Famous Daughter — Whose Book Inspired the Awards-Season Darling 'Maestro' — Toasts Houston Music Org

Emily Jaschke
Famous Daughter — Whose Book Inspired the Awards-Season Darling 'Maestro' — Toasts Houston Music Org

Alecia Lawyer, ROCO Founder, and Jamie Bernstein

A SPECIAL GUEST attended Houston-based chamber orchestra ROCO’s annual holiday gathering. Jamie Bernstein, the daughter of composer Leonard Bernstein, attended the festive evening, which coincided with the release of the talked-about movie Maestro, starring Bradley Cooper as Leonard. (Cooper just received a Golden Globe nom for the role.)


Guests were excited to check out ROCO’s new home in the Edloe Forum, a beautiful and acoustically sound venue off of Buffalo Speedway, where they enjoyed light bites by Soren Pederson and vino courtesy of Gil Family Estates.

Jamie recently authored the book Famous Father Girl: The Intimate Memoir of Growing Up Bernstein, which inspired the motion picture. She participated in a conversation about the intersection of music, culture and creativity, and also gamely fielded questions during a lively Q&A following her presentation.

Another highlight of the evening was a performance by pianist Dehner Franks, who played his arrangements of West Side Story tunes.

Amy Gibbs, Beverly and Bill Coit

Toni Oplt and Ed Sneider

Beth Wolff and Jennifer Jacks

Carlos Ramos and Mark Sanders, Winnie and Edwin Sy, Larry Lawyer

Sonja Massak, Craig Miller, Bret Hammett and Diana Woodman

Edloe Forum

Steve Wyatt and Joyce Echols

Michael and Marcia Feldman

Dehner Franks

Kristie Peterman, Jane Johnson, Anite Jenson

Lori Gobillot, Mikey Brock, Ted Gobillot

Parties

David Ansell, Bennie Flores Ansell, Thuy Tran and James Tiebout

THE ROTHKO CHAPEL held its Inspirit fundraiser — a celebration of the power of art and activism — at the industrial-chic Astorian. The evening featured cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and an onstage conversation with actor Cheech Marin, one of the world’s foremost collectors of Chicano art; 2023 Art League of Houston Texas Artist of the Year Vincent Valdez; and legendary civil rights advocate Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with César Chávez. (She’s 93, by the way!)

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment

Cheech Marin reflecting outside of The Cheech (photo by David Fouts)

WHEN YOU TALK to Los Angeles-born actor Cheech Marin, regardless of how serious the subject, you can’t help but smile. His pop-culture presence is infused with an astute awareness of politics and history, and a “can do, make do, find a way to move ahead” spirit he connects to the word “Chicano,” a derogatory term that came to signify resilience, creative thinking, and social consciousness. “My dad, who died at age 93, always described himself as a Chicano, because it described him,” says Marin.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment