Gala Marks Opera’s 5th Birthday

The Scene: The fifth anniversary party for the Los Angeles Music Center Opera, held Friday night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Guests followed a red carpet to the artists’ entrance of the theater for cocktails backstage, before moving onto the stage for a sit-down dinner with dancing between courses. Diners stared out at the thousands of seats in the Pavilion as they ate, reinforcing the old notion that a dinner party is really a theater piece.

Who Was There: Peter Hemmings, general director of the opera, greeted a crowd of some 350 supporters. The evening was chaired by nine past organizers of the opera’s opening-night galas: Hannah Carter, Jennifer Diener, Georgianna Erskine, Peggy Parker Grauman, Carol Henry, Joan Hotchkis, Terry Stanfill, Nancy Vreeland and Maggie Wetzel.

Entertainment: A group of singers in full costume performed the last scene from “Falstaff” as guests sat down for dinner. Later, soprano Carol Neblett sang several arias. After dinner, Neblett moved into the audience and sang “Embraceable You” while vamping several male Music Center supporters, who all looked suitably embarrassed to have a diva in their laps. After Neblett performed a duet from “Carousel” with tenor Gary Bachlund, the opera portion of the evening gave way to the Smothers Brothers, who performed their time-tested comedy routine with guitar and stand-up bass.

Chow: Broiled salmon, lamb and brioche with brandied cherries.

Noted: One woman in a denim skirt wandered into the cocktail reception, looking ill at ease among all the tuxedos and furs. “I think I’ve come to the wrong place,” she said. “Can you tell me how to get to ‘The Phantom of the Opera?’ ”

Quoted: Asked if the new National Endowment for the Arts regulations would affect the opera, Peter Hemmings said, “Only 2% of our gross income comes from government sources. I’m more concerned that the government doesn’t seem to feel that the arts have an important part to play in our lives.”

Triumphs: The stage was decorated with mammoth sets from past operas, including Maurice Sendak’s backdrop for “Idomeneo,” a stage elephant from “Nixon in China,” and other scenery from “Mahagonny” and “Fidelio.”