parties

With Superstar Jonas Kaufmann as Headliner — and a Chic Dinner After — HGO Returns to Wortham Stage

With Superstar Jonas Kaufmann as Headliner — and a Chic Dinner After — HGO Returns to Wortham Stage

Patrick Summers, Louise Chapman and Jonas Kaufmann (photo by Shoocha Photography)

ONE OF OPERA'S most renowned performers — "the world's greatest tenor," per The Telegraph— headlined a concert event with Houston Grand Opera. The show, HGO's first live performance at the Wortham Theater Center since the Covid pandemic started early last year, was followed by a chic dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel nearby.

"Kaufmann is known for his voice which excels in a large variety of repertoire and has received much recognition for his performance of French, German, and Italian roles," explained a rep for the company. "Standout roles include Don Carlo, Otello, Alvaro, Des Grieux, Cavaradossi, Andrea Chénier, Turiddu, Canio, Don José, Werther, Florestan, Lohengrin, Siegmund and Parsifal. The acclaimed artist is in high demand for his solo recitals and concerts and the evening marked his HGO debut and first-ever performance in Texas.

"The concert in [the Wortham's] Brown Theater featured a broad selection of arias and excerpts from the heroic tenor's repertoire, including a generous sampling of the Wagnerian roles for which he has become famous," the rep added.

HGO Artistic and Musical Director Patrick Summers, a Houston institution well loved by opera patrons in Houston, conducted the HGO orchestra himself for the special event. Before the concert, Summers introduced the company's new general director and CEO, Khori Dastoor, who, charming and sparkling in a sequined cocktail dress, addressed opera fans en masse for the first time.

The hotel after, Kaufmann was gifted with custom cufflinks made by local artisan Max Lang in the shape of the state of Texas. Dinner included salmon and beef shortrib and, for dessert, "Mr. Kaufmann's First Texas Pecan Pie." Boldface names among the guests included Margaret Alkek Williams, Ana Maria Martinez, Hallie Vanderhider, Phoebe Tudor, Janet Gurwich, Beth Madison, Betty and Jess Tutor, and Bob and Gracie Cavnar.

Hallie Vanderhider and Glen Reyes

Margaret Alkek Williams and David Wuthrich

Phoebe Tudor and Leigh Smith

Khori Dastoor, new general director and CEO of HGO

Dayo and Funto Seton

Matt Ringel and Louisa Sarofim

Phyllis Allen, Patty Nuss, Ella Prichard and Connie Dyer

Janet Gurwitch and Ron Franklin

Peter and Teresa Chang

Ana Maria Martinez and Gabriel Attal

Cristina Gracia, Alison Powell, Jennifer Fink and Natalie Mohtashami

Jim and Molly Crownover

Dianne and Fred Burns

Benjamin and Jennifer Fink

Anne and Albert Chao

Beth Madison and Lynne Bensten

Nancy Haywood and Donna Brown

Donna Kaplan and Richard Lydecker

Anna Galonskay and Pavlina Suchanova

Robin Angly and Miles Smith

Rachel Beard Thomson and Dick Kantenberger

Meredith and Ben Marshall

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Parties
promoted

Fall Philanthropy Report: Easter Seals of Greater Houston ‘Impacts Where People Need Us the Most’

Fall Philanthropy Report: Easter Seals of Greater Houston ‘Impacts Where People Need Us the Most’

What year was your organization launched? Founded in Houston in 1947, as the Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center, the organization provided services to individuals with disabilities living in Houston and Harris County. In 1989, the organization changed its name and greatly expanded its services to meet the needs of its clientele. Today as Easter Seals Greater Houston, the organization provides multiple outstanding service programs to children, adults, veterans, and service members with all types of disabilities and their families in Harris and sixteen surrounding counties.

Keep Reading Show less
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