McNay Art Museum Announces Isabel Leonard as 2024 Luncheon Speaker

Grammy Award-winning opera star to share career insights and perform selections from her operatic repertoire

SAN ANTONIO, TX (Sept. 3, 2024) – The McNay Art Museum will hold its annual fundraiser luncheon on Sept. 27, 2024, featuring three-time Grammy Award-winning opera star Isabel Leonard. Leonard will join in conversation with luncheon chair Annie Labatt to discuss her experience performing in lead roles in major operas and musical theatre productions. Leonard will also perform selections from her operatic repertoire.

“Isabel Leonard is one of the most celebrated opera singers of her generation,” said Matthew McLendon, director and CEO of the McNay, “We are honored to welcome her to the McNay for an inspiring conversation and a mesmerizing performance, offering an unforgettable experience that celebrates of the power of sound and story.”

Leonard made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in “Romeo and Juliet” in 2007. She has since performed the lead roles in major operas such as “Carmen,” “Cendrillon,” “Der Rosenkavalier,” “The Barber of Seville,” and “La bohème.” She also has a rich career performing in musical theater. She was Maria in “West Side Story” and, most recently, appeared as Maria in Houston Grand Opera’s production of “The Sound of Music.” Following her speaking engagement at the McNay, she will perform the title role in their production of “Cinderella.”

Ms. Leonard also performs songs that are significant to her Argentinian heritage, as on her albums “Alma Española” and “Preludios.” She has won a number of Grammy Awards and has appeared in movies such as “Maestro” and on Sesame Street’s “People in Your Neighborhood.”

The event offers a unique opportunity to hear Leonard’s insights on a broad range of productions in which she has performed, drawing connections to costumes, maquettes, drawings, paintings, and set pieces that are part of the Tobin Theatre Arts Collection at the McNay Art Museum.

The McNay’s Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts represents more than 500 years of excellence in theatre arts with over 10,000 paintings, works on paper, maquettes and sculpture and 2,000 rare books of European and American theatre design from 1600 to the present. The collection is the life’s work and continued legacy of its namesake, the late philanthropist Robert L. B. Tobin, who was devoted to the celebration of visual arts in the theatre. This year marks the museum’s 70th anniversary, which coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Tobin Wing and the 90th birthday anniversary of the late Robert L. B. Tobin.

All proceeds from the luncheon will benefit the McNay Art Museum and support its mission to engage a diverse audience in the discovery and enjoyment of the visual arts. Sponsorship, underwriting, and ticket purchases directly support the museum’s education, exhibition, and conservation programs. Annie Labatt, serves as luncheon chair; Annie Atherton, Heather de Rojas, Hannah Hudson, Aleyda Kniestedt, Jamie Kowalski, Dr. Sara McCamish, and Caroline Harte Staudt serve as luncheon committee members; and L. D. Ormsby Charitable Foundation, Inc. is the title sponsor.

Past luncheon speakers include Misty Copeland (2023) and Cheech Marin (2022).

2024 Luncheon Tickets
Rossini Table – $5,000
Mozart Table – $3,500
Gounod Individual Tickets – $250
Two Individual Tickets – $400

Underwriting Opportunities (100% tax-deductible)
Floral Sponsor – $7,500
Rentals Sponsor – $5,000
Invitation & Program Sponsor – $3,500 (SOLD)
Valet Parking Sponsor – $2,500 (SOLD)
Favor Sponsor – $1,500 (SOLD)
Champagne Reception Sponsor – $1,000 (SOLD)

Learn more about Isabel Leonard here.

For more information about the event, visit our website or contact Julie McGarraugh, development officer, earned revenue & events, at 210.805.1761 or julie.mcgarraugh@mcnyart.org.

Media Contact:
Yolanda Urrabazo
Head of Communications and Marketing, McNay Art Museum
yolanda.urrabazo@mcnayart.org

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About McNay Art Museum
The McNay Art Museum engages a diverse community in the discovery and enjoyment of the visual arts. Built in the 1920s by artist and educator Marion Koogler McNay, the Spanish Colonial Revival residence became the site of Texas’ first modern art museum when it opened in 1954. Today, 200,000 visitors a year enjoy works by modern masters including Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Edward Hopper, Joan Mitchell, Alice Neel, Georgia O’Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The 45,000-square-foot Jane & Arthur Stieren Center for Exhibitions, designed by internationally renowned French architect Jean-Paul Viguier, features major exhibitions annually. The 25 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds include sculptures by Willie Cole, Robert Indiana, Luis A. Jiménez Jr., Alejandro Martín, George Rickey, Joel Shapiro, Kiki Smith, Tom Wesselmann and others. For more information about the McNay, visit www.mcnayart.org.

The McNay is open Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from Noon to 5 p.m.