Grand Gala turns the big 4-0

Have you ever seen 900 people dressed in formal wear strolling up Wilmington's Market Street en masse?

If not, that means you've never attended the Grand Gala. And if you want to witness it, just be at the corner of Market and 10th streets on Saturday around 9:30 p.m.

The Grand's largest fundraiser of the year will overtake the venerable music hall for a concert this weekend followed by a glitzy see-and-be-seen after-party at the nearby Hotel du Pont.

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It's the 40th edition of the Grand Gala, which raises between $140,000 to $200,000 annually for the theater's arts education programs.

The Grand Gala is the closest thing to the Oscars in Delaware. Politicians and CEOs mingle with artists and art supporters in a party setting that stretches into the early morning.

After attending her first Grand Gala as the new headmaster of Tower Hill School, Elizabeth Speers immediately penned a letter to the editor to The News Journal about her experience: "To live in a city where you can go to an event and meet a corporate leader, the governor and a U.S. senator -- all gracious, down-to-earth and happy to introduce you to others around the room -- is truly unique."

Over the years, The Grand has lured an impressive roster of Grand Gala entertainers to downtown Wilmington, including Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, The Boston Pops, National Symphony Orchestra and Henry Mancini in the '80s; Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach in the '90s; and Aaron Neville, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt and Brian Setzer Orchestra in the years since.

But over the past six years, a new trend has emerged: pairing the Delaware Symphony Orchestra with a national act for a memorable one-time-only joint performance.

In four of the past six years, music director David Amado and the rest of the orchestra have been in the mix starting in 2010 when they teamed up with English rock band Procol Harum for a goosebump-inducing version of "A Whiter Shade of Pale." (Procol Harum did the song again -- clocking in at more than eight minutes long -- later in the night at the Hotel du Pont after-party with Wilmington classic rock cover band Club Phred.)

In the years since, DSO has also teamed up with all-female Irish musical ensemble Celtic Woman and actor/singer Matthew Morrison ("Glee"). This year, former members of English rock group Electric Light Orchestra, who tour as The Orchestra, will perform a set of hits with Delaware's own orchestra.

That's right, DSO is doing ELO.

And it's happening only two months after ELO was named as one of the nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside such acts as Janet Jackson, Pearl Jam, Joan Baez and Tupac Shakur.

Even though Amado cannot attend this year due to a previous commitment, he says the Grand Gala concerts are a unique opportunity to play different music with nationally known acts.

And there's one other bonus -- expanding their own fanbase. "It brings us in front of an audience that might not normally come to hear what the Delaware Symphony Orchestra does on a regular basis. It's great exposure for us," Amado adds.

In recent years, The Grand has added a couple of smaller one-off fundraisers with tickets that are not quite as expensive as one to the Grand Gala, which will run you $195 to $500.

In 2014, they hosted the Western-themed Downtown Hoedown and in June, Grand supporters dined at the outdoor Market by Moonlight dinner. Together they brought in around $25,000, says Meredith McAloon, The Grand's director of development.

Mark Fields, executive director of The Grand, says, "We want to diversify and we need to diversify. Not everybody is interested in the kind of event that the gala has established itself as. So we're always looking for alternative events."

Even so, the Grand Gala will remain the theater's lifeblood.

It draws between 750 and 1,000 people each year and helps fund education programs like Arts Academy at The Grand, which offers discounted individual and group instruction and financial aid for those in need. The Grand's Stages of Discovery program is also funded by the Gala, hosting matinees for preschool to eighth-grade students, which, for some, is their first interaction with live performance.

The first Gala was held in 1978, but they doubled up on the celebrations on two occasions, making this the 40th.

Each Gala follows a similar format. First comes the introduction and 75-minute concert at The Grand. Soon after, the crowd grabs their coats and walk two blocks north to Hotel du Pont, where the Gala overtakes all public space with five mini parties, filling spots like the Gold Ballroom and the du Barry Room with bands, booze and food.

A community member is honored each year at the Gala and this year it is outgoing Gov. Jack Markell and his wife, Carla. They are being singled out for their support of the arts, which includes the 2013 formation of the Delaware Arts Trust Fund and investing in cultural institutions.

"Our annual support from the state grew from around $100,000 to just short of $300,000 per year because of that. That's pretty impactful," says Fields, in his 10th year with The Grand.

This year's Grand Gala, which celebrates four decades of fundraising, will be filled with nostalgia. Staff have been raiding archives for old photos of The Grand, paying extra attention to the early '70s when the theater was renovated and restored, re-opening in 1973.

It came only a few years after the National Guard patrolled Wilmington's streets following riots that were sparked by the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968.

"With the advantage of history looking back, we can appreciate what a kind of crazy idea it was to renovate this theater in downtown Wilmington in the 1970s," Fields says. "Downtown was a very different place than it is now. And I'm really gratified that The Grand has been a part of this slow-but-steady march towards revitalizing downtown."

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

IF YOU GO

What: Grand Gala with The Orchestra

When: Saturday, 8 p.m.

Where: The Grand, 818 N. Market St., Wilmington

Cost: $195-$500

Information and tickets: thegrandwilmington.org

OVER THE YEARS: GRAND GALA'S ENTERTAINMENT

1978, The Boston Pops

1979, Victor Borge

1980, Beverly Sills

1981, Ella Fitzgerald with Count Basie and His Orchestra

1982, The Boston Pops with Roberta Peters

1983, National Symphony Orchestra

1984, Henry Mancini

1985, Shirley Jones and Bobby Short

1986, Miss Leontyne Price

1987, Winter Carnival

1988, David Brenner

1989, Rudolf Nureyev

1990, Forbidden Broadway

1991, Michael Feinstein

1992, Dudley Moore

1993, Tony Bennett

1994, Tommy Tune

1995, Paul Anka

1996, Mel Torme

1997, Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach

1998, Marvin Hamlisch

1999, Betty Buckley

2000, Tony Bennett

2001, Johnny Mathis

2002, The Irish Tenors

2003, Aaron Neville

2004, Michael Feinstein and Smokey Robinson

2005, Bonnie Raitt

2006, Bill Cosby

2007, Linda Ronstadt

2008, The Fab Faux

2009, Brian Setzer Orchestra

2010, Procol Harum with Delaware Symphony Orchestra and OperaDelaware

2011, The Midtown Men

2012, Pink Martini

2013, Matthew Morrison with Delaware Symphony Orchestra

2014, The Fab Faux

2015, Celtic Woman with Delaware Symphony Orchestra

2016, The Orchestra starring former members of Electric Light Orchestra featuring musicians from Delaware Symphony Orchestra

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).