A 1950s-style Jukebox Gala fundraiser might bring to mind the musical "Grease" instead of an opera performance of "Hansel & Gretel" - but maybe the difference isn't so drastic.
Anne Riggs believes opera is "not a stuffy art form. It is actually something that general audiences can enjoy."
Riggs is the executive director of MOstly Opera, the local group that wants to make enjoyment of opera and other forms of vocal music accessible to wider audiences.
"That's kind of our goal as an opera group - introduce opera to general audiences of all ages, not just old people, but to young people, to teach them about opera and make it relevant for today," she said.
MOstly Opera's performance of Engelbert Humperdinck's "Hansel & Gretel" will be in collaboration with the Jefferson City Symphony Orchestra's childrens concert at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at Lincoln University's Mitchell Auditorium.
The Jukebox Gala from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday at Prison Brews' side bar, at 305 Ash St., is a fundraiser for the performance - MOstly Opera's debut as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Attendees of the gala are encouraged to come dressed in their best 1950s styles.
According to the MOstly Opera's Facebook page, gala-goers will be able to bid on their favorite performances from several local vocal artists who are scheduled to perform - including soprano Lacey Williams singing "Un Bel Di Vedremo" from Puccini's "Madame Butterfly," tenor Kerry Cordray singing Donizetti's "Una Furtiva Lagrima," soprano Christina Bonsall, who has performed on stages including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, and nationally accomplished Fatima Junior High School eighth-grader Caitlin Chisham.
There will also be raffle prizes at the gala; tickets for those can be purchased ahead of time at Capital Music or that night. Raffle tickets are $5 each or five for $20, and the prizes available include hotel and restaurant packages, liquor baskets, a wine tasting and dinner package at Les Bourgois Winery and ice cream at R & J Jukeboxes.
Rafflle winners will not need to be present in order to claim their prizes, Riggs said.
The group's Facebook page also states a cancellation announcement will be made on the page and on local stations by 4 p.m. Saturday if winter weather becomes an issue. If the event is cancelled, Riggs said, it will then take place Jan. 24.
In terms of other ways people can help support MOstly Opera, "not only do we need the funds, but we also need people to be board members interested in running the business of it," Riggs said.
Any interested singers are welcome to audition in the future too - "we always need singers and performers," she said.
"Hansel & Gretel" will be performed in English in February and will feature the full symphony orchestra on stage with sets and performers.
Riggs also said they've talked to teachers in local schools to spur interest in the concert and performance.
MOstly Opera's dream, she said, would be to hold a summer camp - "to actually teach kids how to write opera." She envisioned some students would be writers of music, lyrics and composition, and other students would be performers.
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