Yo-Yo Ma lends a hand

B.W. COOK

World famous musician Yo-Yo Ma arrived in Newport last week to join

300 guests of the Pacific Symphony.

Organizers called the affair “An Afternoon With Yo-Yo Ma,” in

which the celebrated cellist shared stories of his life over a

luncheon with the Newport-Mesa crowd at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort.

Chaired by Sue Baker, Linda Elftmann and Catherine Emmi, $50,000 was

raised at the event to benefit Pacific Symphony’s music education

programs.

The special day began with a late morning reception attended by

many dedicated community members intent on preserving music education

in the schools. President of the Pacific Symphony League Ina Roth

joined committee members, including Vesta Curry, Ellie Faber, Gloria

Gae Gellman, Kathy Keenan, Jan Landstrom, Nancy Lusk, Lauri

Mendenhall, Jeanne Moriarty and Joan Williams. Also participating

were Elizabeth Stahr, Barbara Trainor, Alissa Wayne, Pat Neisser,

Pilar Wayne Upchurch and Pat Podlich.

Following the luncheon, respected classical music personality Alan

Chapman of radio KUSC-FM, moderated a discussion with Yo-Yo Ma and

the audience. Also on the program were special performances by

student musicians sponsored by the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Founded in 1990 by Janice Johnson and Marcy Mulville, the PSO

League has been dedicated to raising funds in support of Orange

County music education for some 14 years. The crowd, including Gail

Kirwan, Susie Perry, Whitney Mandel, Donna Phelps and Betty Belden

Palmer were delighted by Yo-Yo Ma, 48, who began studying cello at

age 4 with his father in Paris. Yo-Yo Ma moved from Europe to New

York City as a boy, growing up and attending Julliard and later

Harvard University. He has recorded 50 albums, and has received 14

Grammy Awards playing his 1733 Venetian Montagnana cello and his 1712

Davidoff Stradivarius. Most importantly, Yo-Yo Ma joins with local

orchestra supporters in the passionate pursuit of continued music

education and training.

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It was the most successful fundraiser in their history. Raising

$130,000, the Newport Harbor Education Foundation more than doubled

its charitable donations from last year at the annual benefit.

Some 430 Newport-Mesa parents and friends of Newport Harbor High

School converged upon the Balboa Bay Club March 13 to bid on a

massive silent auction and dance until midnight. The successful

evening is being credited to the commitment of co-chairs Cindy

Stokke, Shannon Tarnutzer and Karen Linden.

“This evening is the culmination of a year of work, and the

participation of a very dedicated committee that have made a great

difference,” said Tarnutzer, confiding that her husband, Byron

Tarnutzer, had volunteered her for the co-chair position. The work

paid off. The local crowd, including Bruce and Jill Ayres, Phil and

Shelly Belling, Steve Layton, Rusty Turner and June and Harry

Rawlins, were among the dedicated citizens supporting the Newport

Harbor High School Navigators, the parents group behind the

foundation raising money for the school

Bayshores residents Jim and Katherine Helfrich, founders of the

NHHS Grandparents Club, joined Greg Kelly, foundation president, and

Devon Brooks, a trustee with the Newport Mesa Unified School District

in welcoming educators including Michael Vossen, Newport Harbor High

School Principal Diana Long, Bill Dunlap and Jaimie Castellanos.

Linden organized the silent auction, which helped raise big bucks

for the school. The most glamorous item of the evening was a Duffy

Classic Edition 20-foot electric boat valued at $15,000. Organizers

sold 250 opportunity tickets for the Duffy.

Jeanne Karmack deserves kudos for the creative decor of the

evening. Karmack and crew used a construction theme to decorate the

BBC ballroom. The decor actually had double meaning. An

air-conditioning vent supporting a pot of flowers brought attention

to the fact that Newport Harbor High School is about to undergo a

major remodel. The construction materials also served as a metaphor

of the concept that the people participating are helping to build a

better future for the children in the community. Appropriately, the

party was named “Building a Better Future.”

Spotted in the crowd and on the dance floor were Lido Isle and

Brentwood residents Robin and Tipp Tippett, Debbie and Tom Newmeyer

of Dover Shores, Cassie and Dave Conant, Mary Pat and Kent Lucas and

committee members deserving major congratulations Muffy Nelson, Lisa

Starton, Devon Kelly, Ellen Miller, Kris Mungo, Chris Wilkinson and

Cory Wanamaker of the Philadelphia Wanamakers.

The 11th annual Navigator benefit was underwritten by Laurie

Schalow, Steve Dillon, Stacey and Ron Brower, C.D. Giedt, and a

number of prominent local businesses including Southern Wine and

Spirits, Taco Bell, McCarthy Construction, KPFF Consulting Engineers,

LPA Architecture, and Fundament and Associates, to name a few. Funds

raised will support many programs at the high school, including the

academies, the freshman seminar, the mentoring program, and

Advancement Via Individual Determination. One of the guests summed up

the spirit of the evening best.

“Tonight is like a high school reunion, a major block party and a

big business seminar all rolled into one,” Duffy Duffield said.

Clearly it all made a difference. To contribute to the nonprofit

fund, call Diana Long at (949) 515-6365.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.