Mercury Orchestra Blasts Off, with Fun Retro-Space-Age Gala and Supporters Like Lynn Wyatt

Jeff Gremillion

ONE OF HOUSTON'S most prestigious performing arts organizations, the Mercury orchestra, threw a fabulous “Retro-Futuristic” gala at the Post Oak Hotel, complete with a space-themed musical presentation and a top-tier guest list including Lynn Wyatt.

Using Old Photos, Knickknacks and Other Found Objects, Artist Transforms Gallery Into Space 'to Remember'

Chris Becker

“I’M INTERESTED IN the things left behind,” explains found-object and performance-based installation artist Viktor Givens, whose lovingly crafted installation Coffee/Kool Aid and the Tabernacle of (Re)Memory is on view through April 23 at Community Artists’ Collective.

FIVE YEARS AFTER it launched, the annual “Red Hot Gala” supporting Houston firefighters is one of the, well, hottest tickets in the city’s social calendar. Created and co-chaired again this year by Alan and Elizabeth Stein to cover costs for equipment and training, Red Hot has raised more than $3.2 million since its inception, with some $625,000 coming in at this year’s 430-guest bash at the Royal Sonesta.

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Julia Fox (photo by Fil Nenna)

Life as an artist can feel like a juggling act, requiring the ability to stretch and bend to the demands of making art while maintaining one’s physical and mental health. It’s a challenge Houston-born and -raised soprano Julia Fox knows well. A married mom to a three-year-old boy, the classical singer strives for a holistic approach to her career, and believes it’s best to let her work speak for itself.

“I want to protect against burnout,” says Fox, whose clear and richly colorful voice can sing everything from Baroque masterpieces to avant-garde art songs. “I did not get into singing because I love ‘the hustle.’ I got into it because it moves my heart, and I think it matters to humanity.”

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