FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2006  
Contact:  David Mayhew for Cohn Dutcher Associates
(203) 453-4275     david@davidmayhew.net

CARAMOOR INCOGNITO!

Celebrate Carnival, Venetian-style at a Masked Ball in
Caramoor's House Museum on Saturday, February 17

Katonah, NY - Masks will be mandatory, guests will be incognito, and intrigue will be inevitable when Caramoor hosts its third annual Un Ballo in Maschera (a masked ball) in Caramoor's House Museum on Saturday, February 17, 2007 from 7:30 to 11:00 pm. 

Celebrating Carnival, Venetian-style, Un Ballo in Maschera promises an evening of mystery, frolic and gaiety  with a dinner-dance featuring fine dining, the upbeat dancing rhythms of Bill Landolfi & Friends and entertainment by members of Caramoor's own commedia dell-arte troupe I Giullari di Piazza, featuring the ever-popular and hilarious Merry Widow.

Guests are encouraged to wear Carnival costumes; the maschera (mask) will be required of all participants.  As guests arrive a group of distinguished judges will assess the creativity of each costume and maschera. Winners will be announced at the end of the evening and will receive tickets to concerts during next summer's 62nd Caramoor International Music Festival.

Merceds Santos-Miller, manager of the House Museum, encourages people to, "Get rid of the winter blues and join us!  But order tickets quickly.  Un Ballo in Maschera has become one of the House Museum's most popular annual evenings and sells out each year." 

Ms. Santos-Miller added, "The participants of the past two years exceeded our expectations with extraordinary masks and colorful costumes.  They truly embodied the spirit of Carnival where excess is encouraged and masks eliminate social divisions - the rich are poor, the poor are rich, the fool is made king and the king is a fool.  This year's participants have a tough act to follow!"

Members of I Giullari di Piazza, including the Merry Widow, will frolic and dance with guests throughout the evening.  I Giullari di Piazza is the only performing troupe in America devoted to the creation of new musical and theatrical productions reviving the old traditions of southern Italian music, theater, and dance, combined with folk legends, myths, and commedia dell'arte.  The company was founded in 1980 by artistic director, singer, and actress Alessandra Belloni, together with music director, composer, and classical guitarist John La Barbera.

Bill Landolfi leads his swinging dance band, Bill Landofi & Friends, during the evening.  A graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, he played with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, later on becoming interested in jazz, bossa nova and other popular dance music.

Tickets for Un Ballo in Maschera are $145 and include dinner, entertainment, dancing, and valet parking at Caramoor's House Museum.

Caramoor is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah, New York.  For more information or to order tickets, call 914-232-5035 ext. 221 or visit www.caramoor.org.

[Note:  in the event of a significant snowfall, this event will be rescheduled for Sunday, February 18, 4:30 to 8:00 pm.]

About Caramoor

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is the legacy of Walter and Lucie Rosen, who built the great house and filled it with their treasures. Walter Rosen was the master planner for the Caramoor estate, bringing to reality his dream of creating a place to entertain friends from around the world.  Their musical evenings were the seeds of the International Music Festival of today.  Realizing the pleasure their friends took in the beauty of Caramoor - the house with its art collection; the gardens; and the musical programs on summer evenings - the Rosens established a Foundation to open Caramoor to the public in perpetuity.