The Dallas Opera, Cowboys Stadium Announce a Simulcast of Puccini's TURANDOT

The Dallas Opera, in partnership with Cowboys Stadium and with support from The Dallas Foundation, is extremely proud to announce the second classical music simulcast conducted in a North Texas sports venue. The announcement was made this afternoon at a gathering of representatives of several prominent organizations and local media at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Participants included Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny; Gene Jones; Charlotte Jones Anderson, Executive Vice-President Brand Management/President of Charities; Dallas Foundations President Mary Jalonick; and Nicole Small, CEO of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.

Gene Jones (the wife of Dallas Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager Jerry Jones), whose vision led to the Stadium's museum-quality collection of contemporary art, was on-hand to welcome guests and attending media.
"Hosting the first ever live simulcast at Cowboys Stadium last spring was a wonderful way to reach out and connect with new audiences," she explained. "Cowboys fans who might not be familiar with opera, as well as patrons who might not otherwise come out to Cowboys Stadium were able to see something new.
"From the reaction of those in attendance, I believe the evening was a complete success and we look forward to this fabulous encore!"

The Dallas Opera's 2013 Cowboys Stadium Simulcast of Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's TURANDOT will take place on Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 7:30 PM (doors open at 6:00 PM) at the state-of-the-art home of the Dallas Cowboys located at One Legends Way in Arlington, Texas. Patrons will be able to enjoy a complete, unabridged live performance on the world's largest high-definition video board structure, comprised of four massive viewing screens (the largest, 72 feet tall and 160 feet wide) suspended directly above the playing field.
At 6:45 PM, prior to the live performance, the Dallas Opera will present what is believed to be the world's largest cartoon screening (based on screen size): Warner Brothers Classics 1957 masterpiece, "What's Opera, Doc?" starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd and voted the #1 cartoon ever produced (in 1994, by a thousand members of the animation field).
Directed by animation legend Chuck Jones, the cartoon pokes fun at opera's most persistent stereotypes, Wagnerian heft, and Elmer Fudd's never-ending pursuit of that "wascally wabbit!"
Free general admission tickets can be obtained through the Dallas Opera website, effective immediately, at www.dallasopera.org/cowboys.

"In 2012, The Dallas Foundation helped the Dallas Opera bridge the distance between two very different cultures: the world of professional opera and the world of professional football," explained Mary Jalonick, President of The Dallas Foundation. "The Dallas Foundation is proud to again be the presenting sponsor of the Dallas Opera's 2013 simulcast of Turandot on April 13th.
"If you didn't have a chance to attend last year, don't miss this opportunity to experience a world-class performance at the world-class Cowboys Stadium."

"We are excited to partner with the Dallas Opera for a second Cowboys Stadium Simulcast," said Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President of Brand Management Charlotte Anderson. "Our organization greatly admires and respects The Dallas Opera's original thinking and stewardship in making ground-breaking events like these a reality because we truly value the importance of the arts in our community."

"It's been a personal goal of mine to bring tremendous artists and unforgettable entertainment to the widest possible audience here in North Texas," commented Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny, "and nothing does that better than opera, as shown by the thousands who attended last spring's Cowboys Stadium Simulcast of Mozart's The Magic Flute."
"The Dallas Opera is extremely honored that The Dallas Foundation is supporting this event for a second consecutive year and we are equally grateful for the generosity of the Jones Family, who encouraged this extraordinary collaboration with the Cowboys organization from the moment we made our dream known to them."

"I hope that the centralized location of Cowboys Stadium will-once again-attract music and theater lovers from here to the Red River, to this free simulcast of Puccini's final and most glorious masterpiece," Mr. Cerny adds, "especially those who, for a variety of reasons, have perceived opera as an intimidating or challenging art form, rather than an incredibly exciting way to spend an evening with those you love.

"We want to set a fun and relaxed tone, right from the start, with our special screening of a phenomenally popular cartoon that's a subversive work of genius: Warner Brothers Classics' 'What's Opera, Doc?' made in 1957, the year the Dallas Opera was launched. That famously huge white horse Bugs rides will never be any bigger than on the screens at Cowboys Stadium; and I, for one, can't wait!"

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