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Since the company moved to Phoenix two years ago, the artistic and production staff has worked from a large warehouse in Mesa and the administrative staff from a small office building in central Phoenix. “While rehearsals were taking place in Mesa, the marketing staff was trying to promote productions out of the Phoenix location,” she adds.

“There was a lot of driving across the Phoenix Metro area in order for photos to be taken at rehearsals, meetings to be held between finance and production, for staff to get to know the visiting artists and the like,” she explains. This locational disjunction also meant that the production department had to transport costumes and props and set design from Mesa to downtown Phoenix for each performance at Phoenix Symphony Hall.

Now, a mile from Symphony Hall, Arizona Opera will have rehearsals at the Black Box Theater — not only reducing stress on performing and administrative staff but also allowing for the community to enjoy rehearsals, special performances and other events just by stopping by the new facility on Central Avenue. In addition, the new center allows significant amortization of operational costs over that of maintaining multiple offices.

While money raised from the Gala will not directly fund the new Opera Center, Arizona Opera is continuing its $8.5-million “Raising Our Voice” capital campaign to do so. Those interested may, for instance, purchase three sizes of engraved bricks, based on membership level, for the plaza outside the center.

“Our new building is everything for us — a home base, finally!; a way for us to hone our branding; to engage the community; to further reach out to our children — and, most importantly, to share with even more of our neighbors the passion, the glory and the artistic achievement of great opera,” Riesenberg says.

For more information on the new Opera Center, see www.azopera.org or call 602.266.7464. For more about the TRIO Gala in February, visit trioevent.org or call 602.495.1999. Tables of 10 are available at various sponsorship levels for the Gala; single tickets for the dinner and evening performance are $500. Performance-only tickets can also be purchased.