sarah Coburn (for those not in the know, that’s Senator Tom Coburn’s daughter!). And it’s hosted by Nina Totenberg! How Washington is that?
I will be going, along with a number of UrbanArias board members and patrons – it’s THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free, but they must be reserved; call the Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Harman Center to reserve yours. (202) 547-1122 or visit the website www.shakespearetheatre.org. (Astute UrbanArias fans will remember that we performed at the Harman Center in September).
This will be a lot of fun, and a feel-good evening for opera fans. Attire is festive, so no need to break out the tux. Hope to see you there!
Bob Wood