Friday night's Divertimento gala, a benefit for the Grant Park Music Festival, paid tribute to American composer George Gershwin. The festival's artistic and general director, James Palermo, described the fund-raiser as the Orchestral Board's signature event, as well as its most "glitzy and fun."
To help spread the word about Divertimento, event planners devised a marketing tactic that took advantage of the summer weather: They created approximately 5,000 fans printed with the gala's information and passed them out to Grant Park concertgoers starting in early June. Ultimately, the event drew 300 guests, each of whom paid $400 for an evening replete with a concert, sit-down dinner, and dancing.The night began with a free concert in Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavillion, where the gala-goers took ticketed seats amongst the throngs of Chicagoans who turned out to watch the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus perform a 90-minute set of Gershwin's greatest hits. A separate concert entrance for Divertimento guests featured a table stocked with champagne flutes, pretzel rods, and cold bottles of water—all treats that guests could take to their seats.
After the show, gala signage pointed guests toward the dinner tent, which spanned Millennium Park's rooftop terrace. "We wanted to create a stunning environment that would reflect a New York theme," Palermo said of the red, black, and white color scheme he chose with the board.
Big Apple inspiration aside, the evening's passed cocktails—chilled glasses of red and white sangria—hinted at a parallel theme. "We went in an unexpected direction with the dinnertime entertainment," Palermo said of the board's decision to fly in Buenos Aires-based tango band Orquesta Tipica Imperial to perform at the gala. "People may wonder, 'Why have a tango band after a Gershwin concert?' We wanted guests to have fun, and who doesn't love tango? We wanted to create a sensual, light-heated event, and the tango band spruced things up."
While caterers from Jewell Events served a Latin-American-inspired menu of cilantro-topped gazpacho and sliced fillet of beef, performers from local dance company Tango 21 twirled around the dance floor. After dinner, the music took yet another direction as DJs from Personalities Inc. took over the stage, playing a set that defied categorization by hopping from Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" to Abba's "Dancing Queen." A dance instructor encouraged guests to join him on the dance floor, where he led impromptu classes in the "Electric Slide" and other moves.
Throughout the evening, planners carried out fund-raising efforts in traditional (and not-so-traditional) ways: a silent-auction table held 32 lots, and the orchid arrangements that topped each dinner table could each be purchased for a donation of $100.
To help spread the word about Divertimento, event planners devised a marketing tactic that took advantage of the summer weather: They created approximately 5,000 fans printed with the gala's information and passed them out to Grant Park concertgoers starting in early June. Ultimately, the event drew 300 guests, each of whom paid $400 for an evening replete with a concert, sit-down dinner, and dancing.The night began with a free concert in Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavillion, where the gala-goers took ticketed seats amongst the throngs of Chicagoans who turned out to watch the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus perform a 90-minute set of Gershwin's greatest hits. A separate concert entrance for Divertimento guests featured a table stocked with champagne flutes, pretzel rods, and cold bottles of water—all treats that guests could take to their seats.
After the show, gala signage pointed guests toward the dinner tent, which spanned Millennium Park's rooftop terrace. "We wanted to create a stunning environment that would reflect a New York theme," Palermo said of the red, black, and white color scheme he chose with the board.
Big Apple inspiration aside, the evening's passed cocktails—chilled glasses of red and white sangria—hinted at a parallel theme. "We went in an unexpected direction with the dinnertime entertainment," Palermo said of the board's decision to fly in Buenos Aires-based tango band Orquesta Tipica Imperial to perform at the gala. "People may wonder, 'Why have a tango band after a Gershwin concert?' We wanted guests to have fun, and who doesn't love tango? We wanted to create a sensual, light-heated event, and the tango band spruced things up."
While caterers from Jewell Events served a Latin-American-inspired menu of cilantro-topped gazpacho and sliced fillet of beef, performers from local dance company Tango 21 twirled around the dance floor. After dinner, the music took yet another direction as DJs from Personalities Inc. took over the stage, playing a set that defied categorization by hopping from Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" to Abba's "Dancing Queen." A dance instructor encouraged guests to join him on the dance floor, where he led impromptu classes in the "Electric Slide" and other moves.
Throughout the evening, planners carried out fund-raising efforts in traditional (and not-so-traditional) ways: a silent-auction table held 32 lots, and the orchid arrangements that topped each dinner table could each be purchased for a donation of $100.
Divertimento gala
Photo: BizBash
Guests could buy the orchids that sat at each dinner table for $100 each, and all proceeds benefitted the Grant Park Music Festival.
Photo: BizBash
Dinner took place in a tent erected on Millennium Park's rooftop terrace.
Photo: BizBash
The decor's red, white, and black hues reflected a New York theme, while the sangria pitchers that sat on each table underscored the parallel Latin-American theme.
Photo: BizBash
A silent auction table held 32 lots, and prizes ranged from tango lessons to gold earrings and wine baskets.
Photo: BizBash
