Central City Opera Hosts the THEATRE OF DREAMS GALA Tonight

Central City Opera announces the Theatre of Dreams Gala, an elegant evening in a beautiful downtown Denver venue to raise money for the company's opera and musical theater productions and year-round programs. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. tonight, April 5 at the newly renovated McNichols Civic Center Building located at 144 West Colfax (corner of West Colfax and Bannock) in Denver.

Gala patrons and guests will be treated to an evening of fine food and exceptional live musical entertainment. The attire is "Creative Black Tie," and the event will include a cocktail reception & seated dinner with musical guest FORTE, a multicultural tenor trio whose performances on NBC's 2013 America's Got Talent captivated millions and launched the group into the national spotlight. Capping off the night will be a rockin' after-party hosted by CCO's YP group, The Scene.

The event will be held at the stunning downtown McNichols Civic Center Building which was renovated and re-opened in 2012 as a contemporary hub for arts and culture for the people of Denver. Built in 1909, the breathtaking Greek revival building originally housed the Carnegie Library.

The Gala will honor Barbara Ferguson and the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation. Ms. Ferguson is being honored for her longstanding commitment to Central City Opera, her financial support to the organization and many volunteer hours, including her involvement in founding the CCO Guild. Barbara was the first President of the CCO Guild, which celebrates its 40th Anniversary in 2014. The Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, which was created from the estates of May Bonfils-Stanton and Charles E. Stanton, has been a generous contributor to Central City Opera over the years. When they were alive, May provided funding to establish the garden and terrace linking the Teller House to the Opera House, and Ed lent his considerable design expertise to restoration of Victorian authenticity in the public rooms of the Teller House. The Foundation has multiplied their generosity to Central City Opera, most notably with important grants to name and sustain CCO's artists training program. The Bonfils-Stanton Foundation strategically invests in imagination and innovation in Colorado because they believe that cultivating the creative spark is vital to making the community an exciting place where people want to live, work and thrive. Since its founding, the Foundation has distributed over $54 million in charitable contributions.

Theatre of Dreams Gala tickets are $250 per person and young professionals (ages 21-35) can purchase tickets for $150. Single Patron tickets with preferential seating are available for $350. To purchase tickets, call Alicia Holt at 303-331-7014.

About Central City Opera
Central City Opera (CCO) revises its special events schedule in 2014 to focus on one major fundraiser in the spring: Theatre of Dreams Gala. This event will replace Central City Opera's Music & Martinis and Party for Preservation fundraisers, and will celebrate and support all of Central City Opera's programs which include: world-renowned opera and musical theater performances; the preservation and maintenance of the Opera House and more than 30 other Victorian-era properties; the nationally acclaimed Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program; and educational and community engagement programs, which serve more than 100,000 people each year through performances in elementary and secondary schools, community centers, senior residences and theaters.

About FORTE
FORTE is a multicultural, operatic tenor trio whose performances on NBC TV's 2013 America's Got Talent captivated millions and launched the group into the national spotlight. Their self-titled debut album was just released on November 11, 2013 on the Columbia label.

Having met just days before their first audition for America's Got Talent, the trio mesmerized millions on the eighth season of the reality competition series. Solo artists in their own right, Josh Page, Sean Panikkar and Fernando Varela combine their individual talents to create FORTE's one incredible, multicultural vocal force. For more information on FORTE, visit fortetenors.com.

Sean Panikkar's operatic journey includes a strong connection to Central City Opera. In 2003, Sean was a Studio Artist (singers between the ages of 21 and 25) in CCO's prestigious Bonfils-Stanton Artists Training Program. CCO is thrilled to welcome Sean back to the stage in Colorado. For more on the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program, visit www.centralcityopera.org/artiststraining.

Central City Opera 2014 Festival
Central City Opera's 2014 Festival runs June 28 through August 10 featuring Mozart's beloved opera, The Marriage of Figaro; Jake Heggie's opera Dead Man Walking, based on the true story and famous book written by Sister Helen Prejean about her relationship with Lousiana death row inmate Joseph De Rocher which was also an award-winning movie; and Rodgers and Hammerstein II's glorious musical The Sound of Music performed in Denver at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Subscriptions to see all three shows in the 2014 Festival are now available for purchase starting at just $56. Single tickets for each production will be available in January of 2014. For more information, visit www.centralcityopera.org or call the Box Office at 303-292-6700.

Celebrating its 82nd year in 2014, Central City Opera is the nation's fifth-oldest opera company, located just 35 miles west of Denver in one of Colorado's official National Landmark Historic Districts. The company continues to present artistically excellent professional opera in its annual summer festival; to offer career-entry training to young singers; to produce education and community service programs; and to preserve and maintain the Opera House and 30 other Victorian-era properties.

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