Bravo, Segerstrom

COSTA MESA — The crescendo — years of construction, planning, designing and donating — reached its peak Friday night when the doors at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall were opened to ticket holders, including celebrities and the who’s who of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.

“We’re excited to be here; this is the most wonderful thing for Orange County and the community,” said Coto de Caza resident Carole Follman, whose husband is on the performing arts center’s board of directors. “We’re so happy to be here, this is the jewel of the community.”

Anjelica Huston, Dennis Hopper, Cheryl Tiegs and Matthew Lillard joined Newport residents Jim and Patti Edwards, Robert and Carole Follman and Costa Mesa City Councilwoman Katrina Foley posing for photos on the red carpet.

“I feel very excited and honored that Costa Mesa is the home of this spectacular hall,” Foley said, dressed up in a strapless black gown. “This is going to put Costa Mesa on the map for the world for the arts, and it’s thrilling just to be here.”

The gala, which was underwritten by Cartier, was an extravagant social event with champagne, dinner and a sea of bodies mingling outside the center as the sun set.

“Cartier shares the commitment, shares the passion and emotions for the arts,” said Frédéric de Narp, president and chief executive of Cartier, who flew in from New York for the gala. “Congratulations to the [Orange County] Performing Arts Center … and it’s our pleasure to celebrate 25 years of friendship with the Segerstroms.”

Cartier has been a mainstay at South Coast Plaza for a quarter of a century and although she would not say how much the company spent on the gala, Caroline Jones, director of Cartier South Coast Plaza, said it “came from the heart.”

After Friday’s performance with the Pacific Chorale, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra and Plácido Domingo, Don Beall of Corona del Mar was impressed.

“I’ve been in there before, but this is the first time I experienced the acoustics, which seem to me to be really incredible,” he said.

Actor Suzanne Somers echoed Beall’s praise.

“I was transported by the beauty of this building and by the new piece by Plácido and the last piece by Mahler,” Somers said. “It was really inspiring and uplifting, and you should be really proud to have this hall in the community.”

When all the concertgoers had filed out of the new hall, the performing arts center campus erupted in a four-minute fireworks and lights show.

Fireworks were launched from every building at the arts center and cascaded down the walls like a waterfall as guests applauded, screamed and smiled.

Henry Segerstrom and Cesar Pelli sat onstage Friday before the opening-night festivities, gazing up at their creation. Segerstrom reminisced about when representatives from South Coast Repertory and the Orange County Performing Arts Center approached his family about wanting to be located on the site when it was just acres of undeveloped land. Because of the success of both venues, the idea for the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall was born.

“Everybody calls this an overnight success,” he said as he looked around the hall from the stage. “But it was a 17-year overnight success.”

He said he expects all who enter to have a heightened sense of life and art through the music that will echo off the stage.

“This hall has so many purposes; to provide our community the best in classical music, but also it gives us the opportunity to grow our own person because of music,” he said. “It will transform us as individuals; I’m convinced this is going to be a major part of improving our lives.”

Although Segerstrom said he is confident that the hall will be a successful addition to the arts campus, he did feel nervous about the opening night going off without a hitch.

“This is like being onstage,” he said. “If you don’t have a little stage fright, it may not be a good performance.”

The only hitch seemed to be at the dinner, where spinach was substituted for arugula because of a recent recall on bagged spinach.

Orange County Performing Arts Center President Terry Dwyer eagerly anticipated seeing the concert hall filled with people — something he, Pelli and Segerstrom agreed would be the hall’s true test.

“I just can’t wait until I see the building filled with musicians and full of people,” Pelli said. “That’s when I think the building is truly born.”