A Sweet Night for Opera

It was an evening of high note, not to mention many in between, when Opera Santa Barbara hosted a captivating La Dolce Vita, A Night of Puccini gala at the Montecito Club with a sell-out crowd of 180 raising more than $200,000 for the popular organization.

The fun fête, co-chaired by Karen Knight and Carol Vernon, was emceed by Italian concert pianist Jacopo Giacopuzzi, with soprano Janet Szepei Todd and tenor Xavier Prado, accompanied by Tim Accurso on piano, providing entertainment during the three-course dinner with a selection of works from La Boheme, Tosca, Turandot, and Madama Butterfly, among others.

OSB’s artistic director Kostis Protopapas conducted a Stand Up for Opera fund raiser, which added another $120,000 to the coffers.

Among those dancing the night away to the Jon Harris Quintet with vocalist Gina Saputo were Gretchen Lieff and Miles Hartfeld, Mary Dorra, Todd Aldrich, Richard and Marilyn Mazess, George Konstantinow, Lynn Kirst, Maria McCall, Robert Ooley, Anne Towbes, Beno and Kandy Budgor, Fred and Nancy Golden, Nir and Gaja Kabaretti, Frank and Marika Tabar, Arthur Swalley, John and Hazel Blankenship, Palmer and Susan Jackson, Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey Nowak, Joan Rutkowski, Robert Weinman, Barbara Burger, Simon Williams, and Marilyn Gilbert.

Clearly all in the right aria….