A Night With the Stars Under the Stars at the Pageant of the Masters a Great Success

LAGUNA BEACH, CA--(Marketwired - Sep 11, 2014) - On August 23rd, seven-time Grammy® award winner and music legend Al Jarreau performed during one of the most momentous nights of the summer art season: The Celebrity Benefit Concert and Pageant at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts. Al Jarreau performed to nearly 3,000 fans on the Festival of Arts center green. "It was a spectacular concert," said Special Events Director Susan Davis. "The fans loved it!" Guests also enjoyed a private showing of the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show.

Al Jarreau's innovative musical expressions have made him one of the most exciting and critically acclaimed performers of our time with seven Grammy® Awards, scores of international music awards and popular accolades worldwide. Jarreau is only the second artist -- Michael Jackson was the first -- to win Grammy Awards in the jazz, pop and R&B categories. And he has done so because of his unerring ability to bring authenticity to each of those styles. One of Jarreau's most commercially successful albums is Breakin' Away (1981), which includes the hit song "We're In This Love Together." He wrote and performed the Grammy-nominated theme to the 1980s American television show Moonlighting. Among other things, he is well known for his scat singing and the ability to imitate conventional guitar, bass, and percussive instrumentation.

After the concert, guests proceeded to the Irvine Bowl to enjoy a special performance of the Pageant of the Masters hosted by Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster, A.J. Cook, and Matthew Gray Gubler of the hit TV show Criminal Minds.

Following a short skit highlighting the Pageant of the Masters volunteers, the cast of Criminal Minds then pulled the winning tickets for the three raffle prizes. The Hawaiian Getaway at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua in Maui, including airfare for two compliments of KOST Radio 103.5 was Hank Kurtz and Lynn Erwin from Carlsbad. The winner of the Tanzanite & Moonstone earrings designed by Lugano Diamonds was Ginger Thomas. And the lucky winner of the 2014 Mazda6 GT was Bill Larsen from Ocean View, Delaware. The evening concluded with a captivating performance of the critically acclaimed Pageant of the Masters production of "The Art Detective."

The gala event grossed approximately $250,000 for future arts programming and the Building Fund for improvements of the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters facility. Festival of Arts President Fred Sattler thanked the sponsors of the event and also the patrons. "It is through the support of tens of thousands of people, just like you, that our juried art exhibit, higher education scholarships, art education programs and the many additional activities that support this community are made possible," Sattler said.

Also in attendance were many other celebrity guests including Melissa Biggs, Kathleen Bradley, Gordon Clapp, Roger Clark, Clifton Collins Jr., Milena Govich, Robert David Hall, Jon Huertas, Gregory Itzin, Richard Karn, Joshua Malina, Jerry Mathers, Donna Mills, Dr. Andrew Ordon, Geoff Pierson, Dallas Raines, Charles Shaughnessy, Mia St. John, and Larry Wilcox.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL OF ARTS FINE ART SHOW

As one of the nation's oldest and most highly acclaimed juried fine art shows, the Festival of Arts features the artwork of 140 award-winning artists. Patrons may enjoy the work of exhibiting artists, demonstrations and art workshops, daily art tours, live music, special events, on-site restaurants and much more. For a full listing of events, visit LagunaFestivalofArts.org.