The Crowd: Lighting a candle for the new year

In the O.C. at holiday time, the grandest gala of them all is arguably the Candlelight Concert benefiting the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Celebrating 41 seasons this year, the event raised $1.9 million in support of center arts and education programs.

The Dec. 6 evening also recognized the unparalleled contributions of Judith O’Dea Morr, the center’s executive vice president who is celebrating her 30th anniversary with the arts organization. Center board Chairman Lawrence Higby announced the renaming of the center’s Founders Hall as the Judy Morr Theatre.

“We hope that Judy will continue to work her magic for many years to come, but with this name change, we know that Judy will always be an unforgettable presence here at the center,” Higby said. The Judy Morr Theatre, among other performance presentations, is slated to be the new center of the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School of dance.

Candlelight 2014, co-chaired by Shanaz and Jack Langson, took on a decidedly art deco theme. Party designers brought the O.C. social crowd back to the glory days of the sophisticated supper clubs when crooners fronted amazing orchestras performing for diners who also wanted to dance the night away. Inspired by the Frank Sinatra Centennial on Dec. 12, when the legendary 20th century entertainer would have turned 100, the Langson team and center executives enlisted the talent of Frank Sinatra Jr. and his 37-piece orchestra.

As the black-tie crowd arrived in Segerstrom Hall, they found themselves in a deco-inspired ballroom as Sinatra performed classic melodies from the great American songbook. A marvelous Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar, courtesy of major center benefactors Betty and S.L. Huang, lifted spirits as VIP guests gravitated toward Sinatra and the dance floor before being seated for dinner.

Fashionable revelers dancing cheek to cheek were Twyla and Chuck Martin, Tracy and Roger Kirwan, Rebecca and Carl MacLarand, Kathy and Cliff Fleming, Zee Allred and Drago Gligic, Eve and Michael Ruffatto and Patti and Jim Edwards.

A dinner worthy of major bragging rights from the Patina Group began with a service of buratta cheese agnolotti and Maine lobster in a vodka crème sauce. Rombauer Chardonnay flowed courtesy of the Langsons. The crowd was seated at tables on tiered levels, with the Segerstrom Hall seats removed, creating the Sinatra Jr. nightclub experience.

Sharing dinner conversation were SCFTA patrons JoAnn and Anthony Fanticola, Melissa and Cyrus Arman, Steve and Cindy Fry, and Higby and his wife, Dee. Trish and John O’Donnell, Pat and Bill Podlich, and Joyce and Thomas Tucker were all front and center for the annual center extravaganza.

Dinner was interspersed with passionate remarks from the Langsons, who joined center President Terrence Dwyer and Higby in extolling the remarkable growth of the cornerstone of O.C. culture. As the main course of sliced chateaubriand in red wine sauce paired with John Dory filet was plated and served, major donors were applauded, including Elizabeth and Henry Segerstrom, Jane and Jim Driscoll, Roberta and Howard Ahmanson, Toni and John Ginger, Nancy and Rick Muth, and General William and Willa Dean Lyon.

Others lauded included Sally and Randy Crockett, Suki and Randy McCardle, Deborah and Larry Bridges, and Jana and David Troob. Major corporate sponsorship for the evening came from KIA and Versace, with additional significant underwriting from the Huangs, Angela and James Hau, Linda Young and Elite O.C. Productions, Patina Restaurant Group, South Coast Plaza, the Langsons and family members including Diana, Melissa and Cyrus Arman.

The party flowed seamlessly as dinner service concluded and the second act of entertainment came on stage. Super Diamond, a Neil Diamond tribute band, raised the energy level in the ballroom as guests left their tables for the dance floor. A dessert truffle bar, courtesy of Linda and Burton Young, tempted those with a midnight sweet tooth.

Supporting the center, and celebrating the final days of 2014 in style, were Ellie and Mike Gordon, Ginger and Tony Allen, Michelle and David Horowitz, Barbara and Mark Chapin Johnson, Carol and Kent Wilken, Harriet and Sandy Sandhu, Marta and Raj Bhathal, and Kelly and James Mazzo.

Wishing all Daily Pilot readers a healthy, happy and prosperous new year.

THE CROWD runs Fridays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.