BLO general director Bradley Vernatter and artistic director Nina Yoshida Nelsen. / Photo by Nile Scott Studios
It must be all those GLP-1s, because there was no fat lady singing at the Boston Lyric Opera’s Opera Gala featuring Ride of the Valkyries! and held at the SoWa Power Station.
The evening began with cocktails and schmoozing and continued with a delicious sit-down dinner of salad, short ribs, and a fig-and-pear pavlova. Awards were presented to the evening’s honorees: megadonors Jane and Steven Akin; Boston Foundation chief Lee Pelton; snappy, crackling Pops conductor Keith Lockhart; and mezzo-soprano Mary Kray. On hand to give them a standing O were such soigné socialites as über opera lovers Suki and Miguel de Bragança; philanthroposaurus Rex Bill Poduska and the comme il faut Susan; BLO board chair Alicia Cooney and board president Wayne Davis; the stunning Willa Bodman and her patrician other half, Taylor; benefactors Katie and Paul Buttenwieser; and stalwart supporters Ray and Maria Stata.
Following dinner, temporary walls fell away to reveal auditorium seating and a stage, where the company performed Ride of the Valkyries!—a Wagnerian mash-up full of bad puns and corny opera jokes, narrated remotely by David Hyde Pierce.
“I loved him on Frasier,” whispered a guest who presumably went to Harvard, “even if he is a Yalie.”
The performance featured some sublime singing and elicited delighted chuckles from the opera buffs. In short, it was a music lover’s dream, although there was one guest who muttered, “Personally, I liked the Bugs Bunny version better.”
Svetlana Evdokimova and Willa Bodman. / Photo by Nile Scott Studios
Ride of the Valkyries! / Photo by Nile Scott Studios
BU President Melissa Gilliam, BLO chief philanthropy officer Ishan Johnson, and gala cochair Alicia Cooney. / Photo by Nile Scott Studios
Jillian McGrath and Janika LeMaitre. / Photo by Nile Scott Studios
Keith Lockhart and City Councilor Sharon Durkan. / Photo by Nile Scott Studios
Charlie Davies. / Photo by Michael Blanchard
Music to Our Ears
The Company Celebration at Pops brought out the big guns—from captains of industry to titans of finance—who filled Symphony Hall for an evening of handshakes, back-slapping, air kisses, and music. Special guest Samara Joy and sports broadcaster Charlie Davies, who narrated the event, knocked it out of the ballpark, as attendees such as honorary chair Barbara Hostetter and cochairs Linda Henry, Lisa Murray, and Robin Kramer quite literally let their hair down (apparently, it wasn’t an updo kind of evening). The corporate supporters ponied up northward of $1 million, which is nothing to sneeze at, unless, of course, you’re allergic to money.
Samara Joy performing. / Photo by Michael Blanchard
Trumpeting. / Photo by Michael Blanchard
Barbara and Amos Hostetter. / Photo by Michael Blanchard
Harry Collings and Richard Giglio. / Photo by Shana Sureck Photography
Gay in Gala
Few nonprofits are as under siege from both the cultural zeitgeist and the federal government as Fenway Health, which provides equitable healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community. So it was with a profound sense of gratitude that the Fenway Gala, held at the SoWa Power Station, raised beaucoup bucks to support its mission, thanks to such guests as eminence grise Harry Collings; real estate titan Tim Harrington; and the indomitable Bobby Kelley. The Heroes in Action award went to Representative Aaron Michlewitz, who has proved himself a staunch ally.
This article was first published in the print edition of the April 2026 issue, with the headline,“Hold on to Your Helmets.”
