On Sunday, following its first concert of the season in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Pacific Chorale welcomed 185 guests to a black-tie dinner in Samueli Theater celebrating John Alexander’s 40th season as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Chorale.
The event not only honored Alexander’s extraordinary contributions, but also brought in net proceeds of $150,000 to benefit Pacific Chorale’s award-winning artistic and community programs.
Guests entered a theater transformed into a French Quarter plaza, complete with iconic street lanterns and Mardi Gras beads, and enjoyed a New Orleans-inspired menu by Patina while Dixieland jazz band The River Rascals played swinging tunes from the balcony. The Black Iris provided the stunning floral centerpieces. Among the surprises in store for Alexander was a specially commissioned work of art by Palm Springs artist Shawn Savage, a thank-you gift from the Chorale’s Board of Directors unveiled during the evening’s proceedings.
Among the attendees were Wayne Brown of the National Endowment for the Arts, Ann Meier Baker of Chorus America, Terry Dwyer of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, John Forsyte and Sally Anderson of Pacific Symphony, former Symphony president Lou Spisto, Dean and Kaly Corey of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Mel Rogers and Maria Hall-Brown of PBS SoCal, and Duain Wolfe of the Chicago Symphony Chorus.
Also, 40th Anniversary Season Sponsors Mary and Phil Lyons, Janice Johnson, Ellie and Mike Gordon, Bill Gillespie, Pacific Chorale Board Chairman Martin Hubbard and wife Margie, concert underwriters Tom and Vina Williams Slattery, Elizabeth and John Stahr, Ruth Ann and John Evans, Margaret Gates, Jan Landstrom, Sharon McNalley, Bonnie and Peter Kremer, and musicians from Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony.
Special guests were all seven surviving members of the original Chorale Board of Directors responsible for hiring John Alexander 40 years ago, who were acknowledged for the great contribution that act had made to Pacific Chorale and to the Orange County artistic community.
Photos by Stan Sholik
- Mike and Karen Carroll.
