Get to Know Boyce and Shepard Ansley, the Honorees of The 2013 Atlanta Opera Ball: Puccini’s Palazzo

Shepard and Boyce Ansley

The Honorary Chairs of The 2013 Atlanta Opera Ball: Puccini’s Palazzo are Boyce and Shepard Ansley, long-time supporters of The Atlanta Opera. Through their time, generous gifts and fundraising efforts, they have taken an active role in ensuring the success of the Opera throughout its 34-year history.

The Atlanta Civic Opera, later renamed The Atlanta Opera, was created when two local opera companies merged in 1979.  Financially struggling from the on-set, a planned season was cancelled in 1982.  Boyce Ansley along with friends Nancy Green, Sally McDaniel, and Victoria Mooney, launched a fundraising effort for the troubled company in 1983. In subsequent years, when the company was seeking a new executive director, Boyce and fellow board member Hazel Sanger asked Alfred Kennedy to take the position of General Manager on a temporary basis. (Little did Kennedy know then that he would hold the post until 2004!)  Boyce continued to raise money for the fledging opera company and has been an active member participant behind-the-scenes of The Atlanta Opera since the beginning.

Alfred Kennedy (second from left), Boyce and Shepard Ansley (right) and others entering the Fantasies of the Opera Ball at The Fox Theatre in 1996.

Boyce has served on The Atlanta Opera Board of Directors since 1982, as President from 1987 to 1990, as Chair from 1990 to 2006, and as Chair Emeritus since 2006. She helped lead the Board and the Opera in achieving a national reputation for artistic excellence and in its audience growth, from 3,000 to 5,000 in the early 1980s to 48,000 in 1998. In addition to serving as a board officer at various times, Boyce has headed up the nominating committee and has been an active fundraiser and contributor while serving on the executive committee. She has chaired The Atlanta Opera Ball, which is the single largest fundraising event for the Opera, and is very proud to serve, alongside her husband, as Honorary Chair this year.

In 1997, Boyce was awarded the Volunteer Fund Raiser of the Year Award by the Georgia Chapter of the National Society of Fundraising Executives. She was nominated for her work with the Opera, Atlanta Botanical Garden, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Atlanta Preservation Center, REACH, the Cator Woolford Gardens, and the Davison School in Georgia. Currently, Boyce serves on the boards of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta Preservation Society, The Trust for Public Land, and several other organizations. She is a member of the Junior League of Atlanta and was Senior Warden of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Boyce also has been active on out-of-state boards, including Chatham Hall and Hollins University. In recent years, she was asked to join the Board of Regents of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, an extremely prestigious group of women responsible for the financial well-being of the home of George Washington outside of Washington, D.C.

Boyce and Shepard Ansley are generous lifetime donors to The Atlanta Opera and have designated The Atlanta Opera as a beneficiary in their estate plan.  The Atlanta Opera thanks Boyce and Shepard Ansley for their continued service, support, and dedication to advancing opera in Atlanta.

Boyce and Shepard Ansley dancing at the Fantasies of the Opera Ball at The Fox Theatre in 1996.

The Ansleys will be honored at The 2013 Atlanta Opera Ball: Puccini’s Palazzo on Saturday, October 26, at the St. Regis Atlanta in Buckhead.

Details about The 2013 Atlanta Opera Ball: Puccini’s Palazzo are listed below and at atlantaopera.org. Tickets can be purchased online here.

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The 2013 Atlanta Opera Ball: Puccini’s Palazzo will be held on Saturday, October 26, 2013 at the St. Regis Atlanta in Buckhead. The evening will be themed after the season’s opening production, Tosca, and will feature a gourmet dinner, dancing, and luxury items in the silent and live auctions.

This year’s ball chairs are Chris Casey and Doug Weiss, and the emcee for the evening will be WSB-TV's Jovita Moore. Tickets are currently available for purchase. Sponsorships may be purchased for $3,500 (includes 10 tickets to the event) or $1,500 (includes 2 tickets). Individual event tickets are available for $350 each. 

To learn more about The Atlanta Opera Ball, sponsorship opportunities, or to purchase tickets, please contact Allison Deniro at 404-591-2928.

Usage of any images on this blog is restricted to The Atlanta Opera and approved news websites. Any other usage, particularly for professional purposes, must have written permission. For additional information, please contact the Atlanta Opera's Marketing Department at 404-881-8801.