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Faith Hill Concert Creates a Fashion Quandary for Dallas Gents

There are some Dallasites who are more familiar with NYC than Fort Worth. Whoa! Thanks to Super Bowl XLV, that situation took a major step forward with the Kick-Off Concert Series at Bass Hall with Faith Hill.

Since it was a private event with series tickets going for a whopping $1500, it had all the frills and spit-and-polish that a high-spending crowd deserves. Starting with a VIP party at McDavid Studio across the street from the Bass, it became apparent that not all Dallasites agreed on the Fort Worth  dress code for special events.

Usually it’s the ladies who are all in a tizzy about what to wear. Not on this night! The gents were really in a quandary about what is appropriate at the Bass for a Faith Hill concert. Some came in their best bib-and-tucker dark suits like Troy Aikman (pictured, he had an excuse since he was co-hosting the reception); Drew Pearson in a bold-striped suit with brown/black striped shirt and goldfinger metallic tie and handkerchief; George Riba (pictured) in a very sportscaster flash-and-dash orange tie, blue shirt, and camel-colored suit; and Bill Lively (pictured) in CEO-styled uniform with a natty orange tie and his ever-present dazzling smile.

On the other hand, those who have probably frequented Joe T’s knew that dress-down is thumbs up in FW and opted for the open shirt with the windowpane sports jacket look. The fashion question of this group was, “Do you unbutton the top one or two buttons on your shirt?” (more…)

Will Ebby Play with the Pointer Sisters at Winspear Tonight?

No word on whether Honorary Chair Ebby Halliday (pictured and who turns 99 tomorrow) is going to accompany the Pointer Sisters on her ukulele tonight at the Special Care & Career Services gala on the Skokos Stage at Winspear.

Tickets may just still be available.

Dallas Opera Seeks High Falutin Men for Moby-Dick

If you’ve ever had the acting bug or wanted to appear in an opera, now’s your chance. Just two things:

1. You can’t be afraid of heights.
2. You’ve got to be a guy. Now, ladies, don’t get all huffy. There’s a reason that even NOW would understand.

Here’s the scenario: The Dallas Opera is looking for some stout-hearted men for its upcoming world premiere of Moby-Dick. According to Dallas Opera’s Suzanne “The Voice” Calvin:

“We need men with a slim to medium build, ages 16 and up who are able and willing to climb a truss up to 30 feet in the air without hesitation.  They should have absolutely no fear of heights. No previous opera/theatre experience necessary.

“As the supernumeraries or ‘supers’ (non-speaking, non-singing extras) you would add height to the workings of the ship by appearing in the crow’s nest and other various parts of the ship above the rest of the “Ship’s Crew” throughout the show.”

Ladies, you’ve probably calmed down by now knowing that there weren’t any women on whaling ships in the 1850′s and besides what woman would be crazy enough to climb up in the crow’s nest?

The open casting call  (“just bring yourself, no equipment necessary”) is Tuesday, March 16, between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. at the Karayanis Rehearsal Production Center, 4301 S. Fitzhugh. That’s on the edge of Fair Park off of Gaisford Street. Please park at the back of the building and enter through the back door.

Dallas Contemporary is Alive and Well and Making Music with Tubes and Pipes

Remember back on January 7 when the opening of Dallas Contemporary was canceled at the last minute because the proper permits weren’t obtained? Okay, so you’re right. It was canceled 48 hours before, not a minute beforehand. My, aren’t we picky!

Then there was the February 17 announcement that DC longtime director Joan Davidow would retire.

DC evidently got their permits and had their opening on February 6.

Now moving ahead, on March 24 at 7 p.m., DC will launch its inaugural music performance for its adult programs with “New Sounds for a New Space.” According to DC Exhibitions Coordinator Erin Cluley,

“In the raw setting that inspired the music, young Dallas composer Christina Rusnak unveils the first movement of her original composition 161 Glass Movement I: The Floor (Premiere) for Percussion Ensemble, played by a selected group of performers.”

Just how inspired was Christina by the raw setting of DC’s new home. Well, she has incorporated glass, pipes, blocks, tubes, metal, and wood along “with traditional percussion instruments to articulate her sound piece.”

In the meantime, James Gilbert‘s “Warnings & Instructions” exhibition is up until April 18.

Oh, if you’re counting pennies, it’s all free!

Private Supper for Dallas Opera’s Benefactors was a Great Staged Event

Last week was a busy, busy one for the folks over at the Dallas Opera. Tuesday they announced the opera’s second season at the Winspear, which FrontRow’s Peter Simek covered.

But the night before, the annual dinner was held for the major donors (think annual gifts of $10,000 and up), who have been so instrumental in coordinating and raising the funding for such seasons. The group dined on Ted and Shannon Skokos Stage at the Winspear thanks to the Dallas Opera and Northern Trust. With tables situated on the Monte Carlo set of Cosi fan tutte, even the Garden Gate’s centerpieces alone were good enough to eat.

