The Glimmerglass Festival Hosts 2012 Spring Gala

Edward Callaghan

Glimmerglass Festival Artistic and General Director Francesca Zambello, Eric Owens, Luke Frazier and Adrienne Arsht. (Karli Cadel)

Met Opera's Steven White and Elizabeth Futral. (Karli Cadel)

New York City - The Glimmerglass Festival, a shimmering jewel on the world music festival scene, held its 2012 Spring Gala "GLIMMERATA!" on April 10 at The Metropolitan Club in Manhattan. The glittering evening benefitted the company's Young Artists and Summer Internship programs.

The Glimmerglass Festival Young Artists Program is an acclaimed program that provides training and performance experience for talented singers at the beginning of their professional careers. The Festival also offers summer internships in production, administration and artistic administration, providing the opportunity for young professionals and students to experience the fast-paced world of repertory opera and musical theater.

The elegant evening hosted by Glimmerglass Festival Artistic and General Director Francesca Zambello with her partner Faith Gay at her side along with Gala Chairs Patricia Kavanagh and James Grant and Estelle Parsons and her husband Peter Zimroth made great use of the sprawling mansion that houses the club. The festivities kicked off with cocktails in the stately Great Hall. Glimmerglass Managing Director Linda Jackson, the first African American woman to head a major opera company proudly pointed out this year of the over 100 Young Artist Program participants 39 of them are singers and most interestingly 15 are African Americans and five are from South Africa.

James Feldman, Selwa "Lucky" Roosevelt and Natalie Wexler. (Karli Cadel)

The ringing of a gentle bell signaled it was time to move onto the West Lounge for a recital by established stars of the opera and musical theater world as well as several members of the Young Artists Program. Following words of welcome by Ms. Zambello and Patricia Kavanagh, the program began with famed Metropolitan Opera bass-baritone Eric Owens (this year's Artist in Residence at Glimmerglass) performing the title song from "Lost in the Stars." Then David Daniels sang "Ogni indugio d'un amante" (from Handel's "Rinaldo") and Sean Panikkar and Dwayne Croft performed the rousing Don Carlo duet.

Gala Co-Chairs Peter Zimroth and Estelle Parsons. (Karli Cadel)

Klea Blackhurst famed for her Ethel Merman-esque vocals added a touch of lightness with "Taking a Chance on Love" Duke's "Cabin in the Sky." Ginger Costa-Jackson who delighted critics and fans alike with her sexy turn as Carmen at Glimmerglass last season turned up the heat with Kurt Weill's "Pirate Jenny" from The Threepenny Opera.

Dwayne Croft and Elizabeth Futral gave a sneak preview of this summer's musical selection, Meredith Willson's "The Music Man" with "Seventy-Six Trombones" and "My White Knight." The recital fittingly ended with the Nile Duet from Verdi's "Aida" performed by Young Artists Karen Jesse and Dominick Rodriguez.

Dinner and dancing to the Peter Duchin Orchestra followed the performance.

Among the guests swirling around the Great Hall to the up-tempo sounds of Duchin were Carole and Dudley Johnson, Bibhu Mohapatra, ABT Executive Director Rachel Moore; author A.M. Holmes, author Former General Manager Metropolitan Opera Joe Volpe; Philanthropist Adrienne Arsht; Michael Kaiser, President of the JFK Center for the Performing Arts; Jim Grant Grants Financial; Jean-Marie Eveillard; composer Tobias Picker; Susan Morris, chair of Santa Fe Opera; James Feldman and Natalie Wexler; Carolyn Ryan, Bill Edwards, CEO Classic Media, Board Member of the Public Theatre; Honorable Judith Kaye and Honorable Susan Read and Eugene O'Neill Theater Center founder George White and his wife Betsy.

Jean Doyen de Montaillou, Renee Landegger and Carl C. Landegger. (Karli Cadel)

The Gala committee included Adrienne Arsht, Nancy and Jim Barton, Klea Blackhurst, Ira Don Brown, Patricia and John Chadwick, Dwayne Croft, Wendy and John Curtis, David Daniels, Elizabeth M. and Jean-Marie R. Eveillard, Elizabeth Futral, Faith Gay, Sherwin H. Goldman, Alfred Hubay, Mrs. John R. Hopper, Karen Jesse, Carole and Dudley Johnson, Alla Milchtein, Kevin Miller, Bibhu Mohapatra, Eric Owens, Sean Panikkar, Dominick Rodriguez, Dagni and Martin Senzel, Court Watson and Francesca Zambello. Gala Junior Chairs were Pauline Eveillard and Sage Mehta.

The 2012 Glimmerglass Festival mainstage productions include Verdi's Aida," Willson's "The Music Man," Lully's "Armide" and Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson's "Lost in the Stars." The productions will run in rotation July 7 through August 25 in the Alice Busch Opera Theater in Cooperstown, New York. The mainstage productions will be supplemented by special performances, concerts and lectures throughout the season. Tickets start at just $26 and youth tickets (ages six through 18) start at $10 when accompanied by an adult. Call 607-547-2255 or go to website for tickets and additional information.