When Cinderella found her Prince Charming, it was ta-ta to raggedy clothes, scrubbing floors and a crabby stepmother. The Colorado Symphony has lived its version of the fairytale classic, then trumpeted its success proudly and profitably with the Cinderella Ball benefit.
But how many times can one group celebrate the same thing? Oh, maybe four or five. Then patrons expect a twist.
So the staff and volunteers planning the orchestra’s biggest fundraising event decided it was time for the Cinderella Ball to take a hike.
First, they changed the name to the Symphony Ball, adding the tagline The Jewels of Spring when Tiffany & Co. came aboard as a major sponsor.
And, instead of a dance band, there was top-flight entertainment, the Grammy-nominated Eroica Trio.
Frontier Airlines CEO Jeff Potter and his wife, Kelly, accepted the bid to chair. “We are thrilled about the changes that have been made to this year’s event as they truly reflect the growing presence and importance of the Colorado Symphony in this region,’ he said.
Not that there was anything wrong with the Cinderella Ball. It raised lots of money and then-chair Mary Rossick Kern’s idea of asking female guests to wear tiaras was both unique and popular.
Kern and her husband, Jerry, who also chair the CSO board, remain involved in the gala, as does almost everyone else who had served on a Cinderella Ball committee.
But end-of-the-night statistics indicate the new direction paid off handsomely. Attendance, which had dropped off dramatically each year, was up to 400. The gross profit for 2005 was $500,000 – a $120,000 increase over 2004. Twenty new and/or upgraded tables were sold and the 100 Tiffany Blue Boxes, containing gifts that included an Atlas watch, an 18-karat gold bracelet and champagne flutes, sold out in less than an hour and the jewelry firm donated the $10,000 that was raised to the CSO.
The social hour, which Tiffany hosted, teemed with beautiful people, including Mayor John Hickenlooper, who stopped by en route to the Denver Health Gala, Triumph Over Challenge.
Hickenlooper, who just had been named one of America’s top five mayors by Time magazine, was honorary chairman of the Denver Health benefit with his wife, Helen Thorpe.
The dining room at the Westin Tabor Center was decorated in bright jewel colors. Dinner was lobster bisque and filet mignon and the emcees were CBS 4 anchors Molly Hughes and Ed Greene, who introduced the recipient of the Jeff Bradley Award for Young Musicians, pianist Quinghua Shine-Shine Lao, a native of China and junior at Fairview High School in Boulder. She performed Transcendental Etude No. 10 in F minor by Franz Liszt.
Proceeds from the ball go to CSO education programs.
This and that
Who will entertain at the 2005 Children’s Hospital Gala? The big reveal comes on Tuesday when chaircouple David and Bonnie Mandarich welcome key supporters at a 5:30 p.m. kickoff held at Elway’s in Cherry Creek. They also will announce John and Nancy Sevo and Carl and Carol Vogel will be the dinner coordinators, while Beth Hornstein and Katy Traeger will be in charge of the auction. Corporate support will be mustered by Lee and Debbi Alpert, Steve and Cindy Farber, Mike and Patty Imhoff, Walter and Christie Isenberg, and Scott and Virginia Reiman … Oilman Michael Smith and his wife, Iris, return to Denver on Thursday for a ceremony that signals the start of construction on the Iris and Michael Smith Clinics and Laboratories at National Jewish Medical and Research Center. They gave $5 million toward the building’s cost … At 6 p.m. that evening, Inner City Health Center presents Salsa & Soul, a “best-of-both-worlds’ party at the Walnut Foundry Event Center. Brad Benson, an attorney and new member of the ICHC board, is the honorary chairman and notes that festivities begin with margaritas, Latin cuisine and dance instruction by musician Manuel Molina. At 7:30, the mood
and set changes to the soul portion with music by the Hazel Miller Band, soul food and mojitos from Purple Onion Catering, plus the opportunity to win a trip for two to Puerto Vallarta, donated by Cruises, Tours and More. Tickets are $30; call Chandra at 303-291-3729 or visit www.blacktie-colorado.com.
Society editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-820-1314 or jmdpost@aol.com.
