Welcome to the Digital Diva Gala! We’re so glad you’re here. It’s your event - on demand. Are you ready to start clicking? Let’s GO.

Proceeds from our Gala will benefit our Bronzeville La Bohème school tour—involving young people across Milwaukee, and beyond, in our biggest project of the season! This brand new production of La Bohème (as well as our Mainstage Bronzeville Boheme for 2022) is set for the very first time in Milwaukee’s Bronzeville Neighborhood of the 1940s and 50s. We historically serve 15,000 students every year and are excited about sharing this production with students who may never have had the chance before. Come have fun with us as you support arts education in our community. Most importantly, THANK YOU.

I JUST WANT TO GIVE

THE MAIN EVENT

The Main Event, Super Bowl, NCAA Championships, opening night …whatever you want to call it — this is what our 2020 Diva Gala Muse is all about. Hear from our chairs the Damsgaards, General Director & CEO Maggey Oplinger, and Baumgartner Studio Artists past and present, with a sneak peek at our mainstage Mimi! Check out our VidHug featuring you and your friends, and don’t miss hearing from a teacher partner as she shares our inspiration in Why We Sing.

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The Main Event: Performance

Join us for an exploration of our Baumgartner Studio Artist talent, past and present.

Why We Sing

Multiple times Grammy honored educator Erica Breitbarth, Music & Choir Educator at Ronald Reagan High School, enjoys the impact of our 8-year relationship on her students. Learn more about how we partner with her.

See Your Friends: VidHug

Shout-outs, virtual hugs and high-fives!

MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM

Building an opera takes unbelievably talented people. Click here to hear what the power of music and story can do for kids thanks to them, and how we go from an idea to a production.

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Building a School Tour: Collaboration Process

Learn more about how we converted a full-length mainstage blockbuster to a charming 30-minute learning experience, as told by Sheri Williams Pannell, Janna Ernst, Lis Schlenker and John Stumpff.

Sheri Williams Pannell: Director and Bronzeville Expert

Sheri Williams Pannell gives some background on her experience in the arts, and dives into her wealthy of memories and knowledge about Bronzeville. She elaborates on the local characters who inspired these characters.

Ras Ammar Nsoroma: Artist and Set Designer

An artist known for his murals, Ras Ammar Nsoroma graduated from the Milwaukee High School of the Arts and attended the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Nsoroma has painted more than forty murals, including pieces in Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., as well as his hometown of Milwaukee.

Corey Thomas Collins: Costume Designer

Corey Thomas Collins works regularly with Sheri Williams Pannell and at UWM-Milwaukee. He elaborates on how her Bronzeville research shaped the look and feel of the costumes. Color and style are king!

Art Is Finding a Way: Opera In a Pandemic

Sheri encapsulates how Boheme and this project reflect the state of opera, the artists, and how we’re adapting as a community.

MEET THE CAST

Just because we aren’t in the same room doesn’t mean you can’t get to know our 2020-21 Baumgartner Studio Artists. Click here for introductions from Emily, Taylor-Alexis, Nathaniel, and Steve. Janna makes an appearance too!

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Nathaniel Catasca

Meet Nathaniel Catasca, a tenor from Albuquerque. If he looks familiar, he is! Nathaniel was the Tenor Summer Concert Residency Artist for the Florentine Opera Company in the summer of 2019.