Fashion of the Opera benefits budding musicians

When I founded Growing Through Arts®, I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children and encourage them to become interested in and inspired by the arts.

So I was so pleased to attend the “Fashion of the Opera" fundraiser on Friday, Oct. 5, which was presented by the American Chamber Opera and benefited the Merit School of Music — two institutions that both support young people in studying and performing music.

Held at the Grand Ballroom at the Intercontinental Hotel, the evening featured models walking down the runway in creations from some of Chicago’s most prominent designers as opera singers performed live. Guests enjoyed sipping on cocktails, dining on hors d’ouevres and catching a glimpse of fashion-forward gowns by designers such as Borris Powell, Fraley Le, Rachel Frank, Anastasia Chatzka and Stix & Roses.

To help support the cause, I donated a set of the Music Series books by Growing Through Arts® — which included The Peter and the Wolf Symphony by Aleksandra®, The Snow Maiden Opera by Aleksandra®, and Twist, A Musical by Aleksandra® — to the silent auction.

The event was organized and hosted by Marisa Buccheit, who is currently Miss Chicago 2012 and is also a soprano with the American Chamber Opera. Founded in 2011 by Chicago-based artists Jonathan Cambry and Karrah Cambry, the American Chamber Opera’s mission is to provide high-quality performance opportunities for emerging artists. This season, the ACO will be producing full-length, English-language productions of Madame Butterfly, Die Fliedermaus, The Magic Flute and Carmen, performed by up-and-coming opera singers.