The Michigan Opera Theatre provided highlight performances during the opening reception of the 2013 Design Aria, an exhibition which will run at the Detroit Artists Market (DAM) through February 16. The design show itself features an array of disciplines, including jewelry, furniture and lighting fixtures, as well as more conventional wall-hanging or sculptural art pieces, all with a decidedly modern bent.

Artist Tiff Massey in conversation adjacent to some of her jewelry pieces (hanging right).

Detail from a multimedia collaboration between Wesley Taylor and Aaron Jones.

The reception’s main event was of course the costumed appearances by Michigan Opera Theatre luminaries, demonstrating some of the organization’s more memorable operatic moments in tableaux vivants. On center stage, a live performance (see video above) was delivered by Angela Theis, a Grosse Pointe native who studied in Austria and will be featured in the upcoming performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio.

Angela Theis (center, as Zerlina), Carl Erikson (left, as Musetto), and Brad Pitser (lower right, as Don Giovanni), performed from Don Giovanni – costume design by John Pascoe.

A tableau from Aida, featuring Kelley Kennedy (left, as Amneris), Antonio Cosenza (center, as Radames), and Torya Blanchard (left, as Aida) – costume design by Alan Charles Klein.

The Barber of Seville, featuring Shelby Houttekier (center, as Rosina), Satori Circus (as Figaro), and John Manchell (as Dr. Bartolo) – costume design by Suzanne Hanna.

Aside from the costumes and performances, there were a number of standout pieces, including three relief pieces depicting a miniature Detroit cityscape in various materials, by Brian DuBois and 237am Studios.

Detroit in bas relief, by Brian DuBois, and featured within the DuBois Collection.

Serious neckwear rendered in sterling silver by Christine Bossler.

Design mavens, alongside another collaboration piece by Aaron Jones and Wesley Taylor.

“Plant” by Marco Terenzi, strikes a balance between the industrial and the surprisingly delicate.

Overall, an excellent night of design on every note, with many congratulations due to organizer Nancy Sizer, in collaboration with Michigan Opera Theatre’s General Manager David DiChiera, and buoyed by a devoted corps of volunteer assistants. All said, they could not have designed a better opening reception.

Detroit Artists Market, 4719 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-832-8540; detroitartistsmarket.org Michigan Opera Theatre, Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway St., Detroit; 313-237-7464; michiganopera.org