Wolf Trap 2011 Ball Honors 40 Years Where Culture and Community Take Center Stage

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announces the 2011 Wolf Trap Ball, the organization's largest annual fundraising event, will take place Saturday, September 17 on the Filene Center stage at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. This year's special event celebrates the historic 40th anniversary of Wolf Trap and will take guests on a nostalgic journey back to Wolf Trap's early years showcasing its continued legacy as a place where culture and community take center stage.

The ball is hosted in the unique setting of the Filene Center stage, the second largest in the country. Spanning more than 7,000 square feet, the performance stage will be transformed for the event with extensive custom designed sets and lighting to highlight the unique elements of the Wolf Trap Experience. Nearly 1,000 members of the business, cultural, social, and political community will take center stage as they gather to celebrate and support Wolf Trap's renowned education and arts programs.

This year's stage design features four distinct settings, representing the four pillars of Wolf Trap's mission, including:

A star-lit representation of the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts,
A design reflecting the rustic intimacy of The Barns at Wolf Trap,
A scene which embodies the warm elegance of a Wolf Trap Opera Company production, and
A brightly colored setting that symbolizes the hallmark of Wolf Trap Education - a classroom residency of the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts
Guests will be treated to a New Orleans Dixieland jazz band upon arriving at the Ball to commemorate the inaugural Filene Center season in 1971, in which the original Preservation Hall Jazz Band performed. The Olivera Strings, an eight-piece strolling string ensemble, will serenade guests during cocktails and dinner. Sound Connection, an award-winning 10-piece band, will headline the event with music for guests to dance the night away.

The event is co-chaired by Wolf Trap Foundation Board Member Tim Keating of The Boeing Company and Wolf Trap Associates Board Member Peter Lauria of Baker Tilly.

"It's an honor to co-chair the 40th anniversary Wolf Trap Ball and help support one of our nation's most cherished centers for education and the performing arts," said Keating. "The annual ball is the largest fundraiser of the year for Wolf Trap, and the support of sponsors and attendees makes it possible for millions of people to learn, grow, and be transported by the arts. Co-chairing this event is truly a labor of love."

Honorary Co-Hosts for the ball include: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Speaker John A. Boehner (R-OH), Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), Senator Al Franken (D-MI), Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI), Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD), Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC), Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Congressman Norman Dicks (D-WA), Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Congressman Edward Markey (D-MA), Congressman James P. Moran (D-VA), Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Congressman Harold Rogers (R-KY), Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA), Congressman Frank R. Wolf (R-VA), Governor Bob McDonnell (Virginia), Governor Martin O'Malley (Maryland), Mayor Vincent C. Gray (District of Columbia), Chairman Sharon Bulova, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

Proceeds from the Ball benefit Wolf Trap Foundation's renowned education and arts programs, including the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts. Wolf Trap's Institute programs reach tens of thousands of preschool and Kindgergarten children, teachers, parents, and caregivers around the country and abroad, using performing arts disciplines such as drama, music, and movement to enhance academic and social skills. Each year, the Wolf Trap Ball attracts nearly 1,000 attendees, generating up to $1 million in support of these programs.

Major sponsors include: The Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman, Chevron, General Electric, Raytheon Company, and Walter M. Oliver.

For more details on reserving a seat or table at the ball, contact Wolf Trap Special Events at
(703) 255-4030 or events@wolftrap.org.

In addition to the annual Ball, forthcoming major fundraising events benefiting Wolf Trap's mission to bring education through the arts into the community include the 14th Annual Invitational Golf Tournament on October 17, 2011 and Wolf Trap's Run for the Arts-5K and Fun Run on April 14, 2012.

About the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts

The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded by Catherine Filene Shouse (1896-1994), produces and presents a full range of performance and education programs in the Greater Washington area, as well as nationally and internationally. Wolf Trap features three performance venues: the outdoor Filene Center and Wolf Trap Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods, both located at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, and The Barns at Wolf Trap, located down the road from the park and adjacent to the Center for Education at Wolf Trap. In partnership with the National Park Service, the 7,028-seat Filene Center annually showcases an extensive list of diverse artists, ranging from pop, country, folk, and blues to classical music, dance, and theater, as well as multimedia presentations, from May through September. The Barns operates year-round, and during the summer months is home to the GRAMMY-nominated Wolf Trap Opera Company, one of America's outstanding resident ensemble programs for young opera singers. Wolf Trap's education programs include the nationally acclaimed Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, Wolf Trap Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods, a diverse array of arts education classes, scholarships, and a nationally recognized internship program that was included in Bloomberg BusinessWeek's 2009 List of "Best Places to Intern." As part of its ongoing commitment to protect and preserve the environment, Wolf Trap offers metro access and is a founding member of the Green Music Group. Terrence D. Jones is president and CEO of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.

Visit the Wolf Trap Web site at www.wolftrap.org for more information.