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The Women's Committee of the Washington National Opera

Washington National Opera

Our History

The Women's Committee of the Washington National Opera (WNO) is the oldest and most prominent WNO support group.

Established originally in 1975 to raise funds with an elegant Opera Ball, the Committee proceeded to organize and manage not only the hugely successful Opera Ball, but later created the glamorous, annual "Mid-Winter Galas" at the Mellon Auditorium.  These soon became "One of the Top 10 Social Events in Washington", attracting hundreds of potential new operagoers, plus individual and corporate sponsors.

Currently, the focus of the Women's Committee is on raising additional funds for the Cafritz Young Artist Program with annual "Special Events" (such as an "Evening at the Supreme Court" and a "Botanical Gardens Concert"), on community outreach projects, and building the next generation of the Committee with enthusiastic opera attendees. Monthly meetings in member's private homes feature distinguished guest speakers, Young Artist performances, and educational programs about operas and composers.

Executive Committee Members

  • Chairman

    Isin Ludlow

  • Vice-Chair

    Martha Simons

  • Secretary

    Alison Adkins

  • Membership

    Regina Donnelly

  • Past Co-Chairman

    Anna Pfeiffer

Active Members

  • Mariana Acevedo

  • Noeline Arulgnanendran

  • Roswitha Augusta

  • Elizabeth Berry

  • Ellen Boer

  • Edith Brewster

  • Henrietta Burke

  • Sally Cox

  • Brenda de Suze

  • Su Kim Eisenberg

  • Judy Esfandiary

  • Cynthia Fehr

  • Lynn Gagnon

  • Darby Gingery

  • Antonia Gore

  • Monica Greenberg

  • Sheila Gross

  • Betsy Holleman Burke

  • Justine Kenney

  • Eva Lamb

  • Piper Larson

  • Kristen Lund

  • Nina Pillsbury

  • Debra Push

  • Olga Ryan

  • Karen Schuiling

  • Linda Spanier

  • Evelyn Strauch

  • Terry Tretter

  • Dorothy Wexler

Associate Members

  • Charlotte Buxton

  • Caroline Boutte

  • Buffy Cafritz

  • Betty Casey

  • Linda Courie

  • Jamie Craft

  • Sally Davidson

  • Evelyn DiBona

  • Vicki Doyle

  • Nancy Lee Dunton

  • Susanne Eisinger

  • Aniko Gaal

  • Constance Harriman Whitfield

  • Louise Heenan

  • Chris Hunter

  • Tisha Jepson

  • Cindy Jones

  • Jane Karas

  • Mary Kennedy

  • Melinda Keppler

  • Susan Lloyd-Graham

  • Marjorie Miller

  • Frances Norris

  • Pat Oxley

  • Beth Roberts

  • Carol Somerville

  • Anne Weatherley

  • Dorothy Woodcock