BESTBets
Opera Tampa Gala Traveling With
To Life: To the Arts
the Klaarens
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 37
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This year, the Opera Tampa Gala will begin on the set of Giuseppe Verdi’s
La Traviata on the Carol Morsani Hall stage and then move to the Ruth Silbiger
Lobby of the Hall, where guests will dine with Maestro Daniel Lipton. There will
be a performance by the Opera Tampa singers, and world-renowned bass-baritone
Samuel Ramey will be presented with the Anton Coppola Excellence in the Arts
Award. This black-tie event on Saturday, March 5th includes dancing and a live
auction. To become a sponsor, or to purchase tickets, call (813) 222-1000.
Artist Terry Klaaren and his wife
and art partner Dori of Tampa are
well known for the building of the
“Recyclosaurus” at MOSI and for
painting on-site to aid a variety
of local fundraisers. They have
traveled to more than 80 national
parks, waterways, monuments,
historical sites and forests over the
past 20 years. During their most
recent 6,700-mile journey, they
wrote a memoir that is filled with
drawings, photographs and some
of Terry’s en plein air paintings. To
purchase a copy of the book or one
of Terry’s paintings, contact them at
www.klaarenart.com or (813) 985-9200.
The 2016 Florida Holocaust
Museum’s Gala will celebrate
the arts by giving the
Loebenberg Humanitarian
Award to renowned artist
Samuel Bak. A retrospective
of Bak’s work will be on
display at the Holocaust
Museum in St. Petersburg.
Bak is a Holocaust survivor
who began painting in
the Vilna Ghetto as a boy.
The event will be held on
Thursday, February 18th
at the Mahaffey Theater in
St. Petersburg. For tickets, or to help sponsor this Gala, call Maria Johnston at
(727) 820-0100, ext. 274, or go to TheFHM.org.
2016
Cattle Barons’ Ball
The 2016 Cattle Barons’ Ball will be held on
February 20th at Waterworks Park in Tampa.
Richard and Melanie Gonzmart, the honorary
chairs, are well known for their dedication to
the Tampa Bay community and have raised
millions of dollars for cancer research. The
event is being chaired by Kris and Carmine
LaCognata. For information, tickets or to
donate, call the American Cancer Society at
(813) 319-5918.
Richard Gonzmart, the
president of the Columbia
Restaurant Group, and
his wife Melanie are the
honorary chairs of this
year’s Cattle Barons’ Ball,
which will benefit the
American Cancer Society.
GRAM
SAMUEL BAK