A Candlelight Record-Raiser

Breaking records by raising more than $1 million the first night, the Orange County Performing Arts Center celebrated the silver anniversary of its Candlelight Concert with back-to-back weekend benefits.

At Friday’s 25th Candlelight Concert--where single tickets were $2,500 and tables for 10 were priced from $25,000 to $75,000--430 guests enjoyed a private performance by pop icon Tony Bennett and dinner onstage in Segerstrom Hall.

Total proceeds for the center’s education fund: $1.3 million.

At Saturday’s Candlelight Encore--where only individual tickets were sold for $250--150 guests dined in Founders Hall before joining the concert-going public to hear Bennett.

Net proceeds: $15,000.

The rationale for the creation of the new Encore event--which promises to become an annual affair--was “inclusiveness,” explained Barbara Johnson, gala chairwoman of Friday’s black-tie gala at the Costa Mesa center.

“For years, Candlelight has been a very special evening for a lot of people,” Johnson said. “And while we wanted to use the first night to reach our goal of at least $1 million, we also realized we were forgetting some people who had been very important to Orange County’s cultural scene. So we decided to thank them by having an event on a second night.”

Net proceeds from Friday’s benefit--the largest amount of money ever raised by the center at a special event--included “at least $200,000 from new donors and $500,000 from people who are donors, but have increased their gifts for this particular event,” observed Terry Jones, center vice president of development. “At these events, we always ask ourselves: ‘Did we attract new donors? Did the event encourage people to increase their giving?’ ”

Center supporter Jan Landstrom, co-chair with Tom Moon of Saturday’s benefit, said “some center supporters were feeling a little bad” that the Candlelight Concert had gotten so exclusive.

After the center opened in the fall of 1986, for example, nearly 1,400 supporters paid $150 each to attend the Candlelight Concert in the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel.

“They couldn’t comprehend paying $5,000 a couple,” Landstrom said. “But the center is going after new money, and we need to support that. Corporations can come along, pay big bucks and do their holiday entertaining while they support the center.”

*

Bejeweled arts lovers applauded Bennett from orchestra seats Friday as the superstar sang such classics as “Over the Rainbow,” “Rags to Riches,” “People” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

Afterward, under a surprise sprinkle of faux snow, guests took their seats onstage at tables crowned with towering silver candelabra, ringed with white roses and swagged with ropes of pearls.

“This is the greatest presentation I’ve seen at any benefit anywhere in the world--including Buckingham Palace,” Bennett told the crowd. “I’m very proud of you for doing more than I’ve seen anywhere, including Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Everyone in the world should see what’s going on here.”

During his performance, Bennett paid his highest compliment to center philanthropists--who included center Chairman Mark Johnson and founding chairman Henry Segerstrom. He crooned “Fly Me to the Moon” without amplification.

“My sound man told me this hall had perfect acoustics,” Bennett explained backstage after the show. “I only sing without a mike when the sound is right.”

After posing for photographs with members of the gala committee--including gala co-chairwoman Dotti Stillwell and honorary gala producers Judie Argyros and Ronnie Allumbaugh--Bennett joined the crowd for dinner catered by the Four Seasons hotel in Newport Beach.

At Saturday’s dinner in Founders Hall, guests dined on fare catered by Upper Crust in Costa Mesa at tables topped with the same black cloths and white roses used onstage the night before. (The silver candelabra had been tucked away, replaced by white candles.)

The mood of the guests was fresh and enthusiastic, though. “I think this is great,” said Tom Moon, who chaired the first Candlelight Concert at a deserted 10-cent store in Orange in 1974, when the center was still a dream.

“There’s been some talk about this event getting elitist--$5,000 a couple is pretty stiff--but I think Encore has taken the sting out of that,” he said. “This has become one of the major fund-raisers for the center: What else raises a million at one whack? I never dreamed it would grow like this.”