Angel with the Lance Domenico Guidi Ponte Sant'Angelo, Rome

January         Annual Members Meeting

SUN June 21  Opera in the Park
                    Civic Park, Walnut Creek

FRI July 10    Opening Night Party
                    Prima Ristorante, Walnut Creek

FRI July 10     Ariadne auf Naxos
SUN July 12    Lesher Center for the Arts
                      
November     Chamber operas:
                    Holst's Savitri and
                    Perla's River of Light
                    venue TBA

Longtime chorus members Heather Braganza-Roman and Tod Roman, welcomed their first child,Tyler Rex Roman, on May 13, 2014. They think he will be a tenor.
Heather coordinated the Festival Opera children's chorus on several productions.

Happy holidays and congratulations to the new family. 

Festival Opera general director Sara Nealy was selected to be one of 30 people who have "taken a risk, spoken out where others were silent-all to the measurable benefit of their arts organizations and the field."

According to the editors of Musical America, the choices from hundreds of nominees worldwide were based on those who can show measurable results, uniqueness, persistence in the face of resistance or hardened tradition, and inventiveness... the risk-takers and innovators.

Read Sara's profile by Georgia Rowe here

Michael Morgan, longtime conductor and artistic director for Festival Opera, and Oakland East Bay Symphony music director, was also selected. 
Read Michael's profile by Georgia Rowe here.

The 2014 Holiday Gala was enjoyed by even more guests this year. Festival Opera's biggest fundraiser of the year was held December 3.
Shawnette Sulker and Kirk Eichelberger brought down the house with their rendition of "Baby, It's Cold Outside"... along with a few operatic selections! Beautiful Indian dancers did a hip hop/classical mash up, and guests wined and dined.  Here are a few images from the night:

2014 honoree Silvia Lin	Shawnette Sulker accompanied by Chun Mei Wilson	Kirk Eichelberger
Chinmayi Bettadapur	Ione Gille &   some of her guests	Susie Hanson & Janet-marie Persico
Barbara & Gary Drummond	Anthony & Ella Greenhouse, guests of Jennifer Kwock-Lau (center)	Susan Dupree & Elaine Reisert
Lisa Sanders, Joanne Drumm & Nina Dickerson	Bill & Navid Armstrong	Miriam Drumm welcomes guests
Barbara & TJ Gilmartin	Frank Morgan with 2013 honoree Diane Mauch	Joan & Jack Waddell
Pamela Philbert, Kirk Eichelberger, Jim & Bonnie Schmidt	Mysore & Prabha Gopal, Susie Hanson and David Baer	Frank Hanna, auctioneer