Candlelight Kickoff Shines at Noguchi’s Sculpture Garden

California Scenario, Isamu Noguchi’s paradigmatic sculpture garden in Costa Mesa, was the dramatic setting for a recent private reception and special performances for Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ (SCFTA) Candlelight Kick-Off. The event celebrated the return of Candlelight Concert, SCFTA’s signature annual fundraiser in the fall.

 

 

For Elizabeth Segerstrom, Co-Managing Partner at South Coast Plaza and this year’s Candlelight Concert Honorary Chair, the venue was especially meaningful. Her late husband, Henry T. Segerstrom, and the Segerstrom family, commissioned California Scenario in 1979 to be built adjacent to the South Coast Plaza campus and Segerstrom Center for the Arts, as part of Henry’s expansive vision to bring together art, culture, philanthropy and commerce in one cosmopolitan epicenter. 

 

 

During the reception, Elizabeth Segerstrom and Candlelight Concert Co-Chairs Carol Perry and Britt Meyer warmly welcomed guests at the sculpture garden.

 

 

Lead sponsorships by Tiffany & Co. and luxury conglomerate LVMH (of which Tiffany & Co. is part) were announced. Both Tiffany & Co. and the LVMH Group have a major retail presence at South Coast Plaza.

 

 

Highlights of the evening included special performances by Benjamin Millepied’s LA Dance Project.

 

 

Dancers performed excerpts from Night Bloom, a new work choreographed by Janie Taylor.

 

 

The performances were adapted to the spacious sections of California Scenario, a garden that evokes California’s unique and diverse landscape, including forests and deserts.

 

 

These were the first performances by a major dance company at the iconic sculpture garden.   

 
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Live music by Brenna Whitaker and her Little Big Band completed the entertainment for the night.