Baci

Towson-based Baci Management Inc., which left the Lyric Opera House and other theaters in the lurch recently after its subscription-series touring shows were abruptly canceled, has filed for bankruptcy. All but three of the eight Broadway-style productions that Baci had booked for Baltimore's Lyric between last September and this May were called off, hurting the theater and aggravating customers. The Maryland attorney general's office said it is trying to mediate 77 complaints about Baci.

A third local business has failed at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport since BAA USA was hired in 2004 to overhaul shopping and dining options for passengers. Baci Bar & Grill, which a Little Italy restaurateur opened outside a Southwest Airlines security checkpoint two years ago, shut down Thursday, airport officials confirmed. Its owner, Germano Fabiani, could not be reached for comment yesterday. Baci's shuttering comes as BAA and the Maryland Aviation Administration have struggled to increase small and minority-owned businesses at the airport.

A third local business has failed at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport since BAA USA was hired in 2004 to overhaul shopping and dining options for passengers. Baci Bar & Grill, which a Little Italy restaurateur opened outside a Southwest Airlines security checkpoint two years ago, shut down Thursday, airport officials confirmed. Its owner, Germano Fabiani, could not be reached for comment yesterday. Baci's shuttering comes as BAA and the Maryland Aviation Administration have struggled to increase small and minority-owned businesses at the airport.

About 70 Baltimore-area theater lovers who were left in the lurch when they bought tickets to shows that abruptly were canceled will receive refunds of about 42 cents on the dollar. George W. Liebmann, the court-appointed trustee, filed a final distribution notice yesterday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court outlining the proposed liquidation of the remaining assets of Performing Arts Productions, the Baltimore branch of Baci Management Inc. Before it filed for liquidation under Chapter 7, the Towson-based company founded by Nicholas Litrenta specialized in staging Broadway-style shows at such venues as the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, the Warner Theatre in Washington and at stages in Norfolk and Richmond, Va. If there are no objections to the distribution schedule - and Liebmann doesn't expect any - checks to about 70 Lyric patrons would be mailed in 20 days.

The Maryland attorney general's office is investigating several complaints against Baltimore-based Baci Management alleging failure to refund money paid for tickets to canceledshows that it had booked at the Lyric Opera House. Four of the five touring shows booked by Baci at the Lyric since October have been canceled, resulting in a loss of revenue for the 112-year-old theater on Mount Royal Avenue, which is operated by the nonprofit Lyric Foundation, and bringing complaints from ticket buyers.

The court-appointed bankruptcy trustee and the lawyer representing Baci Management Inc. - the company that stranded hundreds of patrons when shows failed to arrive at the Lyric House Opera - offered ticketholders some hope yesterday. Baci and its Baltimore entity, Performing Arts Productions, which booked a subscription series at the Lyric, filed two bankruptcy petitions last week in Maryland federal court. Bankruptcy trustee George W. Liebmann said there are roughly 300 consumer deposit claims (primarily from ticketholders)

The Lyric Opera House, one of Baltimore's premier theatrical venues, has fallen dark for several weeks this season as four of its five national touring shows have been canceled. The no-shows, which include Elton John's Aida, have left patrons with useless tickets and the building's management scrambling to recoup losses. The Lyric, which also is the home of the Baltimore Opera Company, hosts a subscription series of touring shows that are booked by Performing Arts Productions, part of the Baltimore-based company Baci Management.

Sit tight. That's the advice Rick Wiles said he got when Baltimore-based Baci Management Inc. began canceling shows scheduled at the Lyric Opera House last year, leaving the 47-year-old city resident holding a season's worth of unusable tickets that cost $351.25. It started with Casablanca vanishing in a fog in October, then On Golden Pond washing out in November. At the time, Baci promised to replace both shows with Sweet Charity tickets at the Warner Theatre in Washington. So Wiles patiently waited.

Anybody who flew over the holidays - as well as during the last few months - is all too well-acquainted with the rule that carry-on liquids must be in 3-ounce or smaller containers. So, what was with some travelers who entered their plane at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport carrying two bottles of wine? Believe it or not, it's a new perk, courtesy of an airport restaurant, Baci Bar & Grill. The restaurateur behind the program believes it may be a first in the country.

Designations Janice L. Biennas and Nicholas Macechko, vice presidents of M&T Bank, were designated as certified financial planners by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Expansion Competitive Power Ventures, based in Silver Spring, has expanded its power project development activities to California and other western states and named Brian Kunz to head the West Coast office. Foundations The CCBC Foundation, which coordinates fundraising initiatives for the Community College of Baltimore County, named Thomas B. Corey to its board of directors.

