Baltimore Concert Opera Online Silent Auction Live Through November 29th

BALTIMORE, MD, November 21, 2012 (Press-News.org) Baltimore Concert Opera (BCO) will host its festive annual Silent Auction in conjunction with performances of Puccini's Tosca on November 30th and December 2nd. This great opportunity for holiday shopping and self-gifting has been expanded this year to include online bidding for two weeks prior to the live event, giving patrons and friends maximum opportunity to bid and win. With this early start, BCO hopes to meet this year's goal of $12,500, supporting its mission to keep opera alive.

"We are very excited to see our silent auction go online this year," states Julia Cooke, Executive Director. "There are numerous opportunities to give to organizations during the holidays and toward the end of the year. Creating ways to make giving this support easier is paramount. Adding the online component to the auction experience ensures that people have a chance to join the bidding, regardless of whether or not they are able to go to the live auctions at the performances."

This year's silent auction is online via 32auctions (http://www.32auctions.com/baltimoreconcertopera) and has many categories from gift certificates to specialty items. All listings are displayed with a picture and details and payments are accepted by credit card. Bidders have proxy bidding and Buy It Now options available. Online bidding will end at 9:00 PM on Thursday, November 29th, but final live event bidding will occur at the two performances of Puccini's "Tosca" on November 30th and December 2nd.

Initially dubbed Puccini's "shabby little shocker" by critic Joseph Kerman, "Tosca" has become one of the most oft-performed works in the operatic canon. Remaining as gripping and relevant as ever, Tosca is a classic battle of good against evil turned on its ear, and the title character's cri de coeur "Vissi d'arte" ("I lived for art") remains one of the most powerful testimonials for the artist who struggles against an uncaring system.

Baltimore Concert Opera holds an important place in the Baltimore opera community serving two communities - those who are being introduced to opera for the first time, and seasoned opera-goers who are interested in seeing opera in a different, more intimate fashion. BCO showcases talented musicians singing great operas in an intimate, non-threatening environment and is vested in instilling and sustaining an overall interest in opera and the arts in the community.

BCO performances are held at The Engineers Club where they are artists in residence. For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit http://www.baltimoreconcertopera.com. BCO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Contact:
Suzanne Balaes-Blair, General Manager
Baltimore Concert Opera
11 W. Mount Vernon Place
Baltimore, MD 21201
Suzanne@baltimoreconcertopera.com
http://www.baltimoreconcertopera.com
443.445.0226