Press Releases
San Clemente, CA – Casa Classic: An Evening with Ivan Rutherford hit a high mark for the cultural center on Friday, March 24, 2017. The black tie dinner, which obtains critical funding for Casa Romantica’s year-round cultural programs, raised in excess of $25,000 from ticket sales and a live auction.
“Having Broadway star Ivan Rutherford in this intimate setting is something you can only experience at Casa Romantica,” says Casa Romantica Executive Director Berenika Schmitz. “The generosity of our audience is strong evidence of how passionate South Orange County residents are about bringing high-caliber artistic programming to our community and to our children.”
An Evening with Ivan Rutherford was chaired and underwritten by Mr. and Mrs. Standiford and Noel Cahan Helm. “Casa Romantica does a remarkable job of bringing artists and musicians from the international stage, such as Ivan Rutherford, to encourage creativity in our local community,” said Mrs. Helm, who is on the Board of Trustees at Casa Romantica. Dr. Standiford Helm is the Medical Director of the Helm Center for Pain Management.
The intimate fundraiser, limited to 100 guests, completely sold out two months in advance. The event has sold out every year for the past three consecutive years since its inception. Casa Romantica Executive Director Berenika Schmitz and Board president Ruth DeNault greeted guests at the entrance, where they were given event programs with bid cards and ushered to either the main reception on the Ocean Terrace or the VIP reception in the Art Gallery. Honorary Chairs Dr. Standiford Helm and Mrs. Noel Cahan Helm greeted guests inside the VIP reception, where bartenders from Iva Lee’s Catering poured French 75 cocktails.
Notable guests included Casa Romantica Board members Scot Proud, Dave Westendorf, Anthony Iorio, John Wohlfiel, and Maggie Chang, as well as former Board president Dr. Ron Redmond. Proud is the VP and Branch Manager of Farmers & Merchants Bank in San Clemente, Westendorf is the owner of Westendorf Produce, Iorio recently retired from his post as a VP with Capitol Group, and Wohlfiel is the VP of Human Resources at Fuidmaster. Chang, a former healthcare marketing executive, is the Honorary Chair of the upcoming Mary Colby Tea fundraiser. Dr. Redmond is the CEO of Redmond Orthodontics. Other notable guests included Forrest and Jean Reynard, the owners of Reynard Corporation; Ed L. Chang, the Co-founder and VP of Avenu Medical, Dr. Richard Swensson, the Medical Director of Pediatric Cardiology at Pacific Cardiovascular Associates; Mr. Joseph Holsinger, a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch, and Hal Higgins and Gayle Pereira, longtime supporters of Casa Romantica. Fluidmaster, which underwrites the Casa Classic program as a whole, had a table in the VIP section. In addition, the Orange County Center for Oral Surgery and Dental Implants purchased three tables for their staff of doctors.
Casa Classic: An Evening with Ivan Rutherford supports performing arts and cultural programs for people of all ages in Orange County, as well as free year-round arts education programs for children. The cabaret-style evening featured a live performance by Rutherford along with a catered dinner from Iva Lee’s Catering, fine wine, and a live auction. Rutherford’s performance was lively, animated, and pitch-perfect. He punctuated each song with witty anecdotes about his Broadway career and the stars he’d met along the way.
The tables were decorated in midnight-blue sequined cloths from Signature Party Rentals with gold and white floral centerpieces by floral partner Lynne Lucente Floral Designs, while DJ Todd of Epic Sound & Lighting donated the use of shimmering lighting effects. Amber Miller of Jim Kennedy Photographers documented the event and attendees.
Auctioneer Vincent Sapien led a bullish live auction with seven high-value prizes including a Caribbean cruise from Holland America, a Wellness Membership to the exclusive Club at Monarch Beach Resort, tickets to the Pacific Symphony with dinner at the Center Club and round-trip limo service, an all-expenses-paid weekend Porsche rental from Porsche of Newport Beach, two wine and cigar packages valued at over $1,000 apiece, and a private dinner party at Casa Romantica.
“This is truly one of the best fundraisers Casa Romantica has ever had, said Jean Reynard, who won the Holland America tropical cruise with her husband Forrest. “I don’t know how it could possibly get any better.”
About Ivan Rutherford
Ivan Rutherford has performed the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables over 2,300 times on Broadway and national tours. He was nominated for Best Actor for his role, Jean Valjean, at the First Annual National Broadway Theatre Awards. The Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post have praised him “as an actor who handles [roles] with assurance and cherubic countenance.”
Rutherford has played major roles in other productions such as The Caliph in Kismet, Tony in Westside Story, Lt. Joe Cable in South Pacific, and Officer Charles Lightoller in the Broadway production of Titanic. He is known for his mastery of musical and jazz standards in his popular one-man performances, for which he now tours nationally.
About the Casa Classic series
Casa Romantica’s Casa Classic performance series features the work of internationally-recognized artists. Recent artists have included Garrick Ohlsson, an award-winning classical pianist; Ann Hampton Callaway, a multi-platinum-selling singer; and the Christ Church Cathedral Choir from Oxford University.
An Evening with Ivan Rutherford is Friday, March 24, 2017 from 6:00 PM until 10:00 PM at Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens. General admission is $165 and includes dinner and fine wine. VIP admission is $250 and includes an exclusive Meet-the-Artist champagne reception. A live auction will follow Rutherford’s performance.
About Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and is the historic home of the founder of the City of San Clemente. Casa Romantica provides programs for all ages in arts, music, history, and horticulture and is a premier Southern California cultural center. https://www.casaromantica.org
