Much Music

Live entertainment was a given at the Washington Performing Arts Society’s annual benefit on Saturday night at the Marriott Wardman Park. After all, the organization brings artists such as Joshua Bell and Wynton Marsalis to the D.C. area, while encouraging arts education in local schools. But the 640 guests may have been surprised at just how much was on the program, as opposed to previous years. “We’ve never had as much performance at the gala as we did this year," said Barbara Blauhut, the society’s director of special events.

Blauhut juggled a roster with five separate groups, including Mix, a California electronica music and silver-clad dance troupe; the Children of the Gospel Choir; and—the evening’s guest artist—pianist Yuja Wang. Working with gala co-chairs Annie Totah and Carolyn Ross Wilson, Blauhut opted for more casual decor, transforming the predinner silent-auction space into a Mexican street fair in honor of the evening’s honorary diplomatic patrons, Mexican ambassador Arturo Sarukhan and his wife, Véronica Valencia-Sarukhan. “We wanted it to feel fun and festive, and not too fancy,” Blauhut said.Items on loan from the Mexican embassy—including paper flags, ceramic skulls used to commemorate the Day of the Dead, and bananas, dried chiles, and other staples of a Mexican market—accented the silent-auction area, in addition to arrangements of sunflowers and birds of paradise from Encore Décor. Hors d’oeuvres from the Marriott included chicken empanadas and quesadillas and made-to-order tacos.

For the dinner reception, the ballroom decor focused on Spanish influences on Mexico. Hargrove dressed the stage with giant rosette-shaped designs reminiscent of Islamic metalwork, while a backdrop at the rear of the room mirrored the motifs with lavender gobo projections on sheer drapery.

As the program rolled on, the guests continued their Mexican sampling, with skewered chicken in a creamy tomatillo sauce, grilled shrimp presented in a shot glass of tomato and tequila sauce, a rack of lamb accompanied by yellow rice, and a piña colada parfait presented in a dark chocolate cylinder.