• Master of Ceremonies will be three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist Catherine Anaya, anchor of CBS 5 Evening News.
   
• Featured performer for the evening is Kip Wilborn, Pinkerton in Arizona Opera’s recent production of Madama Butterfly.
   
• Presenting Sponsor—Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona-- is once again the Ball’s Presenting Sponsor.
   
• Additional support is provided by ARÉAD and Kimberly & Nariman Afkhami, Northern Trust, Pivotal Group, SRP, Snell & Wilmer, Wells Fargo. Frontdoors Magazine is the media sponsor.
   
• Opera Ball 2007 raises funds to support Arizona Opera’s education and outreach programs.

PHOENIX, Arizona, March 9, 2007—Arizona Opera and Arizona Opera League of Phoenix hosts its annual Opera Ball on Saturday, May 5, 2007 at 6:30 pm in the McArthur Ballroom at the Arizona Biltmore. This year’s prestigious affair is expected to draw over five-hundred guests including many of the Valley’s community leaders and corporate officers.

Opera Ball 2007 co-chairs Dyan Haugen and Pearle Marr and the Ball Committee have created an event as magical and enchanting as a night at the opera. Fanciful décor will evoke the French and Persian influenced art direction of Arizona Opera’s delightful production of André Modeste Grétry’s Beauty & the Beast—the theme of this event.

Funds raised from this opulent affair will support the company’s education and outreach mission which supports one of the key priorities set forth by Governor Janet Napolitano, Investing in Education. Arizona Opera educational programs and Arizona Opera League’s community enrichment programs reach more than 40,000 students throughout the state each year. Opera Ball 2006 raised over $200,000 in support of these programs.

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Pearle Marr and Dyan Haugen who are working tirelessly to create a magical evening that will transport guests into an enchanted world of fantasy,” said Joel Revzen, General and Artistic Director of Arizona Opera. “I am especially proud that their efforts contribute to support our education outreach programs. The proceeds of this event make it possible for over 40,000 children to be introduced to the powerful world of opera.”

The Honorary Chair for the Opera Ball 2007 is Jody Chandler, Senior Vice President of Claim Services and Corporate Systems. Ms. Chandler has been instrumental in securing corporate support for Arizona Opera and served as Co-chair of Opera Ball 2006.

Entertainment will begin with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. when Musica Dolce, a Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque musical group, will perform Italian “sweet music” that evokes the pageantry of an earlier age. Dinner, which begins at 8:00 p.m., will feature music by the sensational band, Affinity, which features six singers and a four-piece horn section that plays versatile hits; keeping the energy flowing and dance floor moving. Dance students from University of Arizona, costumed as “bird-women” from the production of Beauty & the Beast, will interact with guests.

The featured performer for the evening is Kip Wilborn, Pinkerton in Arizona Opera’s recent production of Madama Butterfly. Mr. Wilborn will perform several musical selections with the band Affinity including a guest appearance by accompanist Joel Revzen, General and Artistic Director of AZO.

Elegant chandeliers, twinkling lights, ornate garden gates, fantastical topiaries and festoons of lush flowers will transform the McArthur Ballroom into a fragrant, fairy tale-inspired garden. A decadent French-inspired dinner will be prepared by Arizona Biltmore Resort’s chefs. Floral arrangements and decor have been generously provided by Phoenix Flower Shops, the official florist for Arizona Opera.

The evening will also include a Live Auction featuring a one-of-a-kind jewelry creation from Addison Taylor Fine Jewelry and two round-trip airline tickets anywhere in the world serviced by US Airways. A Silent Auction will include high-end lots of spa packages, wine, tickets to sporting events, and a variety of unique opportunities for arts lovers.

Tickets for the black-tie Opera Ball are $350 per person, and include valet parking, dinner and entertainment. Tickets for persons 35 and under are $225 per person and include a ticket to one of Arizona Opera’s 2007-2008 Season’s operas.

Tables of ten begin at $3,500, corporate sponsorships that include many attractive recognition benefits range from $5,000- $50,000. To reserve, please contact Emily Muller at (602) 218-7337.

Robb & Stucky Interiors will host an Opera Ball 2007 “sneak peak” party at 15440 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, Arizona on Tuesday, March 13 6:30 — 9:00 p.m.. Refreshments and Hors d’oeuvres will be served. RSVP to Emily Muller (602) 218-7337 or emily@azopera.com. Tables for the Opera Ball can be reserved at this preview event.

For more information, or to arrange interviews, contact Colin Columna at (602) 218-7323 or colin@azopera.com