Arsht Center's 5th Anniversary Season Gala

ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER CELEBRATES 5 YEARS WITH

5th ANNIVERSARY SEASON GALA 

Highlights of the ‘Five-Act' black tie event included a spectacular Barton G. dinner on stage at the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, a special performance by Broadway star Raúl Esparza and a surprise Latin dance club finale. 

Dedication of Adrienne Arsht Center's newly-engraved donor wall a centerpiece of the evening 

More than 500 of Miami's most influential arts patrons, philanthropists, and business and civic leaders gathered on Thursday, October 28, 2010 as the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County marked its 5th Anniversary Season with a special Gala event starring Broadway performer and four-time Tony Award-nominee Raúl Esparza. This year's 5th Anniversary Season Gala honored the Center's legacy to date, the evolution of its mission as a ‘world-class, community-based' performing arts center, and its future direction as the Miami community continues to invest in the institution. 

The elaborate black-tie affair was broken into a series of acts. Act I: cocktails in the Arthur and Alice Adams Foundation Lobby began at 7 p.m. Act II: the dedication and unveiling of the Center's newly engraved grand donor wall, began with brief remarks by the Center's newly elected chairman, Mike Eidson, followed by Adrienne Arsht Center CEO, John Richard. The anticipated reveal of the wall was preceded by a trumpeter playing a selection of music written specifically for the occasion. The wall is engraved with the names of hundreds of individuals, families, businesses and organizations that have supported the Center dating back to its initial planning phase. The wall's newest additions participated in the Adrienne Arsht Center's 2010 Donor Wall initiative, which raised more than $2 million.

Guests were then ushered into the theater for the second reveal of the evening: the extravagant Barton G.-designed temporary ballroom on the Lynn Wolfson Stage in the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, which was hidden from view behind a curtain. Act III: a dinner by Barton G. Weiss' Performing Arts Catering began when the curtain dropped, revealing the elaborate ballroom setting.  

In line with the 5th Anniversary Season theme, "Every great performance begins with you," the Gala celebrated the dedication of several "grand honorees" who have played an important role in the Center's initial development and subsequent success. The evening's grand honorees included Adrienne Arsht, Lin Arison/Arison Arts Foundation, Alberto and Susana Ibargüen/Knight Foundation, Parker and Vann Thomson, Woody and Judy Weiser, and Sanford and Dolores Ziff.

Following dinner, Adrienne Arsht took to the stage to introduce Act IV: a special performance by multi-talented Miami native Raúl Esparza. At the end of his performance, the secret setting for Act V was revealed: an elaborate Latin dance club at the rear of the stage.  

Joining this year's Gala Honorary Chairwoman Adrienne Arsht were Chairs Margaret and Mike Eidson and Marvin Ross Friedman and Adrienne bon Haes. Co-chairs include Ana and Rob Barlick, Trish and Dan Bell, Nancy Davis, Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey H. Loria, and Penny and Roe Stamps.

Gala supporters include the Center's 5th Anniversary Season sponsors, TotalBank and Alan R. and Diane Lieberman, as well as event sponsors Bacardi, Barton G., The Miami Herald, and BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, the top-valued and fastest-growing premium gin brand in the world and the name sponsor of the Center's brand-new BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Lounge.

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the public support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council and the City of Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency. The Adrienne Arsht Center also receives generous support from local, state and national foundations, as well as private contributions to the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation through corporate and individual giving, Visionary Society membership and the Encore Circle major gifts programs.  

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is one of the world's leading performing arts organizations and venues. Made possible by Miami-Dade County's largest ever public/private-sector partnership, the Center is home to the Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet and New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy. In addition, numerous South Florida arts organizations perform in its theaters regularly. Since opening in 2006, the Center has emerged as a leader in offering and presenting innovative programming that mirrors South Florida's diversity, as a catalyst for development in Miami, and as a host of impactful community outreach and education programs. 

Designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the venue is comprised of the 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, the 2,200-seat John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall, the black box Carnival Studio Theater, the Peacock Education Center, a restored Carnival Art Deco Tower, the Peacock Foundation, Inc. Studio, the Peacock Foundation, Inc. Education Center, and the outdoor Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts. The Carnival tower, an architectural icon from one of Miami's oldest Art Deco buildings, houses the street-level BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Lounge. Events impresario and restaurateur Barton G. Weiss brought his signature style to the Center in 2009 with PRELUDE BY BARTON G, a full-service upscale restaurant. Visit www.arshtcenter.org for more information.

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