s p o t l i g h t s
Wine Auction 2015 chairman
Erica Sandner
and
her husband
Jim Sandner
experience Kistler Pinot Noir
at its best – in Riedel glasses!
“
Dare to Be a Diva” models
(
seated, L-R)
Stephanie Fisher, Caroline Huebner, Katherine
Harvey, Alison Wehman McNally, Erica Sandner, Lili Gaubin;
(
standing, L-R)
Eileen Murphy,
Margot Bowen, Mary Selander, Alexandra Day, Elizabeth O’Connor Cole, Christina Gidwitz
Lyric’s
Women’s Board
was founded in 1956 by Chicago’s most
prominent philanthropists and society leaders. Its members orchestrate
many of Lyric’s special events — including the
Wine Auction
and the
annual
OpeningNight/Opera Ball
celebrations — and are deeply
committed to furthering the growth of Lyric Opera by spreading the
gospel of opera to new patrons and supporters. Their passion translates
to millions of dollars raised annually for the company.
The LyricWine
AuctionNamed
One
of the Top 10
Wine
Auctions in the USA
The Art of StageMagic
In April, Lyric’s Women’s Board hosted the Woman’s Board of the Art Institute
onstage at the Civic Opera House. This event took place under the leadership of
Lyric’s Women’s Board president Mrs. J. Christopher Reyes and Margot Bowen,
AIC Program Chairman. A unique look behind the scenes was provided by
deputy general director Drew Landmesser. “It’s important to be educated in the
hows and whats of opera so that we can articulate that to the Lyric family,” said
Karen Gray, vice president of Women’s Board member education.
Women’s Board members and friends brought twelve seminal operatic
characters to life through the
Dare to be a Diva
event, modeling costumes
that ranged from Tosca’s ball gown to Carmen’s flamenco dress. “This was an
engaging way to participate, make memories, and enhance our understanding
of all the effort that goes on behind the scenes to make the magic happen
onstage,” said Anne Reyes. “Costume director Maureen Reilly, wigmaster and
makeup designer Sarah Hatten, and production design director Scott Marr
outdid themselves, along with technical director Michael Smallwood and the
entire stage crew.”
Want to be on the list
for Wine Auction 2015?
Call the Women’s Board
office at (
312) 827-5681.
In February 2012, Lyric history was made with a record-
shattering Wine Auction. “The April 2013 issue of Wine
Spectator recognized the event nationally with its annual
list of the Top 10 Charity Wine Auctions,” said Susan
Noyes, chairman of Wine Auction 2012.
The Women’s Board is already hard at work to sustain
the momentum. The
Wine Series Showcase: An
All-Red Tasting and Dinner
in late January was a
resounding success. “This was our first opportunity to
ask people to save February 7, 2015, for
Wine Auction
2015
,”
said event cochair Marilynn Thoma. “Our
hundred guests had a wonderful dinner with wine
pairings at Spiaggia, and in a tasting guided by Georg
Riedel, patriarch of Riedel Crystal, learned the value of
glassware that is matched to the grape varietal.”
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