At Symphony Dinner, Wine Takes Center Stage — to the Tune of $650K

Priscilla Dickson
At Symphony Dinner, Wine Takes Center Stage — to the Tune of $650K

Milka Waterland, Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl and Elia Gabbanelli

THE JONES HALL stage is frequently a place where stars can be found. On a particularly lucky Friday the 13th, the Symphony hosted a fundraising dinner of which the true stars were bottles of fine wine — and supporters were eager to raise a glass!


More than 350 beautifully dressed Houstonians turned out for the 2022 Wine Dinner and Collector’s Auction, chaired by Joan and Robert Duff and benefiting the Houston Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement programs. After making an entrance on the red carpet and perusing the auction items in the lobby, guests, seated at one of many round tables arranged on the Jones Hall stage, enjoyed a multicourse meal by City Kitchen. Vino pairings were selected by John Rydman, owner of Spec’s and president of the Houston Symphony Society.

This year’s Collector’s Auction included hundreds of rare and exceptional wines and wine-related experiences, and a lucky raffle winner took home 12 bottles of 100-point wine, according to Wine Advocate. The evening’s total till topped $650,000. Cheers!

Haylie Duff and Matt Rosenberg

Kamilah Todd and Eric Brueggeman

Alan and Elizabeth Stein

Yoon Smith, Malaika Mukoro and Amy Shen

Ann and Jonathan Ayre

William Dee and Lea Hunt

Evan and Carin Collins

Leslie Siller and Robert Sakowitz

James Craig and Jacquie Baly

Joan and Robert Duff

David and Kirby Lodholz

Hallie Vanderhider and Fady Armanious

The Jones Hall stage

Parties
Thrive & Inspire: Working with Seniors — ‘America’s Best’ — a Joy for Medicare Expert Justin White

Justin White, Founder of Senior Health Services

WHAT IS THE secret to running a successful business? First, you have to have a mission that you care about. I absolutely love helping people understand Medicare! Secondly, I have always succeeded because the agents I work with know that I care for them and truly want them to succeed. I love developing leaders and watching them soar! If I help them get where they want to be, I will never need to worry about me! We all rise together.

Keep Reading Show less

AS THE HOLIDAYS loom closer with celebrations and travel in the works, now is the time we start thinking about how to feel and look our best.

Keep Reading Show less
People + Places

Julie Kent, Lauren Anderson, Stanton Welch

AN ELEGANT DINNER on the Wortham stage for dance patrons followed the opening night performance of the Houston Ballet over the weekend, a glittering first foray into what’s shaping up to be a typically busy fall social season.

Keep Reading Show less