Long-standing Supporters Kathryn Vecellio, Monika Preston and Bill Bone Chaired Benefit
(West Palm Beach, Fla.) – Celebrating three decades of artistic excellence, the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts hosted its annual Gala on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Kathryn Vecellio, Monika Preston and Bill Bone were Gala Chairs. Honorary Gala Chairs included past Board Chairs Alexander W. Dreyfoos, William A. Meyer, Jane M. Mitchell, Michael J. Bracci and Jeffrey A. Stoops.
More than 400 Gala guests were welcomed with a pre-performance cocktail reception in the Harris Pre-Function Hall in the Cohen Pavilion followed by a performance from one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters in entertainment, Sarah McLachlan.
McLachlan’s powerhouse vocals took over Dreyfoos Hall while she performed favorites including “Angel,” “Building A Mystery,” “Fallen,” “I Will Remember You,” “Adia,” “Sweet Surrender,” and many others. McLachlan has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Over her career, she has received three Grammy® Awards and twelve Juno Awards and has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. McLachlan also founded the Lilith Fair tour and The Sarah McLachlan Foundation which funds the non-profit Sarah McLachlan School of Music, providing high quality music education and mentorship free to children and youth facing barriers to access.
After the performance, guests made their way for dinner to the Gimelstob Ballroom in the Cohen Pavilion, which was transformed into a chic and glamorous Palm Beach supper club by Lewis Miller Design. Guests stepped into a world that sparkled and glowed. Gilded palm trees flanked the walls, with exquisite mood lighting, maximal rich décor, and a sumptuous color scheme of turquoise blues, emerald greens and shimmery metallics.
Gala guests watched a video tribute that included a special welcome from Kravis Center fan favorite and past Gala performer, David Foster. He thanked and acknowledged the dedication of Gala Chairs Mrs. Vecellio, Mrs. Preston and Mr. Bone. He also announced that every couple attending would be receiving a strand of pearls from Lugano Diamonds. He concluded by recognizing Kravis Center CEO Diane Quinn, and Kravis Center Board Chair Sherry Barrat, then introduced Jashua Sa-Ra, a spoken word poet who entertained the crowd.
For dinner, guests were treated to world-class cuisine from Guy Reuge, Chef Emeritus Senior Advisor and Eddie Michaels, Corporate Executive Chef of Lessing’s Hospitality Group. Reuge was awarded La Toque d’Argent, one of the culinary world’s most prized possessions, as well as ‘Chef of the Year’ by the Maîtres Cuisiniers de France (Society of Master Chefs). The menu included a seafood first course with an entrée of prime filet mignon and pan seared sea bass, and for dessert a 30th Anniversary Curtain Call Sundae. After dinner, guests danced the night away to live music by Marcia Mitchell Music.
Gala sponsors also recognized during the evening were Sondra and David S. Mack, Lugano Diamonds, Tom and Sherry Barrat, Jane M. Mitchell, SBA Communications Corporation / Aggie and Jeff Stoops, Sharyn and Stuart Frankel, Allan and Linda Adelson, Bill Bone & Cynthia Friedman, Irene and Jim Karp, Henni Kessler in memory of John Kessler, Amin J. Khoury, Lessing’s Hospitality Group, Monika and John Preston, John and Jana Scarpa, Diane and John Sculley, Susan and Dom Telesco, Kathryn and Leo Vecellio, Christine and Max G. Ansbacher, Penny and Harold Blumenstein, The Boca Raton, Sandy and Richard Bornstein, Peter and Susan Brockway, Stephen Brown and Jamie Stern, Julie and Peter Cummings, Sherry and Ken Endelson, Caroline Harless, Michelle and Joseph Jacobs, Bill and Marilyn Lane Family Foundation, Jack and Goldie Wolfe Miller Fund, Martha Rodriguez, MD and Jesus Perez-Mendez, MD, Leslie and Thomas A. Rosin, TradeZero, Jill and Bill Wachter, Tiffany & Co. and media support by Palm Beach Illustrated.
The Kravis Center is a not-for-profit performing arts center located at 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach, Fla. The Center’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in Palm Beach County by presenting a diverse schedule of national and international artists and companies of the highest quality, by offering comprehensive arts education programs—serving 3 million students since its inception; by providing a Palm Beach County home for local and regional arts organizations to showcase their work; by being an economic catalyst; and by providing community leadership in West Palm Beach, supporting efforts to increase travel and tourism to Palm Beach County. For general information about the Kravis Center, please visit kravis.org.
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