Taking Bite of Big Apple : Pacific Symphony Donors on Hand for St.Clair’s N.Y. Debut

NBC Stations President John Rohrbeck and wife Sonnai welcomed Pacific Symphony Orchestra donors to their midtown Manhattan brownstone on Saturday night to celebrate maestro Carl St.Clair’s debut with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center.

Sweeping into the five-story dwelling in a neighborhood that is shared by Brooke Shields, Joan Rivers, Bob Mackie and Tom Wolfe, party-goers sipped Cristal champagne and sampled Osetra caviar while they waited for their beloved conductor to arrive.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Carl--he is such an extraordinarily talented man,” said Sharon Jaquith, the Leo Freedman Foundation trustee who co-hosted the party with her husband Peter and their good friends, the Rohrbecks. (The Leo Freedman Foundation has committed a $1-million donation to the Pacific Symphony Orchestra).

Said John Rohrbeck: “I loved the concert tonight; it was beautiful and we are honored to honor Carl St.Clair.”

As guests wandered about the Rohrbecks’ digs, they found sumptuous buffets catered by New York chef-of-the-moment Ann Rosensweig, owner of the popular Arcadia. On just about every floor they found open bars and tables set with bouquets of Casa Blanca lilies.

Up for sampling: roulade of foie gras with brandied pear, blue crab coquettes, pomegranate-marinated lamb chops and foccacia bread from the famous Sign of the Dove restaurant.

“Carl did a great job tonight,” said composer Mitch Leigh (“The Man of La Mancha”). “It was good to see New Yorkers accepting him.”

When guests weren’t admiring the Rohrbecks’ Lalique collection, they were gushing over the art in Sonnai’s studio loft. Her oil paintings of nudes, enormous flowers and children decorate the walls of her home on 62nd Street.

About half an hour into the party, a jubilant St.Clair made his grand entrance to exuberant hugs and handshakes from symphony supporters.

“I feel great tonight--and I think I’m going to feel great for quite a long time,” he said. “It’s been especially exciting to make this debut on the same weekend that Leonard Bernstein made his debut with the New York Philharmonic 50 years ago.” (St.Clair was a protege of Bernstein’s.) “I’m very honored that so many people from Orange County have come.”

Among guests were orchestra President Ron Hanson and wife Joyce. The couple lost their home in the recent Laguna Beach firestorm.

“It’s been good for us to get away,” Ron said. “We spent the afternoon at Ellis Island--saw pictures of all of those hopeful immigrants who came to our country with one suitcase to start over again. That had meaning for me. It was very inspiring.”

Standing on the sidelines, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, was St.Clair’s mother, Texas native Clarinell Hahn.

“He was fabulous tonight--super good!” she said. “I prayed for him. While he was up there I began to think of his childhood--it’s really something to see your little barefoot boy from the farm onstage at Avery Fischer Hall.”

Also offering St.Clair their congratulations were talk show star Sally Jessy Raphael (a neighbor of the Rohrbecks) and New York socialite C.Z. Guest.

“Tonight was a major moment for the philharmonic,” said Raphael, who was accompanied by her husband and manager, Karl Soderlund. “I loved it.”

Saturday night’s concert and post-performance gala marked the culmination of a three-day sojourn offered to orchestra donors who have contributed $25,000 or more. At $3,700 per couple or $2,500 per person, donors stayed at the New York Palace Hotel and enjoyed feasts at the Four Seasons Hotel, Shun Lee Chinese Restaurant and the chic Le Trianon at the Palace. On Friday night they attended “La Boheme” at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Before Saturday’s concert, orchestra buffs met at the Kaplan Penthouse in the Rose Building at Lincoln Center for a light supper and entertainment by opera soprano Ruth Golden. With the Manhattan skyline shimmering at their feet, the guests settled back, sipped wine and listened to Golden trill selections by Puccini and Gershwin.

“This whole adventure has been wonderful,” said Marcy Mulville, a longtime orchestra activist. “I never dreamed this would happen to one of our conductors in my lifetime.”

Also among guests were orchestra vice president and executive director Louis Spisto (“This is a wonderful accomplishment for Orange County,” he said, “to have nurtured an artist who has come here and done so well”); Randy and Carole Johnson; Dr. Maurice Mulville; Nadine and Gene Leyton; William Dultz; Patrick and Dorothy Hurley; James and Velma Emmi; Carl Schulz with William Thornton; Bill and Barbara Roberts, and Irving and Julia Rappaport with their daughter Janet.

Guests also included Janice and Roger Johnson (who came from Washington); Charles Rex, associate concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, and composer Elliot Goldenthal with his wife Julie Taymor.