The Crowd

B.W. Cook

The Pacific Symphony Orchestra has been very busy with back-to-back

events launching its 10th anniversary season in conjunction with the Leo

Freedman Classics Series.

Symphony music director Carl St. Clair was honored last week at a

dinner held at the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel, Costa Mesa, as a

prelude to opening night at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Following the performance, a post-concert dessert reception unfolded

at the wonderful restaurant Gustaf Anders at South Coast Plaza Village.

In the crowd was Janice Smith, president of the PSO League, and a host of

symphony league board members responsible for the classy socializing to

promote community participation in the world of classical music.

Jean Fox, Margaret Gates, Gloria Green, Mary Myan, Marcy Mulville,

Colleen Oglesby, Dorcas Preston, Elaine Vanderpool and Pat Weiss were

among the league members in support of the opening-night dinner

celebration.

Opening night was followed this week with an elegant luncheon at

Pelican Hill, Newport Coast. Special guests were St. Clair, PSO president

Douglas Freeman, vice president and executive director John Forsyte, and

Mark Mandarano, assistant conductor under St. Clair.

The ocean-view clubhouse at Pelican Hill hosted a large contingency of

local movers and shakers, with proceeds from the luncheon benefiting the

children’s musical treasure hunt, a magical part of the Pacific Symphony

Family concerts.

The Village Crean hosts Ballet Montmartre this weekend with a

Saturday-evening gala meant to support the ballet’s community outreach

and scholarship program.

The semiformal evening begins with a no-host bar at sunset on the

Crean estate overlooking the Back Bay. A buffet dinner and silent auction

proceed an evening of entertainment.

Ice Skating champion and 1999 U.S. national silver medalist Naomi Nari

Nam will be one of Ballet Montmartre’s honored guests along with Marat

Daukev, a former principal dancer with the Kirov Ballet. Daukev was

honored with the “People’s Top Artist” award in Russia.

The ballet troupe is also busy readying its popular holiday production

“A Christmas Carol” to be presented this season in the Memorial Hall

Auditorium at Chapman University.

Call (714) 241-7424 for last-minute reservations for the Saturday

evening festivities supporting Ballet Montmartre or for more information

and tickets to the upcoming holiday presentation.

Speaking of holiday productions, the Junior League is in the final

stages of preparation for its very big Christmas event set to debut next

week, with an opening-night gala Oct. 16.

Christmas Company 1999 is being billed as “Holiday at Sea,” with all

events set to unfold on the grounds of the Orange County Fair. This will

be the 24th annual Christmas Company produced by the Junior League. It is

their largest and most important fund-rasier of the year. Capacity crowds

are expected by this season’s chair Linda Colton.

The talented and dedicated local Junior Leaguer is working with Kim

Henderson, Christian Elmajian, Christina Busby, Heidi McLoed, Shelly

Clark, Dianne Allen, Heather Klein, Jennifer Bain, Melinda Pigors, Cindy

Siegle, Kaci Christian, Elizabeth Baber, A.J. Jacobson-Adams, Amy Macuga,

Rachel Stone, Stacia Nadelman, Toni Redman and Margaret Goss to present

the finest Christmas Company to date.

B.W. COOK’S column appears every Thursday and Saturday.

Caption: Tom Tierney is bookended by Twyla Reed Martin, left, and

Karen Van Buren at the recent opening-night gala for the Pacific Craft

Show at the Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach. Thousands of

locals toured the museum throughout the past week to enjoy the works of

dozens of talented artists participating in the show and sale to benefit

the programs of the museum. Also pictured are Lido Isle’s dynamic art

patroness Joan Riach, left, Larry Williams, sponsor of the show

representing South Coast Motor Cars of Mission Viejo and Corona del Mar,

and Fran Bass.