YPO’s The Wonderland Ball – Celebrating 63 Years of Support
Benefits Opera Education
Saturday November 3, 2018, at 6:30 p.m.
Four Seasons Hotel Miami
1435 Brickell Avenue, Downtown Miami
www.YPO-Miami.org/Gala
Young Patronesses of the Opera, one of Miami’s oldest arts organizations, is celebrating its 63rd year, and will host a wondrous night of dinner and dancing at The Wonderland Ball to be held November 3, 2018, at the Four Seasons Hotel Miami.
The Wonderland Ball’s Co-Chairs are Violeta Cepeda, Michele Reese, Patty Scerpella, Barbara Waters, and Nicole Unternaehrer who promise a magical night of fantasy for Miami’s leading philanthropists and opera lovers. Gala guests will walk through the looking glass into a whimsical world of wonder and enjoy a cocktail hour, graciously hosted by Bacardi USA, that includes a silent auction. Dinner will follow along with dancing to the sounds of Drew T Band and other surprises performances.
The ball’s silent auction will feature 200 items with luxury vacations including a Mediterranean voyage on board Sea Dream Yacht Club Cruises, a luxury trip to Peru, a 5-star river cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia, an 11-night Yucatan Land and Sea Safari, and a 10-Night Great Lakes and French Canada cruise, just to name a few.
For 43 years, YPO has brought professional mini-opera programs (In-School Opera) to elementary school children each year. YPO also presents both a Girl Scout Workshop where over 150 girl scouts earn their opera patch, as well as a Teacher’s workshop, to train Miami-Dade Music teachers in ways to incorporate opera in the classroom. This year YPO will also hold its bi-annual Voice Competition founded Mrs. Irene Patti Swartz Hammond in 1972 to provide scholarships to up and coming opera singers. This year the competition will be held on April 11-13, 2019 at the Colony Theater on Miami Beach. The finals (April 13th) is open to the public.
Young Patronesses of the Opera would like to thank its sponsors as of this release: Trish and Dan Bell, Swanee and Paul DiMarie, the Dunspaugh Dalton Foundation, Bacardi USA, Dr. Brandt Skincare, Victory Cruise Lines, Aqua Expeditions, SeaDream Yacht Club, Peru Empire, Property Markets Group, ExcelAg, Corp. USA, Gerard Bertrand Wines, Selecta Magazine, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Abercrombie & Kent, Royal Caribbean International, Belmond Hotels, Burberry, Figenza Vodka, Hilton, MSC Cruises, Polestar Labs, South Florida Luxury Guide, Atemporal, Inkaterra Hotels, The Agatston Center for Private Medicine, The Ritz-Carlton, Titilaka, Maurice’s Jewelers, and Press Concepts.
Single tickets to the gala are $400. Attire is whimsical black tie. Find more information at www.YPO-Miami, org/Gala.
About Young Patronesses of the Opera (YPO)
Founded in 1956, YPO is a non-profit group of women who work without staff to advocate for music education and also support the Florida Grand Opera. Proceeds from the gala fund programs such as the In School Opera performances for 20,000 elementary school students, a Girl Scout Workshop for 100 Girl Scouts, and an annual Teacher’s Workshop which offers continuing education credits for 150 Miami-Dade County Educators. YPO also has published 24 Opera Funtimes books introducing great operas to young children, and hosts a renowned Voice Competition for aspiring young singers every two years. All of these programs are free of charge. To learn more, visit www.YPO-Miami.org.
