Help art make music: art auction stage 2 now online

You’re invited. You’re wanted.

Three dozen works of fine art in every medium are now available through our online auction at Heffel Fine Art Auction House. These works have been donated to City Opera Vancouver to help us create a new Production Fund.

You can acquire fine art, and help make superb opera.

Here’s how. Just go to the Heffel Auction House website to register and receive a paddle number. You now have a virtual paddle and can bid for what you want any time from December 2 to 16. Once the auction commences, you can also see the works online, though we recommend a trip to the Heffel Gallery, where they will be displayed during the auction period. You can register and place bids in person during gallery hours.

Heffel Gallery, 2247 Granville (at 7th). Monday to Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Auction closes at 2:00 p.m. on December 16.

Works in this benefit auction include paintings, prints, photographs, and a Salish feast bowl. Style and subject matter represent a rich diversity of artistic practice. Artists include Robert Davidson, Gathie Falk, Andre Petterson, Gordon Smith and Reece Terris.

Why does City Opera need a production fund?

To date, each of our mainstage productions has cost about $150,000. Until now, we have raised funds for each project separately, starting from scratch. Now, we want to move beyond hand-to-mouth fundraising and create a revolving fund with which we can plan and budget long in advance. This is essential for a professional company.

We are preparing to produce Margaret Atwood and Christos Hatzis’ new opera Pauline, set at Vancouver in March 1913 in the last week in the life of Pauline Johnson. This world premiere – and City Opera’s first commission — will star the great Judith Forst in the title role. Our new Production Fund will make it possible.

If you’d like to be involved, please tell your friends about the auction. Thanks!

Good news

The art auction’s first stage included 11 signed portraits by Karsh. It raised $27,650. The second stage opens on Thursday. Please join us. Help art make music.

Our friends: VISI

Another one of our great friends is Rena Sharon at the Vancouver International Song Institute. We invite you to visit VISI online at www.songinstitute.ca.

VISI is a UBC-based summer programme that brings together collaborative teaching and learning about song and art song. Performers explore expressive boundaries, scholars consider new research interactions, poets and composers discuss word/music fusions, teachers discuss mentorship, lifetime learners and listeners converge for a banquet of ideas and artistic discovery.

This year VISI runs from 4 to 25 June. We cannot recommend it highly enough.