#internupdate4

Tuxedos, floor-length gowns, champagne by the bottle…witch hats? Witches and ghouls (and even Macbeth stage director David Schweizer dressed as a devil!) attended this Saturday’s Hocus Pocus Gala. Located at the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Hotel ballroom, the Gala welcomed Boston’s opera enthusiasts--many who embraced the witchy, Halloween theme. Hocus Pocus celebrated BLO, highlighted the 2011/2012 Emerging Artists and instilled the spirit of Halloween. The night was filled with hilariously entertaining musical acts, a delicious three-course meal and most importantly, an inspiring reminder of why we all support the arts, and in particular, opera, which led to half a million dollars in generous donations.

As a BLO intern, I not only got the opportunity to attend (any excuse to wear a fancy dress!), but arrived early to help set-up the ballroom to assist my hard working colleagues. It took a lot of helping hands to transform the ballroom into a spooky, woodsy witch’s lair! Just as the place settings were perfected and final rehearsals were finished, attendees began to arrive for cocktail hour, and I had time to live-tweet the event, as well as chat with some of my BU colleagues--vocalists in the Opera Institute--who were invited to perform at the event with the Emerging Artists. At the end of the night, as the singers toasted to all with their final performance of the ‘Brindisi’ from Macbeth, spirits were high and the event was truly enjoyed by all.

The Hocus Pocus Gala was a success! Now, onto Macbeth (Student Night is only 2 weeks away!)

-- Melanie Burbules, Boston University '14