Romance of the Mission Benefit Gala

Mission San Juan Capistrano will present its Romance of the Mission benefit gala on Friday, September 20 featuring Grammy Award winning producer and vocalist Steve Tyrell. Carol and Don Dorkowski will be honored for their extensive support and commitment to Mission San Juan Capistrano preservation efforts. Held on the historic grounds of Mission San Juan Capistrano, Tyrell will perform an intimate concert of his popular jazz standards in the Ruins of The Great Stone Church.

Considered the ultimate Renaissance man, Steve Tyrell’s breakthrough performances in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride II helped reinvent and popularize classic pop standards for modern-day audiences. Tyrell has achieved success as a singer, songwriter, producer and music supervisor in nearly five decades. All nine of his American Standards albums have achieved top five status on Billboard’s Jazz charts.

Tyrell’s work in the studio as a record producer has included collaborations with legendary artists including Rod Stewart (Tyrell received the Grammy Award as producer of Stewart’s Great American Songbook Vol. III), Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Bonnie Raitt, Mary J. Blige, Chris Botti, Burt Bacharach and Stevie Wonder.

Carol and Don Dorkowski are devoted to Mission San Juan Capistrano and the couple have long supported Mission events with family and friends. Don serves on the Mission Preservation Foundation Board of Directors and frequently represents the board at Mission events. A member of El Viaje de Portolá, Don taught high school English for thirty-five years and went on to officiate collegiate and NFL football games including Super Bowl XXXII. A Pasadena native, Carol works in the family’s global pump part supplier business and supports a variety of humanitarian causes.

The all-inclusive evening begins at 6:00 p.m. with an opening reception in the Mission’s Front Gardens followed by the honoree recognition, concert, traditional bell ringing and candlelight dinner in the Central Courtyard. Long-time community partner, The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, will generously host and serve the four-course plated meal while Rogers Gardens of Newport Beach will donate floral design services and decor.