Opera Lafayette kicked off their 2nd Annual NYC Baroque Music Festival with their New York Gala, chaired by Barbara Tober, on Tuesday, May 9 at El Museo de Barrio. Guests were treated to Opéra-ballet: Rameau’s Io and Pierre de La Garde’s Léandre et Héro. The double bill included a historic world premiere of Jean-Phillippe Rameau’s Io with costumes designed by theatrical genius Machine Dazzle (in attendance).
Photo Credit: Sierra Prasada
The celebration continued at dinner across the street at the Museum of the City of New York,
where Lincoln Center CEO & President Henry Timms was honored. Opera Lafayette co-chairs Nizam Kettaneh and Dorsey Dunn, and Artistic Director Ryan Brown welcomed guests including H.R.H. Princess Chantal de France and The Baron François-Xavier de Sambucy de Sorgue, as well as Afsaneh Akhtari, Suzi Cordish, Layla Diba, Cornelius Escaravage, Christopher “Kip” Forbes, Michele Gerber Klein, Susan Gutfreund, Maria Eugenia Maury and Bill Haseltine, Joan Hardy Clark, Margaret and Gregory Hedberg, Sylvia Hemingway, Helen Little, Andrew Martin-Weber, Ann Van Ness, Barbara de Portago, Sana Sabbagh, Daisy Soros, and Prince Dmitri of Yugoslavia.
Photo Credit: Patrick McMullan
Opera Lafayette is the leading American interpreter and performer of little-known operatic gems from the 17th to the 19th Century. Incorporating dance, stunning costumes, and intimate staging with rising star singers and musicians playing period instruments, an Opera Lafayette performance transports its audience to an era when beauty and captivating storytelling were the order of the day.
