Des Moines Metro Opera Unveils Special Events
Tuesday, January 23, 2024Des Moines, IA — Des Moines Metro Opera has unveiled dates for two upcoming special events: its signature food and beverage fundraiser, the Wine, Food & Beer Showcase; and an Artist Recital presented by the 2023 Marian Anderson Vocal Award winner, baritone Justin Austin. Both events will occur prior to the organization’s 2024 Festival Season in June and July.
Wine, Food & Beer Showcase
The Wine, Food & Beer Showcase, one of the premier tasting events in Des Moines, returns to the downtown Des Moines Marriott on Friday, March 8, 2024, from 6:00-9:00pm. Featuring over 30 vendors from the metro and across the state, the Showcase has become an annual favorite for foodies, wine lovers and beer enthusiasts alike and is Des Moines Metro Opera’s biggest annual fundraiser. All proceeds raised support the opera’s award-winning music education and community engagement programming, most notably its OPERA Iowa troupe, an annual music education tour that reaches over 25,000 students across the state every spring. The Wine, Food & Beer Showcase is presented by TruBank.
The event features two ticket options: The Grand Showcase ($50 advance/$60 at door tickets), where guests spend the evening moving from table to table, sampling delectable and innovative fares and flavors from the 30+ vendors. Guests may elevate their experience and purchase tickets to the Reserve Experience ($150 tickets), which grant patrons access to exclusive and rare fine wines from the private collections of members of The Wine Club, paired with high-end culinary creations from premier Des Moines establishments. Reserve Experience tickets include access to the Grand Showcase. For more information about the Showcase, visit dmmo.org/WFBS/ or call the Box Office at (515) 209-3257.
Artist in Recital: Justin Austin
Fresh off solo recitals at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, rising opera star Justin Austin returns to Des Moines for an intimate Artist Recital with pianist Allen Perriello at Plymouth Church on Saturday, April 13 at 4pm. Recently named the 2023 Marian Anderson Vocal Award winner, Justin has been praised for his “mellifluous baritone” (The Wall Street Journal) and has quickly gained a reputation for his compelling performances, including significant debuts on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Los Angeles Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera. In addition to this special Artist Recital, Justin returns to Des Moines this summer to debut the role of Thomas Eugene McKeller in Des Moines Metro Opera’s anticipated world premiere opera, American Apollo, by Damien Geter and Lila Palmer.
General admission tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for students. For more information about the Artist Recital, visit dmmo.org/recital or call the Box Office at (515) 209-3257.
About Des Moines Metro Opera
Lauded by the Chicago Tribune as “one of the most enterprising summer opera fests in the nation,” Des Moines Metro Opera is a progressive opera company located in the heart of Iowa that has taken its place among America’s leading opera festivals. Founded in 1973, it’s one of the largest performing arts organizations in Iowa, annually producing over 100 performances in the metro area and across the region.
Des Moines Metro Opera’s 2024 Festival Season, running June 28 – July 21, includes the return of one of the world’s greatest operatic comedies, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, a new production of Richard Strauss’s Salome, a new production of Debussy’s Pelleas & Melisande, and the world premiere of Geter/Palmer’s American Apollo.
Event Imagery
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/4cwzg1ob6s3t581uhrinv/h?rlkey=m3rpl1w4gg8r23jszztbquctw&dl=0
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