The Crowd: Ferders feted for sponsorship efforts
The Segerstrom Center for the Arts recognized the efforts of donor Lugano Diamonds of Newport Beach at a cocktail reception prior to the opening of the “West Side Story” run. Lugano Diamonds, owned by Moti and Idit Ferder, was applauded as a corporate sponsor of the center’s private hospitality room, which the Ferders will underwrite throughout the center’s 25th anniversary year.
Both The Center Room in Segerstrom Hall and The Donor Lounge at The Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall are open to donors before performances as well as during intermissions, and are also used for special events and receptions. The Ferders’ current contribution to the center comes in addition to years of support of the Candlelight Concert and the Guilds of the Center annual fashion show fundraiser.
Center president Terry Dwyer commented, “The Ferders’ generosity is exceptional and we are grateful for their additional gift this year during our 25th season.”
In the crowd enjoying pre-performance cocktail and hors d’ oeuvres were Susan Strader, Mary and Richard Cramer, Rick Van Fossan, Bill Corkett, Hagi and Moshe Partouche, Yael and Ory Gur, Lugano executive Stuart Winston and Newport’s ultra fashionable Barbara Bowie and her lovely daughter Becky.
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The social crowd will be headed to the Ritz-Carlton hotel Saturday for the 2011 South Coast Repertory gala being labeled “The Black and White Ball.” On Friday, SCR will present Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” directed by Kyle Donnelly on the Segerstrom Stage.
Dana Green, who portrayed Helena last season in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” returns to SCR on the bill with Corey Brill, a young actor new to the SCR theatrical family. For more information, visit the SCR website, www.SCR.org.
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The social season 2011 kicks off in great style with the return of “Romance of the Mission” Sept. 16. The Mission Preservation Foundation will honor the Rev. Msgr. Arthur A. Holquin, for his unwavering commitment to the preservation of Mission San Juan Capistrano.
The event is one of the most elegant and purposeful of the year, beginning with a 6 p.m. reception in the mission’s gardens, followed by a concert at dusk in the ruins of the Great Stone Church, which will feature baritone Rod Gilfry. A candlelight dinner will follow in the central courtyard, prepared and served by the legendary Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel.
The Mission Preservation Foundation is led by president George O’Connell and a committee of influential Orange County leaders, including Wylie Aitken, Arthur Birtcher, William Cvengros, Michael Hagen, Lula Halfacre, Anthony Moiso, Michael Puntoriero, Connie Spenuzza, Madeline Swinden, Gretchen Stroscher Thomson, and Erma Jean Tracy.
The executive director of Mission San Juan Capistrano is Mechelle Lawrence-Adams, being supported by a dedicated event committee, including Diana Arrigoni, Barb Beier, Georgianna Hales, Mozelle Sukut, and the very philanthropic and community-oriented Madeline Swinden.
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The Pacific Symphony is preparing for its 2011-12 season opening-night celebration, which organizers are calling “Masters of the Music.” The opener on Sept. 22 will mark the first concert of the Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Classic Series, featuring Sarah Chang performing Mendelssohn.
The evening will begin with a cocktail and dinner celebration at the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel, with both an intermission and post-concert party to follow. Chang’s violin concerto performance will take place in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in the evening co-chaired by Ruth Ann and John Evens.
Tickets to the gala evening are priced at $500 per person with table reservations available at higher donor levels. Concert tickets may be purchased separately, starting at $25 per seat. For more information, please contact Ricki Shab at (714) 876-2364 or via email at rshab@pacificsymphony.org.
THE CROWD runs Thursdays and Saturdays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.
