parties

Symphony Presents ‘Big’ Glamorous Night of Music and Philanthropy

Priscilla Dickson & Daniel Ortiz
Symphony Presents ‘Big’ Glamorous Night of Music and Philanthropy

Phoebe and Bobby Tudor

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

From Your Site Articles
Parties
promoted

Pelican Builders Welcome Residents To First New Upper Kirby Condo Offering In Years; Boutique Midrise Adds To Pedestrian Appeal Of Sought-After, Inner Loop Neighborhood

Pelican Builders Welcome Residents To First New Upper Kirby Condo Offering In Years; Boutique Midrise Adds To Pedestrian Appeal Of Sought-After, Inner Loop Neighborhood

WITH ITS INAUGURAL set of residents newly moved in, Pelican Builders’ mid-rise condominium Westmore at 2323 W Main Street in Upper Kirby is already seeing the blossoming of a tight-knit community. Designed by Houston-based Mirador Group the Westmore is the first new condominium product to be introduced to the in-demand, inner loop neighborhood in more than three years. And with remaining two-bedroom homes starting at $895,000, it’s a remarkable value for this increasingly pricey area, where condos can easily climb to several million dollars and more.

Keep Reading Show less
Home + Real Estate
food

Októ Joins Mi Luna and Marmo as Hot Spots at Mediterranean-Marvelous Montrose Collective

Paella Valenciana at Mi Luna

THOUGH IT'S BEEN in Houston less than a decade, Sof Hospitality has made major inroads with foodies and critics alike. Its concepts include Doris Metropolitan, Hamsa and Badolina Bakery, all of which deliver the rich flavors of Israeli cuisine in complex, photogenic and delicious dishes. Its newest, Októ, opened earlier this year, one of several energetic restaurants to bow in the Montrose Collective, just in time for the holidays.

Keep Reading Show less
Food
art

Five Fabulously Diverse Exhibits Are Arriving at Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Bill Viola’s ‘Ascension,’ on display as part of ‘Living with the Gods’ at MFAH

THE ARTIST WHO ushered in the expressionist movement in the early 20th century was not, in fact, Picasso or Matisse. It was Paul Gauguin, whose career spanned the decades just preceding the turn of the century. The French painter is the subject of the Museum of Fine Arts’ latest exhibit, Gauguin in the World, which was organized by Henri Loyrette (formerly of the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris). The show, just one of the museum’s diverse winter season shows, debuted in Australia in June and will be on display through Feb. 16, 2025, at the MFAH, the only U.S. venue for the survey.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment