For probably the first time in the entertaining annals of Sue and Lester Smith, ballroom dancing was not the focus of a gala dinner party held in the grand second-floor ballroom of their Memorial-area home. It was singing that prevailed.

Wednesday, the Smiths hosted the Houston Grand Opera ball underwriter dinner for the second year in a row and, in a huge surprise to those accustomed to the Smith's gracious hospitality with dance as the focal point, singers took the spotlight.

Following a lavish seated dinner from Tony's catering, guests were treated to a "Cabaret" performance of German songs from the '20s and '30s by costumed artists from Diva World Productions. That was followed by the surprise arrival of America's Got Talent runner-up, soprano Barbara Padilla. Selections from Puccini, luscious arias, filled the ballroom with goose-bump-inducing music. (See and hear her below.) In Padilla's finale, she was joined by tenor Kenneth Gayle. It was one of those rare evenings when the arts, philanthropy and sophisticated hobnobing meld into one beautiful soirée.

The richness of the night was not lost on any of the 70 or so guests including HGO ball chairs Denise Bush Bahr and Philip Bahr, both of whom admitted to butterflies in their stomachs only three days before the curtain goes up on the gala. HGO CEO Anthony Freud likened the creation of a ball to that of a full-blown opera, involving the entire HGO staff from development to technical teams.

"We approach it like a whole new production of the opera," he said. "If you think about it, it's our seventh production of the season . . . So, it's quite a busy time for us. We are opening two other productions in two weeks — Queen of Spades and then a week later Xerxes."

For Saturday night's white-tie-and-tails extravaganza, Lynn Wyatt will be honored and on this evening HGO board chairman Glen Rosenbaum took his turn at praising the long-time, glamorous opera patron.

Among the many applauding her were Tiffany & Co.'s Mike McClure and wife Ericka (Tiffany providing a to-die-for pearl necklace for the raffle), the Inn at Dos Brisas' Jennifer and Doug Bosch, Beth Madison and Dick Kuriger, Cynthia and Tony Petrello, Jim Crownover, Sofia Adrogué and Sten Gustafson, Melinda and Sam Stubbs and The Tasting Room's Jerry Lasco, who chairs the wine auction, and general auction chair Ellie Francisco.

Not to disappoint, the Smiths closed the dinner evening with their signature ballroom routine to the sounds of Lester's theme song "I Will Survive." The lights dimmed, the disco ball began swirling overhead and the generous duo took to the dance area to display their unbridled enthusiasm for life. Applause, applause all around.

And make that 'Toi, toi, toi" for the Bahrs in anticipation of their gala. That little ditty, Freud explained, is the traditional operatic refrain for good luck.

Barbara Padilla sings "Quando Me'n Vo" from Puccini's La Bohème: