It’s not often that you get to sit out in the middle of the street on a hot summer night and hear world-class music. That’s how the Rodeo Drive Festival of Watches & Jewelry kicked off Sunday night, with an incredible private concert by Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Chris Botti and his band.
Genlux Magazine sponsored the event, which began with a private party in the penthouse of the Luxe Hotel before guests migrated down to the asphalt to take their seats in front of the stage that had been erected in the 300 block of one of the world’s premier shopping streets.
Botti, the world’s largest selling jazz instrumentalist, thus brought his soaring sound to the street in a performance that ran well over an hour and filled the night air with the sweet sounds of his musical artistry.
In between numbers, he told stories of some of his favorite performances including one of doing the Star-Spangled Banner in freezing cold temperatures when his horn nearly froze.
The trumpeter has performed and recorded with renowned musicians including Sting, Yo-Yo Ma, Tony Bennett, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli, Joni Mitchell, Vince Gill, Herbie Hancock, Mark Knopfler, Steven Tyler, Gladys Knight, Lady Gaga, Joshua Bell and John Mayer and played with many of the world’s top symphonies at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and the Sydney Opera House.
After the show, Botti and his band, Billy Kilson, George Komsky, Ben Butler, Andrew Ezrin, Caroline Campbell, Richie Goods, Sy Smith and Taylor Eigsti joined revelers at the Luxe to close out a splendid evening.
The festival, in its second year, goes on all week. A highlight will be an open house that takes place Thursday, September 18th from 6-8 p.m. along Rodeo Drive.
“Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, we decided to expand this year’s celebration to include jewelry,” says event chair Adrienne Lee. “With the impressive selection of fine timepieces and exquisite jewels on the street, the collections that will be featured throughout the week will represent Rodeo Drive’s unrivaled reputation of offering some of the world’s best timepieces and jewelry.”
Highlights of the Rodeo Drive Festival of Watches & Jewelry open house event on Sept. 18 will include, Freywille’s boutique launch of its new collection in a recreation of Monet’s garden, inspired by the new collection’s design. An accompanying art exhibition by a local impressionist painter, a display of vintage Freywille designs from the company’s founder, live music and refreshments will complete the evening’s celebration at the boutique.
“The Rodeo Drive Festival of Watches & Jewelry event is a wonderful opportunity for our members to showcase what makes Rodeo Drive such a distinguished shopping destination,” says Mark Tronstein, President of the Rodeo Drive Committee. “The open house on the evening of Sept. 18 will create a celebratory feeling all along the street with more than ten different boutique events ranging from refreshments to a golf putting challenge at Richard Mille and a photo booth for guests at Westime.”
The Rodeo Drive Festival of Watches & Jewelry will also feature events at numerous retailers all week long. Bulgari will debut Lvcea, the newest launch of ladies timepieces as well as feature a special selection of men’s watches from the Octo collection and exclusive Grande and Petit Complication watches. At Mikimoto, The Tournament of Roses Crown will be on display, while the Mikimoto Four Seasons Collection – Spring Ring will be in the spotlight.
Special guests and celebrity editions of selected timepieces will be featured throughout the week. Porsche Design will feature the Porsche Design Dempsy Racing Limited Edition timepiece, which includes the box signed by Patrick Dempsy.
Richard Mille Beverly Hills will showcase two celebrity timepieces, including the RM 38-01 Tourbillon G sensor Bubba Watson and the RM 19-01 Tourbillonn Natalie Portman. Jason of Beverly Hills will debut their new timepiece with the company’s CEO Jason Aasheben.
Participants in the Rodeo Drive Festival of Watches & Jewelry include Breguet, Cartier, Harry Winston, Jason of Beverly Hills, Porsche Design, Vacheron Constantin, and Van Cleef & Arpels. The event is sponsored by Bulgari, Freywille, Patek Phillipe presented by Gearys Beverly Hills, Hublot Beverly Hills, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Richard Mille Beverly Hills, Tourbillon Boutique, Westime Beverly Hills, and Mikimoto. Media partners include the Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Genlux Magazine, iW Magazine and The Beverly Hills Courier.
