The Atlanta Opera Blog
Get to Know Boyce and Shepard Ansley, the Honorees of The 2013 Atlanta Opera Ball: Puccini’s Palazzo
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| Shepard and Boyce Ansley |
Palazzo are Boyce and Shepard Ansley, long-time supporters of The
Atlanta Opera. Through their time, generous gifts and fundraising efforts, they
have taken an active role in ensuring the success of the Opera throughout its
34-year history.
The Atlanta Civic Opera, later renamed The Atlanta Opera,
was created when two local opera companies merged in 1979. Financially struggling from the on-set, a
planned season was cancelled in 1982. Boyce
Ansley along with friends Nancy Green, Sally McDaniel, and Victoria Mooney, launched
a fundraising effort for the troubled company in 1983. In subsequent years,
when the company was seeking a new executive director, Boyce and fellow board
member Hazel Sanger asked Alfred Kennedy to take the position of General
Manager on a temporary basis. (Little did Kennedy know then that he would hold
the post until 2004!) Boyce continued to
raise money for the fledging opera company and has been an active member participant
behind-the-scenes of The Atlanta Opera since the beginning.
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| Alfred Kennedy (second from left), Boyce and Shepard Ansley (right) and others entering the Fantasies of the Opera Ball at The Fox Theatre in 1996. |
1982, as President from 1987 to 1990, as Chair from 1990 to 2006, and as Chair
Emeritus since 2006. She helped lead the Board and the Opera in achieving a
national reputation for artistic excellence and in its audience growth, from
3,000 to 5,000 in the early 1980s to 48,000 in 1998. In addition to serving as
a board officer at various times, Boyce has headed up the nominating committee
and has been an active fundraiser and contributor while serving on the
executive committee. She has chaired The Atlanta Opera Ball, which is the single
largest fundraising event for the Opera, and is very proud to serve, alongside
her husband, as Honorary Chair this year.
Year Award by the Georgia Chapter of the National Society of Fundraising
Executives. She was nominated for her work with the Opera, Atlanta Botanical
Garden, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Atlanta Preservation Center, REACH, the
Cator Woolford Gardens, and the Davison School in Georgia. Currently, Boyce
serves on the boards of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Center for Puppetry Arts,
Atlanta Preservation Society, The Trust for Public Land, and several other
organizations. She is a member of the Junior League of Atlanta and was Senior
Warden of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Boyce also has been active on
out-of-state boards, including Chatham Hall and Hollins University. In recent
years, she was asked to join the Board of Regents of the Mount Vernon Ladies
Association, an extremely prestigious group of women responsible for the
financial well-being of the home of George Washington outside of Washington,
D.C.
Atlanta Opera and have designated The Atlanta Opera as a beneficiary in their
estate plan. The Atlanta Opera thanks Boyce
and Shepard Ansley for their continued service, support, and dedication to
advancing opera in Atlanta.
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| Boyce and Shepard Ansley dancing at the Fantasies of the Opera Ball at The Fox Theatre in 1996. |
26, at the St. Regis Atlanta in Buckhead.
Atlanta Opera Ball: Puccini’s Palazzo are listed below and at atlantaopera.org. Tickets can be
purchased online here.
Opera Ball: Puccini’s Palazzo will
be held on Saturday, October 26, 2013 at the St. Regis Atlanta in Buckhead. The
evening will be themed after the season’s opening production, Tosca, and will
feature a gourmet dinner, dancing, and luxury items in the silent and live
auctions.
This year’s ball chairs are Chris Casey and Doug
Weiss, and the emcee for the evening will be WSB-TV’s Jovita Moore. Tickets are currently available for purchase. Sponsorships may be
purchased for $3,500 (includes 10 tickets to the event) or $1,500 (includes 2
tickets). Individual event tickets are available for $350 each.
To learn more about The Atlanta Opera Ball, sponsorship
opportunities, or to purchase tickets, please contact Allison Deniro at
404-591-2928.
Usage of any images on this blog is restricted to The Atlanta Opera and approved news websites. Any other usage, particularly for professional purposes, must have written permission. For additional information, please contact the Atlanta Opera’s Marketing Department at 404-881-8801.
