Tickets to Operanation 8: A Muse Ball, with featured performer Rufus Wainwright, went on sale this morning! The party's theme (based in part on the opera The Tales of Hoffmann, which features an artist and the women who inspire him) is the muse, and we needed a poster that would evoke high fashion and artistic inspiration.

The poster, featuring an updated twist on the three graces who appear in Botticelli's iconic painting Primavera, was photographed last month by photographer Mario Miotti, and I'm delighted to be able to give you a behind-the-scenes peek at the fashion shoot.  

First, model Robyn MacNicol had her hair and makeup done by stylist Mila from Plutino Group.

Broken Social Scene isn't the only genre-bending musical guest at Operanation. When the clock strikes midnight, Operanation guests will be treated to a special performance by Canadian artist Clara Venice, who is an electric violinist, theremin artist, and singer. Her style has been described as "electro-pop-meets-cabaret-show," and she'll be outfitted by former Project Runway Canada winner Evan Biddell. Clara is keeping tight-lipped about some details of her performance: "I’ve created something extra-special and never-yet-performed, so expect a few surprises."

One particular item on Clara Venice's list of talents deserves special attention: the theremin is an instrument not everyone is familiar with (my in-browser spell check is, even at this moment, underlining it with a red squiggly line and suggesting I might want to type "therein" instead). Even if you can't picture a theremin, its sound will be instantly recognizable to you if you're interested in mid-century science fiction movies, or indeed, any of the numerous parodies of same. Heavily featured in the score for The Day the Earth Stood Still, its sound has become closely associated with alien invaders and flying saucers, and not without reason. Patented in 1928 by a Russian physicist, its sound is completely electronic and it can be played without being touched. It uses two antennae—one controlling pitch and one controlling volume—to sense the position of the musician's hands and adjust the sound accordingly. Vladimir Lenin found its innovations so impressive that he began taking lessons in theremin technique and became one of the instrument's first advocates.