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Black Tie
International:
The Martina Arroyo Foundation's 10th Anniversary Gala
Photos &
Story by: Gregory Speck
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Martina Arroyo
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The Martina Arroyo Foundation Gala
Tenth Anniversary Gala
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Martina Arroyo and Cecelia Teng |
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Rafael Sanchez |
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Tyne Daly
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Monday November 17
was highlighted by the tenth annual gala benefitting an
educational foundation established by the legendary America
opera singer Martina Arroyo, who was born in Harlem 77 years
ago, emerged as the greatest Puerto Rican spinto soprano in
history, and enjoyed a lengthy career performing the
heroines in many of Verdi's and Puccini's most beloved
operas. |
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For decades she
remained in demand at many of the leading opera houses of
the world, from Zurich, Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, and Paris
to San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Buenos Aires,
Milan's La Scala, London's Covent Garden, and of course New
York's Metropolitan. |
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Following her
retirement from the stage in 1991, she devoted her musical
talents to teaching gifted students and to judging
international competitions, having been drawn as a young
girl to ballet and Broadway musicals, never expecting to
become celebrated as one of the world's most renowned stars
of the global opera scene. |
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This inclination
to guide and to develop young singers resulted in the
creation of her foundation, for which such rising
talents as Robert Kerr and Lawrence Brownlee performed
select arias for the black tie guests during the charity
soiree, which was co-hosted by broadcaster Midge Woolsey
and show business author Brian Kellow. |
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Cecilia Teng served
as Chair of the elegant evening, which featured a cocktail
reception, a silent auction, a number of live performances,
in particular by musician and composer Paquito D'Rivera and
pianist Lloyd Arriola, and the presentation of a number of
awards to such pillars of classical music as baritone Mark
Rucker and his longtime coach and accompanist Sadie Rucker,
fashion designer Nanette Lepore, and impresario Willie
Anthony Waters. |
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Among the guests at
the Essex House fundraiser were actress Tyne Daly, designer
Rafael Sanchez, Edward Sadovnik, Beth Chang, Sandra Kungle,
Sachi Liebergesell, Erica Feinberg, Susan Stout, and Michael
Snider. |
For more information
about the Martina Arroyo Foundation please visit:
www.martinaarroyofdn.org |
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