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Ravinia Festival Gala
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The cocktail reception tent.
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The Women’s Board of Ravinia hosted the festival’s annual Gala Benefit Evening on Saturday, July 19. The celebrated star, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, who made international television history by singing at the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ravinia Music director James Conlon in a program featuring works by Verdi, R. Strauss, Schreker, Canteloube, Bizet, Puccini and Cilea.
This special black-tie event began with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the north lawn at
5 p.m., followed by the concert at 7 p.m., which proceeded without intermission. Immediately following the performance, an elegant dinner was served in the Gala Marquee. The cocktail reception sponsor was BMO Capital Markets and the dinner sponsor was Aon Corporation. The concert was sponsored by Howard A. Stotler. There were approximately 1,000 guests in attendance at the sold-out Gala dinner, and the evening, the only performance fund-raiser benefiting America’s oldest not-for-profit music festival, including its education and community partnership initiatives, raised approximately $1.2 million.
The 2008 Gala Benefit Evening was overseen by the Women’s Board committee headed by Gala co-chairmen Bobbie Besant Denison and Claudia Stewart Lane, which has worked for an entire year planning this event. Mrs. John E. Van Horn and Betsey N. Pinkert served as the Gala Benefactor co-chairmen and Lucy Minor and Joseph Gregoire served as the Trustee Benefactor
co-chairmen. Jane D. Casper is the Women’s Board chairman.
The festive Gala Marquee tent featured opulent décor created by Kehoe Designs. When strolling into the tent, guests were transported into a sophisticated environment, inspired by old world France, evocative of opera at its grandest. Each table featured ivory dinnerware with gold banding accompanied by French stemware and were dressed in gold linens with red napkins surrounded by gold chivari chairs. Each table featured a dramatic urn centerpiece filled with belle rouge roses, red orchids and garlands of smilax accented with red tea roses surrounded by floating and votive candles. The interior of the tent also featured fluid gold Lamoure and red draping with antique map sphere accents.
The elegant gourmet dinner, catered by Jewell Events Catering, began with an amuse bouche of Lady Smith apple filled with lemon-dill dip and fresh summer crudités. The first course was a kaffir lime soy glazed grilled salmon filet on lime-scented wilted baby spinach, featuring a crisp angel hair sweet potato and bouquet of gourmet greens in a pear collar with sherry vinaigrette. The entrée featured grilled filet of beef set on a panko crusted roasted potato cake with a Cabernet sauce as well as jumbo shrimp scampi tossed with roasted red pepper confetti. The entrée was accompanied by asparagus spears and sautéed baby vegetables. Baskets of asparagus pastry twists, zucchini muffins, red hen rolls, roasted tomato bread and cheddar lavosh were also served. Individual baked Alaska consisting of chocolate fudge cake, frozen vanilla yogurt and meringue were served for dessert along with raspberry coulis, strawberries, blueberries and peaches with a dark semisweet chocolate sauce. A cheese course featuring pecorino Romano, Gorgonzola dolce and St. Andres triple crème ended the evening along with wine generously provided by Terlato Wines International.
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Ravinia Music director James Conlon and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.
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Gala co-chairs Claudia Lane and Bobbie Denison.
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Joseph Gregoire, Trustee Benefactor co-chair and Claire Gregoire.
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Dale Pinkert; Betsey Pinkert, Gala Benefactor co-chair; Welz Kauffman, Ravinia president and CEO.
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David Casper of BMO Capital Markets and Jane Casper, Ravinia Women's Board chair.
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Mamie Case and Greg Case, president and CEO of Aon Corporation.
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Kathy Ingraham, Ravinia Associates president and James Jacobson.
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Lester and Renee Crown.
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Jennifer Ringo Conlon.
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Rob and Anne Krebs.
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Dolores Kohl Kaplan.
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Victoria Appel.
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Anne and Alan Lerner.
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Paul and Susan Lovejoy.
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Mary Hoppe.
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Ann Mastrapa.
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Fran Maher and John Edwardson.
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Katherine and John Bueller.
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Audrey Rubinstein.
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Paul and Susan Lovejoy.
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Neela Seenandan and Jason Hanold.
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Toni-Marie Montgomery and Raymond Tymas-Jones.
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Ana Silva.
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Dr. Maria Ashley.
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Sara Pfaff.
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Julie Denison.
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The festive Gala Marquee tent.
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Each table featured ivory dinnerware with gold banding accompanied by French stemware and were dressed in gold linens with red napkins surrounded by gold chivari chairs.
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| Photos:
Images 27, 28: Patrick Gipson. All other images by Julie Skarratt. |
