CARNIVAL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
CELEBRATED ¡ABRIENDO PUERTAS! ,
A GRAND OPENING PREVIEW
AT THE MANDARIN ORIENTAL MIAMI

MIAMI, July 26, 2006 -   Carnival Center for the Performing Arts celebrated ¡Abriendo Puertas!, a grand opening preview cocktail party on Monday, July 17, 2006. Graciously sponsored by the Mandarin Oriental Miami, the event was presented by Carnival Center for the Performing Arts to  bring together some of South Florida's most prominent arts and business leaders, particularly those in the Latin community, for a festive evening of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and music. 
 
Michael Hardy, the Center's president and CEO, greeted the crowd and introduced Pedro Martin, CEO of Terra Group, the evening's host. Martin spoke about the positive impact of the Center and the excitement surrounding its much-anticipated opening. After an introduction by Martin, Emilio Estefan took the stage to express his own excitement about the opening of the Center and his enthusiasm as producer of the Concert for Miami, the first night of the Center's Grand Opening festivities. Estefan also announced, for the first time, part of the celebrity lineup for the concert, naming Broadway Tony Award-winning star Bernadette Peters and legendary music producer Quincy Jones among the stars who will join Gloria Estefan at the Knight Concert Hall on October 5.
 
Guests at Abriendo Puertas! included: Sherwood M. Weiser, chairman of the board for Carnival Center Foundation, and Carnival Center Trust board member Judy Weiser; Michael C. Hardy, president and CEO of Carnival Center; Pedro Martin, CEO of the Terra Group; Frank Amadeo, president of Estefan Enterprises; Alejandro Aguirre, publisher of Diario Las Americas; Adrienne Arsht, chairman of TotalBank; Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO of The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and Susana Ibargüen; Edie Laquer of Laquer Corporate Realty Group; Rosa Sugrañes, chairman of Iberia Tiles; Judy Drucker, president and founding artistic director of the Concert Association of Florida; John Devaney, CEO of United Capital Asset Management, and Selene Devaney and Jesús Díaz, Jr, publisher of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald.
 
Live music from Bobby Ramirez and his Latin Jazz Ensemble filled the air at the two-hour soiree, while more than 200 guests enjoyed delectable Asian-inspired hors d'oeuvres provided by the Mandarin Oriental Miami, which included Thai beef salad, spicy vegetable samosas, coconut shrimp, tempura vegetable rolls, seared scallops and chicken satay. Always Flowers provided the floral décor and guests received designer fragrance gift bags courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue ­ Dadeland.
 
Carnival Center's Grand Opening Weekend, scheduled to take place from October 5 ­ 8, 2006, has been made possible with the generous support of corporate gifts and private benefactors, including the following: B. and Donald Carlin & Lynn Wolfson, Grand Tier  Chairmen of the Grand Opening Weekend; Selene and John Devaney/United Capital Asset Management, Benefactor Sponsor of The Gala Dinner Evening; Maria and Pedro A. Martin/Terra Group & Joyce and M. Anthony Burns, Benefactor Co-Sponsors of The Concert for Miami; Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A., Benefactor Co-Sponsor of the resident company concert on October 6 featuring the Concert Association of Florida and New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy; Ella Cisneros, Grand Patron Sponsor of The Opening Ceremony; Edie Laquer, Grand Patron Sponsor of the Gala Dinner Evening Concert; Scott A. Silver/Grouper Financial, Inc., Grand Patron Sponsor of the Gala Dinner; Fanny and Charles Dascal, Patron Sponsor of the Concert for Miami Dessert Reception; Neiman Marcus Patron Sponsor of the Gala Commemorative Gifts; Northern Trust Bank of Florida, N.A, Patron Sponsor of the Commemorative Gifts.