27th Banff Midsummer Ball Weekend — July 28 – 30, 2006
The 27th Banff Midsummer Ball - Viva Italia! - was a resounding success! This fabulous weekend, filled with much la dolce vita, drew over 300 guests from across Alberta, Canada, and the United States, and raised more than $435,000 for artists’ scholarships. Scholarships raised at the Banff Midsummer Ball allow talented young artists from Canada and around the world to come to The Banff Centre to build and enhance their artistic and professional skills.
Philip G. Ponting, Chair of the Banff Centre Board of Governors and his wife, Arlene, as well as Banff Centre President and CEO Mary E. Hofstetter and her husband, David Riggs, hosted the following special guests: The Honourable Norman L. Kwong, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta; The Honourable Peter Lougheed, former Premier of Alberta; Robert Hage, Canadian Ambassador to Hungary and Slovenia; Her Excellency Shyamala Cowsik, High Commissioner of India in Ottawa; The Honourable Denis Herard, Minister of Alberta Advanced Education; The Honourable Dan Hays, Senator; The Honourable Jim Prentice, PC, MP, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development; Dave Hancock; His Worship John Stutz, Mayor of the Town of Banff; His Worship Stephen Mandel, Mayor of the City of Edmonton; Phil Gougeon, Acting Deputy Minister of Alberta Advanced Education; and Maria David-Evans, Deputy Minister of Alberta Children’s Services.
The weekend began Friday night with a welcome reception set in our own market piazza and featured the smooth Italian stylings of the Penny Sanborn Trio. Saturday was filled with optional activities that included golf at the Fairmont Banff Springs, fly fishing on the Bow River, hiking in the Sunshine Meadows, and a behind-the-scenes tour of The Banff Centre. At the pre-dinner reception, guests were treated to a trio of musical and operatic performances (including our own rendition of Mozart’s Don Giovanni) presented by recipients of the RBC Youth Excellence Scholarship program before being escorted to the dining room by Banff RCMP officers dressed in full red surge. In keeping with the Italian theme, Beat Hegnauer, the Centre’s chef de cuisine, prepared a sumptuous five-course, hand-plated meal that included tuna carpaccio and lobster corn bavaroise, vine-ripened heirloom tomato consommé with oxtail basil ravioli, mint sorbet with limoncello macerated raspberries, pan-seared veal tenderloin with frangelico reduction, and apple mascarpone cheese torte.
While dancing to the Eric Friedenberg Orchestra, guests were invited to bid on silent auction items that included a one-week Italian culinary adventure, luxurious European bedding, Italian-crafted footwear, and an assortment of Italian vintage wines. Other auction items included Calgary Flames ticket packages, dinners at some of Alberta’s most elegant restaurants, and numerous outstanding art pieces donated by Banff Centre alumni. In total, the silent auction raised more than $88,000.
Guests were also encouraged to “support excellence” through a donation to the 27th Banff Midsummer Ball Scholarship Fund. For each $1,000 scholarship, donors had an opportunity to win one of two gorgeous Rolex watches (total value $18,000) donated by J. Vair Anderson Jewellers and Rolex Canada Ltd. The Rolex incentive raised over $90,000 for artists’ scholarships. Our new Inspiring Creativity Fund raised an additional $17,000 in scholarships and offered guests the opportunity to win one of two very cool Vespas donated by McLean & Partners Wealth Management Ltd.
The exhilarating weekend came to a close with an exquisite brunch at the home of Mary Hofstetter and David Riggs.
The Banff Centre thanks the following sponsors and supporters for their generosity and vision: |
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