How to Go:
What: “Party Arty, a fundraiser to benefit the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
When: 6:30-11 p.m., Friday, June 26
Where: The Connor Group Headquarters, 10510 N. Springboro Pike near Austin Landing in Miamisburg
Dress: Cocktail casual
Tickets: $125 per person. Order by calling (937) 228-3630 or visiting http://www.daytonperformingarts.org/partyarty.
A summertime get-together to benefit the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance will be held at the new Connor Group Headquarters in Miamisburg on Friday evening, June 26.
The Party Arty fundraiser will benefit the DPAA’s education programs which annually reach more than 65,000 students in grades K-12.
“We welcome people who have experienced any one of our art forms in the past, as well as those who have never seen one of our performances and would like to see what we do,” says Amber Rose, the DPAA’s director of corporate giving. “It’s a great chance to experience the performing arts up close and personal.”
Party Arty began some years ago as a fundraiser for arts education in the Miami Valley. Two years ago the DPAA was approached by those who’d been coordinating it, and asked whether the DPAA organization would like to carry the fundraiser forward.
The DPAA folks said yes and have been hosting the party ever since. Highlights of the evening include performances by professionals from the Dayton Ballet, Opera and Philharmonic. This year the artists will include Aurelian Oprea from the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnita Daniel-Cox of the Dayton Opera and the Dayton Ballet’s Jocelyn Green.
For the first time, says Rose, young performers who benefit from the DPAA’s educational programs will also show off their talents. They will include Alicia Riouse, who was part of the “Q the Music” program at Ruskin Elementary School; Yun-Kyung Kim, a Centerville High School senior in the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra; Shannon Hyde, a Dayton Ballet School student, and Amanda Erbe, a student at Dayton Ballet II.
Other party highlights
The special evening, chaired by Tami Whalen, features heavy hors d’oeuvres, complimentary beer and wine, a “Partini” bar, and a silent auction with items donated by local artists, restaurants, businesses and friends of the performing arts. Items to be auctioned range from tickets to the Dayton Dragons and a getaway to Vail, Colorado, to new bikes and a College Gameday package that includes a behind-the-scenes look at the Buckeyes with a tour of the bus, production truck and pictures with the cast of College Gameday. You can also go behind the scenes with Dayton Ballet even win a non-singing role with Dayton Opera.
Local bands — Hey There Morgan and The Linda Prevo Band — will perform during the cocktail hour and evening; emcee for the night is Cory Miller.
Dress for the party is cocktail casual. “People can dress up if they like, but they’re also welcome to come straight from work in business casual,” Rose said.
She said members of the planning committee are especially excited about the venue — the Connor Group Headquarters near Austin Landing. “It’s a new multi-million dollar facility, operational less than 15 months, and this is the first fundraiser they’ve hosted,” she said. “It’s very contemporary and the acoustics will be great.”
Rose said the hope is to have 250-275 in attendance and raise $50,000.
“We’re enriching the lives of students during a time when a lot of arts funding has been cut from the schools,” she concludes. “We’re inspiring these students to look to music as a path to success in the classroom — or as an outlet for their own creative energies.”
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