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Updated March 15th, 2007
Local Residents Help Pasadena
Symphony Gala Raise $300,000
Melinda and Bernard Francois (left), Courtney and Jeffrey Tolland, and Beth and Rob Hansen were
among the 300 guests who attended the recent Pasadena Symphony gala.
The Pasadena Symphony decided
to “raise the stakes” at its annual
gala fundraiser by offering its more
intrepid supporters a chance to try
their luck at something a bit more
challenging than outbidding their
fellow music lovers on an auction
item. Consequently, more than 300
guests at La Nuit de Jeux spent “The
Night of Games” in 1930s Monte
Carlo in sometimes fierce but invariably
good-natured rivalry at faux
roulette, craps and backgammon
tables.
The gamble more than paid off.
La Nuit de Jeux, which was held at
the California Club courtesy of club
member Alyce Williamson, raised
more than $300,000 to benefit the
Pasadena Symphony’s concerts and
educational outreach programs.
“We’re very grateful that so
many members of the community
chose to support La Nuit de Jeux
this year,” said Co-Chairman
Barbara Steinwedell. “We definitely
drew a winning hand, being part of a
community that is so deeply committed
to the arts.”
Steinwedell’s co-chair, Marian
Cameron, added that the ultimate
winners are music lovers throughout
Southern California. “The success of ‘The Night of Games’ enables
The Pasadena Symphony to continue
to offer the concerts and array of
programs — from the Musical
Circus for families with young
children to jazz at Clazzical Notes
— that our patrons have come to
expect,” she explained.
Guests who preferred to bid
rather than bet at La Nuit De Jeux
were not neglected. As they arrived
at 6:30 p.m., they no sooner took a
sip of a their cocktail or a bite of
hors d’oeuvres than they were
investigating — and battling for —
the tempting assortment of silent
auction items spread before them.
These ranged from a session with
hair-stylist-to-the-stars Cristophe,
to a Lakers suite donated by Avery
Dennison, to a tour for up to 20
people of the Gottfried Helnwein
Gallery hosted by the internationally
known artist himself, to a birthday
party for eight at the Pasadena
Fire Station.
After dinner, the live auction
bidding was equally fervent. Under
the guidance of auctioneer extraordinaire
Stacey Roman — who
stepped in at the last moment for
John Moran of John Moran
Auctioneers, who was unable to
participate in the event due to a
family emergency — guests competed
for such items as a pearl and
pave diamond necklace; a garden
tea for 10 to 20 guests at Judy
Garland’s former home in Beverly
Hills, hosted by Patricia Ward
Kelly, widow of actor Gene Kelly;
dinner for eight prepared by chef
Jim McCradle of Marston’s, one
of Pasadena’s most popular restaurants;
a weeklong trip to Cancun;
and a Mon Atelier couture gown.
“Our thoughts are with John
and his family,” said Christina Fierro, assistant director of development.
“We’re also very grateful
to Stacey for doing such a great
job that the bids kept getting higher
and higher.”
Nevertheless, by far, the
“items” attracting the most attention
throughout the evening were
La Nuit de Jeux’s two very special
honorees, Edith and Jack Roberts.
As they arrived, guests waited
patiently in line to greet the couple
and extend their congratulations.
“The Roberts are greatly
loved,” said Tom O’Connor, executive director of the Pasadena
Symphony. “For more than 30 years,
they have never, not once, turned us
down when we’ve asked for their
support –- whether that involved
attending a performance, contributing
to a fund, offering guidance or
an opinion, or volunteering their
time. I was moved to tears recently
when I saw Edith at a concert. She’d
injured her hip and was forced to use
a wheelchair, but she wasn’t going to
let that keep her from joining us.”
Once guests were seated for dinner,
Linda Krantz, president of the
Board of Directors of the Pasadena
Symphony, formally thanked the
honorees for their staunch commitment
to the orchestra. Jazz vocalist
Sandra Booker, accompanied by
pianist Derrick Finch, then literally
“gave voice” to the sentiments -–
serenading the couple with a swinging
rendition of “Our Love is Here
to Stay.”
La Nuit de Jeux, the Night of Games, concluded with a night of
dancing. In fact, few guests opted to
remain in their seats but took to the
dance floor almost instantly, as Art
Deco and His Society Orchestra performed
tunes ranging from the
Swing Era to the Stones. Sponsoring
the music for the night was longtime
Pasadena Symphony supporter Gerri
Lee Frye.
“It was a magical evening,” said
Linda Krantz, president of the Board
of Directors. “And I’m sure I speak
for everyone there when I say we
wouldn’t have missed the night for
anything. We never forget how fortunate
we are to have an orchestra of
such virtuosic quality right in our
own backyard. The Pasadena
Symphony is the Ace of Diamonds.
It’s a priceless gem. But most of all,
it’s the Ace of Hearts. One hearing,
and you fall in love forever.”
Established in 1928, The
Pasadena Symphony is committed to
providing orchestral performances
of the highest quality and to benefiting
the community through its
music, education and outreach programs.
The Pasadena Symphony
performs monthly, October through April, at the Pasadena Civic
Auditorium, located at 300 East
Green St. in Pasadena. Concerts
begin promptly at 8 p.m., with a free
pre-concert lecture series “Insights”
taking place in the auditorium at 7
p.m. “Music in May” at Thorne
Hall, on the campus of Occidental
College in Eagle Rock, will begin at
3 p.m.
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