Opera Club of The Villages
Our mission is to inspire lifelong interest and encouragement in opera and classical music, and to promote music education for students, including financial support.
Proud sponsor of the Harold S. Schwartz Music Scholarship Program
The Opera Club of The Villages, in support of the Harold S. Schwartz Music Scholarship program and the Villages for Veterans, honoring women veterans, will co-host the 8th Annual Orchid Gala to support these programs.
This years Orchid Gala will present Bill Doherty accompanying Broadway star, Grant Norman with Victoria Sexton and Scotty Thomas in a fabulous salute to Broadway. The MC for the evening will be Kathleen Kane.
An elegant Cocktail hour on the patio precedes a five-course plated dinner.
To name just a few events of the evening, we will par-take in a great live and silent auction, have the opportunity to be a part of a Red-Carpet event and take a photo with Holly Faris (AKA) Joan Rivers. Best of all, we'll be helping these two great organizations dear to our hearts.
We look forward to sharing camaraderie and this fantastic, glitzy evening with you. Here's your opportunity to dress to the nines!
TICKETS: $100 a person, $700 for a table of eight
LOCATION: Brownwood Hotel & Spa, 3003 Brownwood Blvd.,
The Villages, Fl.
DATE: Saturday, October 15, 2022
TIME: 5PM – 9PM
To purchase tickets, visit www.villagesforveterans.org or contact Geri Dempsey at 631-525-7825 EMAIL: gdempsey039@gmail.com.
Gerri Piscitelli, President, Opera Club of The Villages
Geri Dempsey, Vice President
Meet The Opera Club
The Opera Club of The Villages was established to present live musical performances, operas, and concerts to Villagers. Meetings are held the fourth Thursday of each month at Laurel Manor Recreation Center from September through May. In 1997, the Opera Club founded the Harold S. Schwartz Music Scholarship Program to honor the founder of The Villages. The goal was to encourage and support students who plan a career in music by awarding scholarships to applicants in Marion, Lake and Sumter Counties. Over $600,000 in scholarship money has been awarded to 95 students. Our major source of income is our “Three Tenors Plus One” concert scheduled for February 11, 2023 to be presented at The Sharon Performing Arts Center.
During the school year, our Scholarship Committee sends applications to schools in the Tri-County area. Students applying must be seniors with a minimum grade point average of 3.0. They must be planning to major or minor in music education or performance in college. The student must complete the application and submit it with two letters of recommendation. In the past, qualified applicants were invited to audition in April at Laurel Manor. Scholarship auditions are adjudicated by professional judges.
In 2022, 4 Scholarships, valued at up to $12,000, $10,000, $8,000 and $4,000 were awarded. Four Study Grant awards of $1,000 each were also awarded. Listen to the winners HERE....
The Oscar Feliu Award is given annually to a student at The Villages Charter High School who consistently demonstrated outstanding contributions to and participation in the music program. The $3,000 award is in memory of Oscar Feliu, one of the founders of the Opera Club.
The Opera Club of the Villages is a 501(c)(3) Corporation
Mailing address : PO Box 1228, The Villages ,Fl 32158
Learn more by visiting our Support Us page.