Bella Notte, a beautiful evening of Italian Opera selections and dining will be held Saturday, May 10, 2014.

The event is being held at The Art House Gallery and Studio, a building beautifully restored by owners Susan and Mark Olivari. It is located at 5 Highland Park Road in East Flat Rock.

Nancy Pew is the hostess for this event which she has been planning since attending a similar function last summer at Historic Thompson’s Store. Nancy says “I love opera and I savored the special looks of ‘a time remembered’ on the faces of many patrons. Since a lot of the attendees had come from Hendersonville I knew we needed an opera event here. We have so many opera lovers, especially those who lived in the New York area where they frequented the Met.”

Nancy credits friend and new owner of Jonga Java, Paul Schiro with putting her in touch with the right people to help her make this happen. Nancy had just finished preservation of the historic McClintock Clock, spearheaded by her partner Mark Ray and was ready for a new challenge.

Soprano Katie Cilluffo studied music at Interlochen Arts Academy, Indiana University and the University of Michigan, her home state. She has presented recitals in Italy at the Conservatoria di Firenze, the Villa Corsi-Salviati and at the Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium. She also played the role of Nerina in the bicentennial revival of Domenico Cimarosa’s L’infedelta fedele. She has also been involved in several local community theaters.

Katie is so excited about this event that she is having her piano shipped from her parent’s home in Traverse City, Michigan to ensure renowned pianist George Wilkins can provide superior sound accompaniment.

Tenor Eric Martinez has studied in several opera apprenticeship programs in the West, including the Santa Fe Opera. He is a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico. His opera roles include Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni for the Rome Festival Opera, Nanki-Poo in The Mikado, El Remendado in Carmen, and Dog in Henry Mollicone’s Starbird. He has been very active in regional theater.

Some of the songs Katie and Eric will sing include selections from La Traviata, Rigoletto, La boheme, Don Giovanni, L’Elisir d’Amore and Le Nozze di Figaro.

The menu will consist of appetizers, Caesar style salad, chicken with romano cheese sauce, spinach lasagna, orzo with broccoli and Italian cheesecake with berries. There will be tea and coffee service. A selection of wines can be purchased.

Bella Notte, a beautiful evening of Italian opera selections and dining takes place Saturday, May 10, 2014 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at The Art House Gallery and Studio, 5 Highland Park Road in East Flat Rock. Tickets are $45 and can be reserved by calling Nancy at (828) 674-2003 or Susan at (828) 808-3594.