Guests included Shanee and Steve Birch (pictured), Margaret McDermott, Caroline Rose Hunt, Arlene and John Dayton, Carol and Bruce Calder, Joyce and Harvey Mitchell, Holly and Tom Mayer, Mary Beth and Jay Marshall, and Ellen and Don Winspear (pictured left with Marianne and Steve Lagerstrom).

To top off the evening, Sir Thomas Allen (he is Don Alfonso in Cosi) sang a Cole Porter “ditty.” Needless to say, the crowd was charmed. Nuccia Focile (she plays Despina in Cosi) sang a selection from West Side Story. Other performers who entertained the crowd included Nathan Gunn, Donato DiStefano, Jennifer Holloway, Michael Todd Simpson, Brian Anderson, and Norman Shankle.

It was an opera lover’s night of wonderful.

Doug Adams Can’t Blow His Own Horn

You read how Dallas Symphony President Doug Adams spent last Thursday night greeting symphony goers with the bad news that the evening’s program, “Romance and Rachmaninoff,” had been canceled due to the snow tsunami. But what you may not know is what preceded the decision to cancel the performance.

First, think back to last Thursday when streets were starting to look like obstacle courses for dog sled teams.

Now, let’s get on with what was transpiring behind the scenes at the DSO. (more…)

If You Can’t Be Jessie’s Girl, You Can “Moonlight” for Ronald McDonald

This Saturday night people-who-soiree are being torn in two directions — Junior League of Dallas ball with Rick Springfield at the Anatole or Ronald McDonald House’s “Moonlight” gala at Brook Hollow. Some folks are actually going to both!

However, if you were one of those “wait til the last minute” types, the three C’s of the Ronald McDonald event have a suggestion. (Who are the three C’s? Co-chairs Caroline Gehan and Caroline Nix and Honorary Chair Carolyn Rathjen, of course.) (more…)

No Excuse Thursday

It’s a beautiful day and is flirting with the 60′s. So, why go home and do an eye-lock with your TV or computer screen? Instead here are some opportunities to get out and about:

6 to 9 p.m — Young Texans Against Cancer’s 2010 kick-off party at The Barley House

7 p.m. — Red Carpet Premiere and fundraising screening of Torey’s Distraction at the Angelika. Dr. Jeffrey A. and Regen Fearon are honorary chairs with Ashley Akin chairing the event. A fund has been created by the filmmakers of Torey’s Distraction the mission of this fund is to help children with craniofacial anomalies attain the best medical care possible by helping to pay for travel expenses for surgeries and medical consultations, help fund medical research, and share the story of Torey’s Distraction to a larger audience.

7:15 p.m. –Big D Opry Star at Gilley’s is for country western music lovers with CMT “Can You Duet?” stars Joey + Rory, multi-platinum Grammy-winning artist Bryan White, The Tejas Brothers, Plano’s Channing Dodson, Dallas’ Brittnee Lee and many more. The shindig benefits Friends of Texas Public Schools with a designated gift for DISD for arts and music education.

What’s that? You were going to watch the Olympics? That’s why they made TiVo.

LeBron and JAY-Z Support Dallas’ Boys & Girls Club With Sprite and Coke

Photo provided by Aardvark Communications

While many of the celebs in town for the All-Star game were supporting Dallas’ economy by exercising their credit cards at NorthPark, two of the beyond-well-known-names of the super universe were working with kids. LeBron James and Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter (pictured from the left) worked with 100 kids from the East Dallas Club of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dallas Saturday afternoon.

Yes, there were the mandatory media opps, but when it came to the mentoring part of the program, LeBron and JAY-Z met privately with the students. (more…)

Dallas Opera’s Women’s Board To Honor Marnie And Kern Wildenthal

With the recent death of Henry S. Miller Jr., it seems like the glory days of The Dallas Opera‘s founding mothers and fathers had come full circle. Juanita Miller, Elsa von Seggern, Larry Kelly, Nicola Rescigno, John “Cute Curmudgeon” Ardoin, and so many others, who strove to bring the best of La Scala to the dusty plains of North Texas, are long gone.

Photo provided by the Women's Board of The Dallas Opera

We have now moved into the next generation of leaders for the opera. These are the people who took the dreams of their predecessors and turned them into reality. Need an example? Drive on over to the Winspear Opera House.

While there are individuals who have been part of the driving force for the opera’s growth, it’s become a true passion for certain couples. With as much concern as parents of a child, they have nurtured the opera to its present position. One of those couple is Marnie and Kern Wildenthal. They have used their individual strengths to help so many organizations in our community. For instance, (more…)