New York City Opera's Spring Gala And Opera Ball

It's not every day you get a chance to put on a pair of white opera gloves and waltz the night away, accompanied by a full orchestra playing the music of Strauss, Verdi, Offenbach, and Richard Rogers (Waltz For A Ball, we imagine...). Last night, patrons of the New York City Opera, including Bobby Flay, Stephanie March, and Robert Verdi, were invited to do just that for the annual Spring Opera Ball.-

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NY City Opera is that other opera company located at Lincoln Center, the one that made Beverly Sills famous when the Met wouldn't give her the time of day. Last night, they celebrated their Spring 2010 season opening with a gala performance of Chabrier's L'Etoile.

Following the performance, guests headed to the promenade where, underneath enormous opera-inspired hanging sculptures, guests dined and danced. Tickets to this romantic and anachronistic evening weren't inexpensive, but those who managed to track down a pair of opera gloves were surely not disappointed with the elegant atmosphere.  The art form may not be as cutting edge and exciting to modern audiences (Lucia De Lammermoor's blood-soaked dress doesn't make us gasp as "There Will Be Blood"), but it's nice to see that an opera ball, even today, remains the pinnacle of "Old New York" society.