The Career Bridges Soirée: A Dazzling Extravaganza @ The Metropolitan Club May 7, 2024 in NYC
Beautiful women of high society in breathtaking rhinestoned, and sequined evening gowns standing aside men with the same social status adorned in silk lapeled jackets marked the black tie Career Bridges 20th Anniversary Gala on May 7, 2024 at the prestigious and historic Metropolitan Club in New York City. The Cinderella/ Prince Charming affair gave way to an exhilarating perfume of fairytales. While most present had never flown a dragon, discovered an ancient temple, or spoken an incantation, for the recipients of the grants awarded and the honored guests it was an enchanted fairytale come true.
The mission of Career Bridges led by founders David Schuyler Bender and wife Barbara is to help young opera singers launch their careers by awarding them, grants in voice coaching, diction, language, repertory, and stage presence.
The “marble palace’s” grande entrée was the opulent destination for the cocktail hour and silent auction. The Metropolitan club was described by historian Montgomery Schuyler as “the largest, most imposing, and most luxurious of the club houses of New York. Designed by Stanford White at the height of the American Renaissance and built in 1892, its grand staircase climbed upward in a glorious spiral each step fanning out from the center core with exacting precision. Embracing the glorious flight was an exuberance of the finest marble, beckoned with intricacy, drawing a path upward from the depths of the mundane to the stacks of the celebrated imagination…. A decadent backdrop surrounding the social eloquence of the evening.
The wine and drink flowed freely accompanied by glorious hors d’oeuvres. Networking was on top of its game and friends smiled and met new friends as they feverishly viewed the prestigious artwork, the youthful skin products, designer handbags, Caribbean vacations, and all the of the unique treasures offered for the silent auction created to raise money for Career Bridges. Bursts of light and the click of a camera froze the motion of the guests while cell phone cameras crowded the space with memories lasting a lifetime and beyond and then it became time for dinner and concert in the grand ballroom. The guests Lorraine Silvetz, husband Bob, Anne Akers, Jane Thorngren, Jane Pontarelli, Yvette Bender, John Pasquale and his guests honored multi-award winning composer Randy Edelman and more gracefully took their seats at assigned tables.
This year’s Gala performance host was the former President of the Rodgers and Hammerstein organization, Theodore S. Chapin. It was his responsibility to manage various copywriters created by Rodgers and Hammerstein where he led many Broadway productions including over 20 award-winning Broadway and London revivals. He was also the co-founder of City Center’s “Encores.”
The solo voices possessed strong melodies that showcased the singer’s vocal abilities, and also expressed the emotions of the arias. Human passion was represented in their dramatic performances, however, each singer had a different style and the performances were extremely diverse. It was all astonishing to hear the capabilities of the human voice. The performance and recipients of the grants included: Wonjin Choi, a Korean tenor, Michelle Geffner, a soprano and graduate of Juilliard, Trevor Haumschilt-Rocha a Mexican-American baritone, tenor Scott Rubén La Marca, mezzo soprano Shu Li, Lindsey Polcyn a mezzo-Soprano, Romanian-American soprano Esther Tonea, and baritone Vichen Xue.