DIVAS & DESIGNER
MIRIAM BROWNING-NANCE, LAURA VIRELLA & TODD OLDHAM
Created and operated by artists under 35, the nonprofit Project Opera of Manhattan launched its third season this year with The Rape of Lucretia in September. Founder and artistic director Laura Virella (right) and her wife, POM's managing director Miriam Browning-Nance (left), are committed to the twin missions of stripping away opera's amassed pretenses—thereby making it more accessible to audiences who might not otherwise show up—and providing valuable performance experience for young artists.Throughout his 20-year career, Todd Oldham (center) has done it all. After years as a fashion designer in New York City and host of MTV's House of Style, Oldham's eponymous design studio went on to collaborate with companies as diverse as FTD and La-Z-Boy. In 2007 he was named creative director for Old Navy. In addition to regular appearances on The Today Show, he serves as mentor to the competitors on Bravo's Top Design.
