La Bella Notte Delivers a Beautiful Evening of Opera

On the night of La Bella Notte, the weather outside was indeed frightful. But the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts looked stunning draped in Gilded Age decor. As guests arrived, they were greeted by tempting silent auction items, including a magical experience to the Grand Masked Ball at Versailles and a splendid display of jewelry from Cindi Earl. Co-chairs Julie — looking resplendent in her gorgeous metallic jacquard gown — and John Schneider visited with guests and kept a watchful eye as the bids continued to grow.

After cocktail hour, guests entered the Grand Foyer for a wonderful dinner from Flavor Catering. Throughout the meal, guests enjoyed performances of opera songs, like “Quanto è bella, quanto è cara” from L’elisir d’amore and “O soave fanciulla” from La bohème, and Broadway showtunes, like “Stars” from Les Misérables and “Mister Snow” from Carousel. The stars of the evening were the Mary Ragland Emerging Artists, who performed each of the songs. Appearances by Nashville Opera stars Sarah Joy Miller and Adam Diegel also punctuated the elegant event. As the evening continued, Donald Holmes was presented with the Francis Robinson and Marion Couch Award for his outstanding support of the Nashville Opera.

While the evening was by all accounts a success — the largest attendance since 2012 and an auction that raised the most funds in the history of the Nashville Opera — the mission of the event was not lost on the crowd. With the funds raised at La Bella Notte 2022, the Nashville Opera was able to reach 50,000 new fans with the Opera on Tour and Opera on Wheels programs. This year’s educational tour — a fully staged production of The Three Little Pigs featuring music from Mozart — will visit over 70 venues, bringing opera to approximately 25,000 schoolchildren. Since its inception, the tour has exposed nearly 800,000 children to the art of opera.

These initiatives also support local musicians, many of whom perform with the Nashville Opera. “The chorus and orchestra are all locals,” said Will Shutes, Nashville Opera director of marketing and public relations. “I tell people the story — and it’s totally true — that when we did Das Rheingold in 2022, many of our regular cello players weren’t in the orchestra because they were in Vegas with Chris Stapleton at the Grammys.” Musicians make up the fabric of Nashville, and events like La Bella Notte offer a beautiful way to give back to those who lend heart, soul and artistry to our city.