Portland Opera's Flora + Fauna Fall Ball To Feature Tony Award-Winner Sutton Foster

Portland Opera is pleased to welcome two-time Tony Award-winning actress and singer Sutton Foster to Portland at the Flora + Fauna Fall Ball on Saturday, September 14, 2019 at the Portland Art Museum. The gala event will begin with a champagne and welcome reception, followed by dinner, live auction, and private performance by Foster. The goal of the Flora + Fauna Fall Ball is to raise one million dollars for Portland Opera.

"We are delighted to host our 2019 gala, the Flora and Fauna Fall Ball," says Sue Dixon, interim general director of Portland Opera. "We cannot wait to welcome Sutton Foster to Portland for what is sure to be an unforgettable evening. We're also thrilled to offer guests the opportunity to have their portrait taken by award-winning photographer Gia Goodrich in an immersive portrait studio designed by Anthropologie."

Sutton Foster is an award-winning actor, singer, and dancer who has performed in 11 Broadway shows-most recently the revival of Violet. She is a two-time Tony Award-winner for her performances in Anything Goes and Thoroughly Modern Millie, and she will return to Broadway in 2020 alongside Hugh Jackman in a revival of The Music Man. She currently stars in the TV Land series "Younger," now in its 6th season. As a solo artist, Sutton has performed around the globe with her musical director Michael Rafter, including performances at Carnegie Hall, Feinstein's, Lincoln Center's American Songbook series, and Joe's Pub.

Co-chairs for Portland Opera's Flora + Fauna Fall Ball gala are Bill Sweat and Donna Morris, proprietors of Winderlea Vineyard and Winery. Sutton Foster's performance is made possible by Joanne M. Lilley, Ellyn Bye and Dream Envision Foundation, Dorothy Piacentini, and The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation.

"As a proud local business owner, I am a firm believer in giving back to the community that helps our region thrive, and the arts are essential to our way of life." says Curtis T. Thompson, MD, President of Portland Opera's Board of Directors. "And so, our goal is to raise one million dollars to ensure a bright future for Portland Opera."

For over five decades, Portland Opera has contributed to the cultural, artistic, and economic landscape of the Pacific Northwest. Proceeds from the Flora + Fauna Fall Ball will strengthen Portland Opera's ability to serve audiences throughout the region, by supporting operational costs as well as special programming and projects. Areas of focus include: Portland Opera's commitment to professional development for the next generation of artists, storytellers, and leaders in the field through the Resident Artist program; the Portland Opera To Go program, which presents 50-minute English-language versions of classic operas for young audience members in schools throughout the state; and Portland Opera a la Cart, a mobile music performance truck inspired by Portland's food cart culture that is designed to go where people gather, and share opera in a new way.

During the 2019/20 season, Portland Opera will share the beauty and breadth of opera with 300,000+ people; including nearly 15,000 young audience members in schools throughout the state. The corporate partners, community allies, and arts advocates who support Portland Opera at the Flora + Fauna Fall Ball will help ensure the bright future of Portland Opera by making it possible to continue and expand upon those successes.

Table reservations for the Flora + Fauna Fall Ball are available starting from the $5,000 level. Single tickets at the $500 level are currently on sale and subject to availability. For more information please visit www.portlandopera.org/gala, or contact Portland Opera's Development team by calling (503) 417-0601 or emailing giving@portlandopera.org