Sit tight. That's the advice Rick Wiles said he got when Baltimore-based Baci Management Inc. began canceling shows scheduled at the Lyric Opera House last year, leaving the 47-year-old city resident holding a season's worth of unusable tickets that cost $351.25. It started with Casablanca vanishing in a fog in October, then On Golden Pond washing out in November. At the time, Baci promised to replace both shows with Sweet Charity tickets at the Warner Theatre in Washington. So Wiles patiently waited.

The court-appointed bankruptcy trustee and the lawyer representing Baci Management Inc. - the company that stranded hundreds of patrons when shows failed to arrive at the Lyric House Opera - offered ticketholders some hope yesterday. Baci and its Baltimore entity, Performing Arts Productions, which booked a subscription series at the Lyric, filed two bankruptcy petitions last week in Maryland federal court. Bankruptcy trustee George W. Liebmann said there are roughly 300 consumer deposit claims (primarily from ticketholders)

Towson-based Baci Management Inc., which left the Lyric Opera House and other theaters in the lurch recently after its subscription-series touring shows were abruptly canceled, has filed for bankruptcy. All but three of the eight Broadway-style productions that Baci had booked for Baltimore's Lyric between last September and this May were called off, hurting the theater and aggravating customers. The Maryland attorney general's office said it is trying to mediate 77 complaints about Baci.

The Maryland attorney general's office is investigating several complaints against Baltimore-based Baci Management alleging failure to refund money paid for tickets to canceledshows that it had booked at the Lyric Opera House. Four of the five touring shows booked by Baci at the Lyric since October have been canceled, resulting in a loss of revenue for the 112-year-old theater on Mount Royal Avenue, which is operated by the nonprofit Lyric Foundation, and bringing complaints from ticket buyers.

The Lyric Opera House, one of Baltimore's premier theatrical venues, has fallen dark for several weeks this season as four of its five national touring shows have been canceled. The no-shows, which include Elton John's Aida, have left patrons with useless tickets and the building's management scrambling to recoup losses. The Lyric, which also is the home of the Baltimore Opera Company, hosts a subscription series of touring shows that are booked by Performing Arts Productions, part of the Baltimore-based company Baci Management.

Anybody who flew over the holidays - as well as during the last few months - is all too well-acquainted with the rule that carry-on liquids must be in 3-ounce or smaller containers. So, what was with some travelers who entered their plane at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport carrying two bottles of wine? Believe it or not, it's a new perk, courtesy of an airport restaurant, Baci Bar & Grill. The restaurateur behind the program believes it may be a first in the country.

About 70 Baltimore-area theater lovers who were left in the lurch when they bought tickets to shows that abruptly were canceled will receive refunds of about 42 cents on the dollar. George W. Liebmann, the court-appointed trustee, filed a final distribution notice yesterday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court outlining the proposed liquidation of the remaining assets of Performing Arts Productions, the Baltimore branch of Baci Management Inc. Before it filed for liquidation under Chapter 7, the Towson-based company founded by Nicholas Litrenta specialized in staging Broadway-style shows at such venues as the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, the Warner Theatre in Washington and at stages in Norfolk and Richmond, Va. If there are no objections to the distribution schedule - and Liebmann doesn't expect any - checks to about 70 Lyric patrons would be mailed in 20 days.

On October 30, 2003 ROBERTA "GERT" (nee Pummery) of Kingsville, MD passed away peacefully with her family after a long battle with multiple strokes CNSVasculitis. Roberta, beloved mother of Edward R. Griffin, Jr. and Robert Samuel Griffin; loving daughter of Dolores Pummery; devoted sister of Debbie Mangione and Linda Pummery-Geerling; loving sister-in-law of John "Dino" Mangione and Daniel Geerling; dear aunt of John, Maria, Victoria, and Michael Mangione and Baci, Bella, Kona, Uno, Dos, Tres, Chili and Grammy-Geerling.

Designations Janice L. Biennas and Nicholas Macechko, vice presidents of M&T Bank, were designated as certified financial planners by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Expansion Competitive Power Ventures, based in Silver Spring, has expanded its power project development activities to California and other western states and named Brian Kunz to head the West Coast office. Foundations The CCBC Foundation, which coordinates fundraising initiatives for the Community College of Baltimore County, named Thomas B. Corey to its board of directors.

On October 30, 2003 ROBERTA "GERT" (nee Pummery) of Kingsville, MD passed away peacefully with her family after a long battle with multiple strokes CNSVasculitis. Roberta, beloved mother of Edward R. Griffin, Jr. and Robert Samuel Griffin; loving daughter of Dolores Pummery; devoted sister of Debbie Mangione and Linda Pummery-Geerling; loving sister-in-law of John "Dino" Mangione and Daniel Geerling; dear aunt of John, Maria, Victoria, and Michael Mangione and Baci, Bella, Kona, Uno, Dos, Tres, Chili and Grammy-Geerling.