The Edit By Brett Graff

A snapshot of the week's social scene

Red Cross Tiffany Circle Members

Tiffany Circle – the elite women’s group within the American Red Cross – had a cocktail event to honor ten lifetime members Swanee DiMare, Terri Buoniconti, Mary Frances Irvin, Julia Bianchi, Trish Bell, Pamela Garrison, Elana Luca all pictured above plus Betty Lopez Castro, Bunny Bastian and Elizabeth Taylor. Held on the yacht docked outside of the Gable Estates home board member Ana Milton, the ladies enjoyed passed appetizers such poached shrimp and mini tacos while they sipped wine and water and toasted the good work of the organization and plan for future events. Tiffany Circle is a national organization of over 1000 women who give $10,000 or more to the American Red Cross. While the Red Cross was founded in 1881, this elite group started in just 2007 and today donates 33 percent of all the philanthropy dollars to the organization.

Miami City Ballet’s Transforming Lives Campaign

Miami City Ballet held a private event hosted by Dean Jernigan and Board Chair Kristi Jernigan. There, with 85 guests who were treated to a special presentation by Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez, MCB announced the public phase of its comprehensive $55 Million Transforming Lives Campaign. The campaign will enable the company to commission new works created by today’s foremost and emerging choreographers as well as expand its existing repertory with seminal works by 20th Century masters. It will also enable collaborations between cutting edge scenic, lighting, and costume designers.

“The Transforming Lives Campaign is one of MCB’s most ambitious and is based on our steadfast belief that the arts transform the lives of all who engage in them,” says MCB Executive Director Tania Castroverde Moskalenko, “whether you are an artist, student, community member, or patron attending a performance. It is important for the public to know that every gift makes a difference and that we have implemented a strategic, results-driven approach to carry out our campaign.”
Also at the event, Kristi Jernigan announced The Swan Ball would mark the Company’s 35th Anniversary, and that is scheduled for Saturday, February 6th, 2021 . Guests enjoyed cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres while mingling with company dancers. Launched in 2018, the Transforming Lives Campaign has reached over 50 percent of its goal and is based on four pillars – Artistry, Community Building, Education, and Organizational Capacity – areas identified as critical to further MCB’s ascending reputation as a globally recognized, leading arts organization.

Florida Grand Opera Commissions a Comic, Cuban Opera

Florida Grand Opera has commissioned what it’s calling a telenovela of all operas! It’s a new production of one of the most successful comic operas from the late 18th century with a Miami twist, performed in Spanish. Now updated and relocated to South Florida, a Cuban family is running Hotel Paraiso in 1980s’ Miami Beach. The new Spanish-translated production features the six characters’ getting into awkward cultural situations, caught in compromising positions, and drinking Cuba Libres (rum and Coke) until a family secret is uncovered.

Il matrimonio segreto (The Secret Marriage) is the perfect opera for anyone who loves the music of Rossini (The Barber of Seville) and the comedy of Mozart (The Marriage of Figaro). Discover this charming score and become part of the bochinche (gossip) when a father attempts to marry off his two daughters, who already have their own plans for the future.