Shreveport Opera celebrates milestone with Star Sapphire Soiree

The Shreveport Opera will celebrate its 65th anniversary in style.

The nonprofit is hosting the Star Sapphire Soiree from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. May 3 at the home of Dr. G.E. Ghali and his wife, Hope.

“This is our 65th anniversary, so it’s a birthday party for the Opera but also a fundraiser to make sure the Opera keeps going,” Susannah Poljak, chairman for the event, said. “A friend of mine recently sent me an article from The New York Times that San Diego’s opera house closed. The fact that a city the size of Shreveport has an opera house and that opera house has continued to be in existence for 65 years is pretty incredible.”

Since its debut in 1949, the Shreveport Opera has presented nearly the entire traditional operatic repertoire, as well as hosted some of the world’s greatest performers. Their season has evolved from a single performance to one that includes three mainstage operas, a national singing competition and a yearly schedule of more than 150 performances in local schools, libraries, community centers, homeless shelters and children’s hospitals by the Shreveport Opera Xpress – the only educational opera touring program in the state.

Guests of the Star Sapphire Soiree will be treated to an extraordinary evening.

“The Ghalis have an incredible home, and as you arrive, there will be valet service. As you walk in the home, there is an amazing grand staircase. The Shreveport Opera Xpress singers will be lined up on those stairs seranading guests as they enter; you will hear parts of arias from various operas as you come in,” Poljak said. “The Petroleum Club has come up with an incredible menu. It’s international to mirror the international operas the Shreveport Opera puts on. Thrifty Liquor will also be there, and they will be creating a signature cocktail for the Star Sapphire party. After the first hour or so, the Roger Barnes Trio will play, and we also have a really great silent auction with parties, trips and gorgeous jewelry. It will be a relaxed good time with lots of great guests, great food, great drinks and great music. You can’t have a party in Louisiana without great music!” The sapphire is the traditional symbol for 65th anniversaries, and many of the silent auction items will be glittering from six local jewelers: Clarkes, Lee Michaels, McCary’s, Sid Potts, Louisiana Coin and Jewelry Exchange and Stephen Miller, all donating jewelry as well as shopping sprees.

For Poljak, becoming involved in the Opera Guild and becoming chair to the Star Sapphire Soiree was an important decision. “Honorary Chair Judith Warner is a family friend, and she asked me to get involved. I remember when I was pregnant with my first child going to the opera, and he had a party. It was just great to see this music, and my son loved it,” she said. “To be asked by someone that I really respect and care about to join this organization really meant something to me. Judith Warner and Mikey Carlisle both asked me to chair the event, and they are experts at this kind of fundraiser, so for me it was an amazing chance to learn how to do this well and do it right,” she said.

Poljak said she is proud to be a part of such a great part of what makes Shreveport a cultural center in Northwest Louisiana.

“Shreveport’s not the biggest city, and when companies come here, they think they are kind of taking a risk. They ask around; they look and see what Shreveport has to offer before they pick up and move everybody here,” she said. “The fact that we have the Opera, the Symphony, the Strand, the Shreveport Little Theatre and the Shreveport Dance Academy – we have all of these things that make it attractive and makes people want to come live here and bring jobs here.”

Tickets to the event are still available, but the number is limited. “We have sold a lot of tickets, but they are still available. It’s $250 for a couple, and if you want to give more as a donation, that is of course very welcome,” Poljak said. Tickets are available by calling Poljak at 675-9142.

“It’s going to be a great time, and we hope to raise a lot of money to keep this opera going for another 65 years.”

– Mandy Byrd