Pittsburgh Opera announces online Holiday Bazaar

November 16, 2020
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Pittsburgh Opera announces online Holiday Bazaar

To help support its acclaimed Resident Artists program, this holiday season Pittsburgh Opera is taking fundraising live and online with the Pittsburgh Opera Holiday Bazaar.

This multifaceted event will be held from Thursday, December 10th through Saturday, December 12th, and will feature:

• A free live-streamed Holiday Hoopla concert performance by the Resident Artists
• A three-day online Holiday Marketplace filled with local Pittsburgh-area experiences and gifts, as well as national and international trips that can be enjoyed post-COVID-19

The livestreamed Holiday Hoopla concert will be broadcast on Saturday, December 12th. To help viewers get into the spirit of the season, Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident Artists will perform a winning combination of fun and festive holiday songs.  The concert is free to view, and everyone who registers for the holiday marketplace will receive a reminder email with a link to the livestream.

The Holiday Marketplace features dozens of unique gift offerings, including both items up for bid in an online auction as well as ‘buy now’ stocking stuffers. Some of the many exciting items are:

• A bread baking class at Enrico’s in the Strip District
• A romantic trip to the Amalfi Coast, or a spa retreat to Sedona, once travel restrictions are lifted, via Pittsburgh Opera’s non-profit partners at Amfund
• A custom picnic-in-a-box from Blanket and Board
• A Glass Making Class for Two from the Pittsburgh Glass Center

People can register free at pittsburghopera.org/bazaar to place and track their bids, receive updates whenever new auction items are added to the Bazaar, and watch the livestream.

Additionally, individuals who give $250 or more during the Bazaar will have access to a VIP virtual cocktail class with Mindful Hospitality Group and Maggie’s Rum Farm on Friday, December 11th, directly before the free livestream of Pittsburgh Opera’s production of Soldier Songs.

“We could not have successfully had live performances this fall without our Resident Artists,” said Pittsburgh Opera’s Director of Development Michael Braxton. “We’d have loved to have one of our signature in-person fundraising galas, but COVID-19 continues to make that impractical. The online Holiday Bazaar will let us spread holiday cheer while enabling people from beyond the Pittsburgh Region to help support training the next generation of opera stars.”

Starting today, five members of Pittsburgh Opera’s staff are spearheading the Holiday Bazaar’s fundraising efforts by captaining teams of community members. Each team member has committed to raising a minimum of $1,500. 

The teams include members of the FRIENDS of Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Opera’s New Guard young professionals group, and media personalities Anna Singer of WQED-FM and Natalie Bencivenga, the award-winning journalist and nationally-syndicated advice columnist. Bencivenga says she’s participating because “during these challenging times we need magic more than ever. Opera is an expression of our innermost desires, fears and hopes played out with dramatic music, fabulous costumes and incredible performances. I choose to support Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident Artists because art in all of its forms is the lifeblood of a civilization and deserves our recognition and encouragement. These artists embody the spirit that I wish to see live on to fight for our humanity through what brings us together."

For information about joining a team, please email development@pittsburghopera.org.

The Pittsburgh Opera Holiday Bazaar is sponsored by Highmark and the DTE Foundation.