CARNIVAL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS CELEBRATED
“HATS OFF!” – A GRAND OPENING KICK OFF PARTY HOSTED BY
EDIE LAQUER, GRAND PATRON SPONSOR OF THE OCT. 7
“BALLET! OPERA! BROADWAY!” NIGHT

MIAMI, September 21, 2006 - Carnival Center founding members, supporters and benefactors were among the special guests who arrived on the red carpet Saturday, September 16, for “Hats Off!” - a 1940s-themed Grand Opening kick off party hosted by  Edie Laquer in honor of Carnival Center for the Performing Arts. The event, which took place in Laquer’s Miami Beach home at The Continuum, was attended by more than 200 guests dressed in ‘40s-style ensembles, including an array of vintage hats.  

With three glamorous rooms inspired by ‘40s social hot spots—The Stork Club, The Palladium and The Latin Quarter—Ms. Laquer’s home was transformed for the night into an entertainment wonderland in honor of Carnival Center. The evening included live Broadway-style performances by students from New World School of the Arts, a short one-act play by City Theatre, Latin salsa and rumba dancers on the exterior terraces, and three classic lounge singers entertaining guests around a grand piano with romantic standards.

Guests at the party included: Michael Hardy, president and CEO of Carnival Center; Sherwood M. Weiser, chairman of the board of the Carnival Center Foundation and Judy Weiser, Carnival Center Trust board member; I. Stanley Levine, secretary and founding board member of the Carnival Center Trust; Jerrold F. Goodman, Carnival Center Foundation board member; Dr. Sanford and Dolores Ziff, philanthropists and major Carnival Center benefactors; Rhoda Levitt, secretary of Carnival Center Trust; Jarret Haynes, chief operating officer of Carnival Center; renowned photographer Iran Issa-Kahn; Robert Heuer, general director of Florida Grand Opera; Satcha Pretto, Univision anchor; and Jennifer Valoppi, WTVJ/ NBC6 anchor.

“As someone who grew up playing duets on the piano with my father, who so loved music and the arts, it was a tremendous honor for me to host a salute to Carnival Center, Miami’s new home for the arts, and to those who have made a significant contribution through years of dedication to making the dream a reality,” said Laquer.

In addition to martinis and cosmos served up cold at the entrance, the pallet of passed ethnic hors d’oeuvres created by Chef David Schwadron included edamame fritters topped with spicy mustard, duck pâté on toast points, caviar with crème fraiche on blinis, wild mushroom pizza, lobster medallions and jumbo shrimp cocktail. The dinner buffet included garlic jumbo shrimp with bowtie pasta, London broil, chicken coq au vin, and paella. Parting gifts, courtesy of Genesis International, included Bal De Versailles bathrobes for the ladies and Romero Britto cologne for the men, as well as chocolate top hats with a thank you note from Ms. Laquer that read “The best is yet to come.”

Carnival Center for the Performing Arts will celebrate its highly anticipated, history-making four-day Grand Opening with performances by best-selling pop stars and exciting young artists, spectacular fireworks, appearances by celebrities and dignitaries, a free all-day multicultural extravaganza, and an array of stunning performances from its four resident companies – Concert Association of Florida, Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet and New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy. Details can be found on the Carnival Center Web site at www.carnivalcenter.org.

Carnival Center’s Grand Opening Weekend has been made possible with the generous support of corporate gifts and private benefactors, including the following: B. and Donald Carlin and Lynn Wolfson, Grand Tier Chairmen of the Grand Opening Weekend; Selene and John Devaney/United Capital Asset Management, Benefactor Sponsor of The Gala Dinner Evening; Target, Benefactor Sponsor of Target Globalbeat, the Community Open House; Maria and Pedro A. Martin/Terra Group and Joyce and M. Anthony Burns, Benefactor Co-Sponsors of “The Concert for Miami”; Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A., Benefactor Co-Sponsor of  “Concert for Orchestra and Stars”; Ella F. Cisneros, Grand Patron Sponsor of The Opening Ceremony; Edie Laquer, Grand Patron Sponsor of “Ballet! Opera! Broadway!”; Scott A. Silver/Grouper Financial, Inc., Grand Patron Sponsor of the Gala Dinner; Fanny and Charles Dascal, Patron Sponsor of “The Concert for Miami”; Neiman Marcus, Patron Sponsor of the Gala Commemorative Gifts; Northern Trust Bank of Florida, N.A, Patron Sponsor of the Commemorative Gifts; Flagstone Property Group, Sponsor of the Commemorative Book; and The Miami Herald/El Nuevo Herald, Media Sponsor of Target Globalbeat.
 

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Press Contacts:
Suzette Espinosa (786) 468-2221                  Luis Palomares (786) 468-2224
sespinosa@carnivalcenter.org                       lpalomares@carnivalcenter.org 

Editor’s Note:
Photos are available upon request or can be downloaded directly from the Carnival Center Press Room at http://www.carnivalcenter.org/en/Home/pressroom.aspx.

About Carnival Center for the Performing Arts  
Carnival Center is Miami-Dade County’s largest ever public/private-sector partnership, comprised of an $85 million private capital campaign conducted by the Carnival Center  Foundation and public funding drawn primarily from the County’s Convention Development Tax revenues, as well as the City of Miami Omni Redevelopment District Community Redevelopment Agency. Greatly enhancing the artistic and educational opportunities in South Florida, Carnival Center for the Performing Arts also will have significant and long-term economic benefits for the city and the region.

Carnival Center, designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects,  includes the 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, the 2,200-seat Knight Concert Hall, a 200-seat black box Studio Theater, the Peacock Education Center, a restored Art Deco Tower, and the Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts, which will unite the Center buildings across Biscayne Boulevard, providing a magnificent setting for outdoor entertainment and informal gatherings. The key members of the design team include theater planning and design consultant Joshua Dachs of Fisher Dachs Associates, Inc. and acoustician Russell Johnson of ARTEC, Inc., both of whom have been working on the project since its inception.

Under the leadership of President and CEO Michael C. Hardy, Carnival Center is a Miami venue not only for its four resident companies (Concert Association of Florida, Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, and New World Symphony), but also for many smaller South Florida arts organizations that will perform in its theaters on a regular basis, as well as for the finest popular and classical performances from around the world. With state-of-the-art performance facilities in Miami for the first time, Carnival Center offers South Florida audiences the best and most diverse theater, music, and dance—with a dedication to entertain, challenge, and educate all segments of the community. For more information, visit www.carnivalcenter.org.