Curtain call
Dallas Opera patrons give warm 'welcome back' to new general director
What: Dallas Opera "Welcome Home" Reception
Where: The home of Allan and Lynn McBee
The 411: While torrential rains pelted most of Dallas-Fort Worth on September 6, special friends of The Dallas Opera gathered in the warm glow of Lynn and Allan McBee’s 1917 Park Cities home to welcome — or, rather, "welcome back" — Ian Derrer as the opera's general director and CEO.
Derrer, a graduate of SMU's Meadows School of the Arts, has returned to Dallas after two seasons as general director of Kentucky Opera. He previously served as Dallas Opera's director of artistic administration after launching his career there in the 1990s.
At the reception, guests sipped bubbly and noshed on bites catered by Abraham Salum, including shrimp brioche rolls, salt and pepper-cured beef tenderloin on crostini, and bacon-wrapped dates with blue cheese.
Lynn McBee welcomed guests and presented Derrer to the group. Dallas Opera personnel acknowledged that during his career, Derrer has earned acclaim in the classical music community for his diplomatic skills, openness, inclusiveness, his passion for great singing, and his keen interest in other people — all attributes needed to propel the city's opera company into the future.
Who: Tassio Carvalho, Jonathan Joselove, Virginia Mudge, Mary McDermott Cook, Alice Bass, Cindy and Charlie Feld, Enika and Richard Schulze, Laura and Mark Flagg, Holly and Tom Mayer, Dianne and Mark LaRoe, Kathy and John Ward, and Susan and Dr. Mark Geyer.