Column: The Crowd: Close-knit Philharmonic fans fill the Samueli Theater

A summer soiree for the Philharmonic Society welcomed 100 VIP guests to the Samueli Theater on the campus of Segerstrom Center for the Arts to raise funds in support of the society’s artistic and youth music educational programs. Front and center for the party, which featured the performance of an excellent ensemble jazz, R&B and Motown group called “Project M,” were loyal Philharmonic devotees Sharon McNalley, Judy Michel, Susan Qaquadah, Karen Ridout, Bobbie Rooker, Dea Stanuszek, Jeule Stein, Bobbitt Williams, Carol Wilken and Sandi Wright-Cordes.

The crowd gathered at sunset in the foyer, enjoying a signature martini, other cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres. As the doors were opened to the theater, which often doubles as a classic nightclub setting with outstanding acoustics and sightlines, a three-course gourmet dinner was prepared by Executive Chef Greg Stillman of the Patina Restaurant Group.

It must be noted that the guests in attendance are a close-knit family who have known one another, in some cases for decades, and year after year support the Philharmonic Society with considerable passion. The crowd table-hopped as Patina Group staff served dinner, which began with a refreshing and delicious strawberry and rhubarb salad frisee. An entrée featuring a perfectly grilled hanger steak with Bordelaise sauce followed. Wine pairings were sponsored by master sommelier Ian Cauble of SommSelect, which featured an array of fine, mostly French, vintages.

A major live auction brought the crowd to attention as an impressive array of one-of-a-kind items went up for bid. Fine restaurants, hotel stays at Pelican Hill Resort, the Balboa Bay Resort and luxury accommodations in London, Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, Costa Rica and St. Maarten, brought in much-appreciated dollars. A “fund-a-need” portion of the evening, which has become de rigueur for many charity events on the Orange Coast, followed. Philharmonic Society patrons responding to the “Strike Up The Band!” theme raised $35,000.

Some of the committee members who made the evening possible include the elegant France Campbell, Mary Chelius, Vicki de Reynal, Ruth Ann Evans, Jane Grier, Sharon Larson, Jan Lawrence and the always best-dressed Dee Higby.

As Stillman’s dining staff served a Valrhona chocolate mousse verrine sprinkled with chocolate pearls, the crowd danced the evening into the summer night as the band offered numbers, including popular renditions from Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson, alongside classics from the great American Songbook from composers Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein and George and Ira Gershwin. The event was chaired with considerable style by Philharmonic Society executives Chantel Chen Uchida and Jean Shu. Joining the Gala Leadership Council were Kathy Hamilton, Kimberly Dwan Bernatz, Sabra Bordas, Debra Gunn Downing, Donna Kendall and Marlene Nielsen. More than $100,000 had been raised for the artistic and youth music education programs by the end of the evening.

John and Ruth Ann Evans, Barbara Johnson, Jack and Shanaz Langson, David Reed and Jacqueline Fox, John Flemming and Mark Powell, John Benecke and Lee Marino, James Anderson, Douglas Burch, Caroline Coronel and Judy Nakamura shared in the success.

A summer outing on the greens

The Tommy Bahama 19th annual Pacific Coast Classic Golf Tournament & Celebration Dinner raised more than $130,000 to benefit Olive Crest in Orange County. Adam Gash, general manager of Tommy Bahama Island Grille, Newport Beach, once again put the restaurant’s mega-popular brand to work for Olive Crest, a nonprofit with a focus on child-abuse prevention and housing youths. The June golf tournament unfolded on the Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point, featuring a traditional four-person team scramble with shotgun start. The sold-out field of 145 participating golfers joined with guests the evening before the tournament for a superb dinner at the Tommy Bahama Island Grille, sharing signature barbecue ribs, ginger-crusted mahi and so much more.

Front and center was Tim Bauer, Olive Crest’s Orange County executive director of development. Bauer praised Tommy Bahama for its long commitment to the cause, raising more than $1.5 million over years of generous association. Emceed by KTLA-5 broadcaster Henry DiCarlo, and supported by a long list of corporate sponsors, including Southern Wine & Spirits, Farmers & Merchants Bank, United Airlines, Kaiser Permanente, Rutan & Tucker and Hi-Time Wine Cellars, to name only a few, the event will help serve nearly 3,500 children and families reached by Olive Crest throughout California, Nevada and the Pacific Northwest. To learn more about Olive Crest please visit www.olivecrest.org.

In other summer golf news

The Pelican Hill Golf Club, one of the most spectacular golf venues in the world, welcomed the Rivals Cup on the greens with players coming together to raise funds for Kure It Cancer Research. The Rivals Cup takes its name from the long-standing sports rivalry between USC and UCLA. The tournament, however, which is also billed as Rivals United for a Kure, brings alumni and fans from both universities together with the common goal of raising money for cancer research. Monies raised are divided between UCLA Jonsson and USC Norris comprehensive cancer centers.

The late Barry Hoeven, a real estate developer who succumbed to cancer following a long and courageous battle, created The Kure It Cancer Research Foundation. Hoeven’s firm, Westport Properties, led by board chair and son Drew Hoeven, joined VIPs Todd Perry, Charles Byerly and tournament co-chairs Linda and Burton Young from USC and Dana and Tom Chou from UCLA.

“Seeing the Rivals United for a Kure campaign extend into the inaugural Rivals Cup Tournament makes me extremely proud,” Drew Hoeven said of the effort. “My father, Barry Hoeven, would be so happy to see Kure It raise even more money for UCLA Jonsson and USC Norris comprehensive cancer centers. Our first tournament was a tremendous success, and we are happy to announce that we netted well over our $100,000 goal for cancer research.”

B.W. COOK is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.