Raising Voices, Money

The legendary Harry Belafonte turned the tables on major donors to the Orange County Performing Arts Center. He invited them to perform.

Standing in front of 450 people at the 27th annual Candlelight Concert in Segerstrom Hall, Belafonte listened as the arts lovers sang the haunting refrain from his classic, “Jamaican Farewell.”

“Sad to say, I’m on my way, won’t be back, for many a day . . .” came the voices of donors who’d anted up a minimum of $2,500 each to attend a private concert by the famed singer and dine onstage at tables festooned with holiday wreaths.

“I can’t wait to get into my tux and come partake of the feast that has been prepared for your consumption,” Belafonte told the crowd Friday, as he performed beloved hits such as “Matilda” and “The Banana Boat Song” in front of a curtain that hid the gala dining scene.

After the show, guests oohed and ahhed as a shower of “fairy dust” fell from the ceiling and the curtain parted to reveal a “Once Upon a Time”-themed setting inspired by the center’s upcoming production (Tuesday-Dec. 23) of American Ballet Theatre’s “Cinderella.”

On view: towering gold trees studded with twinkling lights, a huge faux silver clock--about to strike 12--and tables set with fine china and silver candelabra.

“This is the best Candlelight Concert ever,” center President Jerry E. Mandel said of the gala--co-chaired by Pat Rypinski and Patricia Marshall--that netted $1 million. “It’s a total sellout and we had a waiting list.”

The inaugural Candlelight Concert was held in 1974 when the center was in its early planning stages.

Billed as a “Million Dollar Concert in a Ten-Cent Store,” it was staged in an empty department store.

“This is a magnificent evening and it’s overwhelming to think of how far we’ve come,” center board member Carol Wilken said.

Center Chairman Roger T. Kirwan welcomed guests to the affair. “It has been a great year for the Performing Arts Center,” he said. “From Broadway to ballet to Belafonte . . . the people of Orange County should be proud.”

Guests also included Whitney Mandel; Alan Rypinski; Bob Marshall; Gail Kirwan; Elizabeth and Henry Segerstrom; Jeanette Segerstrom; Judie and George Argyros; Barbara and Mark Johnson; Barbara and Alex Bowie; Mary Roosevelt; Cerise and Larry Feeley; Sheila and Ygal Sonenshine: Tom and Elizabeth Tierney; Susan and Tim Strader; Darrel and Marsha Anderson; Donna and Doug Bunce; and Kent Wilken.

The next night, hundreds of center supporters attended Candlelight Encore--a pre-concert benefit staged before a public performance by Belafonte--and Candlelight Afterglow, where guests sampled desserts after the singer’s performance.

Jan Landstrom was chairwoman of Encore;

Afterglow was chaired by Gretchen Benes.

Black and White Ball

Raising more than $100,000 to help support minority students in the areas of skill development and social responsibility, 100 Black Men of Orange County held its sixth annual Black & White Ball on Sunday at the Hyatt Regency Irvine.

During the black-tie gala, co-chaired by Al Perry and Tony Jackson, 750 guests watched as Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona and representatives of the Irvine Co., UC Irvine and Sage Hill School were recognized for their contributions to educating minorities.

Also honored: Martha Daniel; Connie Jones; Frank and Faye Clark; Johnnie Savoy; and Thomas A. Parham.

T.C. Newman is president of the Orange County chapter of 100 Black Men, which was founded in 1963 by a group of black men in New York and has grown into an international organization with more than 10,000 members.

Information: (949) 623-8423.

New Venue

A topping-off party for the new, Tuscany-inspired St. Regis Monarch Beach hotel--opening next summer in Dana Point--benefited the School of Music at Chapman University in Orange.

A check for $20,000 was presented to Chapman President James L. Doti by hotel developer Paul Makarechian at the recent affair, which featured entertainment by Chapman music students. More than 200 guests sipped bubbly and sampled the hotel’s upscale cuisine: Alaskan king salmon tartar, smoked Maine lobster and Perigord black truffle salad.

The $240-million hotel’s 12,000-square-foot Pacific Ballroom will feature silk-paneled walls, crystal chandeliers, coffered ceilings and seating for 1,000 people. “It’s going to be the largest ballroom on the Orange County coast,” a spokeswoman said.

The neighboring Ritz-Carlton’s main ballroom seats 700.

Stay tuned.

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Ann Conway can be reached at (714) 966-5952 or by e-mail at ann.conway@latimes.com.