Gala marks Las Vegas Philharmonic’s Smith Center debut
Patrons of the Las Vegas Philharmonic celebrated the orchestra's first performance in its new home at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts on March 24 with a grand opening gala in the Donald W. Reynolds Founders Room. The elegant Founders Room welcomed invited guests for a preshow reception to celebrate the Philharmonic's residency in The Smith Center.
Among the early party arrivals were the Philharmonic's board of directors President and CEO Jeri Crawford with her husband, Rick Crawford, and maestro David Itkin and his brother, Hank Itkin. Also seen were Larry Charlton, Barbara and Randy Boesch, George Cohan, Terrie Bernard, Denise and George Mehocic, CJ and Art Woolston, Patricia and Louis Fink, Toni Carpenter and Bud Pattengale, June Bramble, Tom Gallagher, Rodney Jeu, Marsha and Kent Larson, Jewel Brooks, Brian Land, Caty Crockett, Diane Carlson and William Freyd, Juliana and Matthew McRae.
Wine and Champagne were served along with canapes of tomato tarts, shrimp "shooter" cocktails, smoked salmon on tiny pancakes topped with creme fraiche and caviar, coconut shrimp, blackened chicken satay, spinach and sun-dried tomato with brie on crostini, pulled pork with ginger mustard on flatbread, and mini cheeseburgers.
Seen enjoying the fare were Nancy Danner, Lai Chan, Owen Porterfield, Joyce Mack, Nahed and Sherif Abdou, Madeleine and Don Andress, Donna and Gale Andress, Ellie Hirschfeld, Sandy Peltyn, Wendy and Richard Plaster, Leonard Gross, Gay Goldstein, Mary Lin, Patty and Harry Sax, Angie Biskup, Prisca and David Crawford, George Joseph, Melva James, Jerry Goldberg, Anilde Bennett and Pamela and Douglas Cornford.
The performance was Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C Minor "Resurrection" with guest artists Marie Plette, soprano, and Eugenie Grunewald, mezzo-soprano. The 250-member choir was made up of the Las Vegas Master Singers, UNLV Concert Singers & Chamber Chorale, and Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society.
More concert guests seen were Nancy and John Shepherd, Sue and Leo Borns, Carole and Norman Terry, Patricia and Richard Wright, Mary Hamilton, Keith Boman, Cheryl Purdue, and Siegfried and Annee Nounna.
