Symphony Presents ‘Big’ Glamorous Night of Music and Philanthropy

IT WAS A big night for the Houston Symphony. Not only was it the annual Opening Night Concert and Gala, chaired this year by Susan and Dennis Carlyle, but it was also the official first performance of Juraj Valčuha as the symphony’s 16th music director.

And the music was big. The concert presentation of Verdi Requiem drew on the full orchestra, guest opera stars including Houston’s Ana María Martínez and others from around the world, and a large 100+-person choir.

After dinner, per Symphony custom, patrons including Margaret Alkek Williams, Bobby and Phoebe Tudor, and Betty and Jess Tutor piled onto luxury buses and made their way to the grand Corinthian event space nearby for a lavish dinner. “The décor, created by The Events Company, transformed the space with crystal chandeliers and greenery cascading across the balcony,” cooed a rep for the organization. “Tables, covered in green linens, filled the room and were topped with varying high and low floral arrangements in shades of white and green.”

Dinner included salad with shrimp terrine, gremolata-and-breadcrumb-crusted cod, with profiteroles and hazelnut macaroons for dessert. The David Caceres Band played for a lively dancefloor afterward.

The Symphony announced it had raised $540,000 on Opening Night for its education and community-engagement efforts.

Alan and Elizabeth Stein, Bobbie Nau, Marc Grossberg

Alex Blair, Jennifer Roosth, Katherine Warren

Barbara Burger, Dom and Stephanie Beveridge

Betty and Jesse Tutor

Brittany Clark, Mario Gudmundsson

Cheryl Buyington

Dee and Lea Hunt

Dennis & Susan Carlyle, John Mangum

Heather Almond

James and Kimberly Bell

Houston Symphony Opening Night Gala

John Mangum, Margaret Alkek Williams, Juraj Valčuha

Robert and Joan Duff

Scott and Geraldine Wise

Tony and Frances Buzbee

Yoon Smith, Malaika Mukoro, Heidi Rockecharlie