Annual 'Night at the Opera' supports Middle Way House

Hundreds of Bloomington residents and students will gather Sunday for Middle Way House's 13th Annual "Night at the Opera." This fundraising event coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Middle Way House, 404 W. Kirkwood Ave., which helps and empowers victims of domestic violence and abuse. \n"Night at the Opera" will feature student vocalists from the IU School of Music. Lyric-coloratura soprano Lisa Williamson serves as Musical Coordinator for this event -- Williamson, while still a student in the IU Music School, has performed throughout the country and most recently made her debut at Carnegie Hall. The students will begin their performance at 6:15 p.m. in the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave..\nDistinguished conductor Imre Pallo will serve as both Maestro and Master of Ceremonies for the event. Among the faculty at IU, Pallo remains an internationally renowned and respected conductor. \nGeorge Walker of Bloomington radio station WFIU, who has supported the Middle Way House as the evening's media sponsor, will host the event.\nThe evening will begin with a Silent Auction Preview at 5 p.m. at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. Though reservations must be made in advance for the remainder of the event, the silent auction is open to the public: hot air balloon rides, a Persian carpet, IU opera tickets, Willie Nelson concert tickets and IU football tickets are among the items upon which patrons may bid. \nThe musical performance will begin at 6:15 p.m., with a formal dinner at 8 p.m. at the Waldron Auditorium. \nThe dinner is being catered by Flora Ristorante, 620 W. Fifth St.. \nFirst established as a crisis intervention service to people in Bloomington, the Middle Way House began its crusade to help victims of violence in 1971. Acting as a volunteer organization, the House was quick to respond to the needs of community members: they provided counseling for drug and alcohol abuse, operated a clinic for venereal diseases and created a 24-hour crisis line for people in need of information, support or referral services.\n"Domestic violence is the most repeated, least reported crime in the nation," states the fact sheet provided on the Middle Way House Web site (www.bloomington.in.us/~mwhouse/). "(Domestic violence) is the single most serious cause of injury to women....You are not alone." \nTen years after its inception, the Middle Way House refined its mission statement to focus specifically upon abused women and children. While the 24-hour crisis line continued to operate, the agency additionally opened a domestic violence shelter. This shelter provided safe-housing, case-management and facilitated in-house peer support groups. Later in 1988, the Middle Way opened a Rape Crisis Center, and established a Legal Advocacy Program: this program provides abused women with any legal support they may need and the option of pro bono lawyers. \n"We've had a long history in the Bloomington community, but today in 2001 we are able to provide battered women and children with many options," said Jill Nielsen, fund development coordinator for the Middle Way House and Coordinator of the upcoming "Night at the Opera." \nMiddle Way has an "on-scene advocacy program", which allows area police to contact the House and inform them of any reported abuse situations. \n"Currently we have a comprehensive set of objectives," Nielsen said. "Not only do we help abused women and children, but we also provide assistance for men who may be concerned about an abused partner, or suffering from abuse themselves."\nTickets are $30 for the performance and $30 for the dinner. For reservations, call (812) 333-7404 ext. 200. Tickets for only the performance will also be sold at the door, based on availability. All proceeds will be donated to the Middle Way House.