Houstonians Hit Up Fave Mountain-Town Playground for Chic Summer Soirees Benefiting Memorial Hermann

Daniel Ortiz
Houstonians Hit Up Fave Mountain-Town Playground for Chic Summer Soirees Benefiting Memorial Hermann

Aimee Snoots, Elizabeth Williams, Rosanna Blalock and Elizabeth Galtney

'TIS THE SEASON for Houston to collectively move to Colorado — at least until school starts back up. A pair of parties hosted by Memorial Hermann Foundation took place in idyllic Aspen, with a record number of guests enjoying the crisp mountain air, breathtaking views, and delicious blood-orange margaritas in the name of charity.


The first was a cocktail reception hosted at a private ranch owned by longtime hospital supporters. More than 150 guests listened to the sounds of a string quartet of students from the Aspen Music Festival and remarks from the foundation's VP and CEO Anne Neeson, as well as Memorial Hermann's president and CEO David Callender. They both highlighted the importance of Life Flight, the Red Duke Trauma Institute, TIRR Memorial Hermann and the John S. Dunn Burn Center.

The next morning, a crowd gathered for brunch at The Garden at Hotel Jerome, which was decorated by Indigenous Design with beautiful, organic floral arrangements. The daytime event, featuring a soundtrack courtesy of Aspen's DJ Savy, was hosted by Melissa Juneau and Leticia Trauber, whose daughter Lexi Trauber attended on her behalf.

The weekend festivities concluded with the distribution of a parting gift in the form of a gilded Aspen-leaf ornament, representing the donation of Aspen trees by the Memorial Hermann Foundation to the Aspen School District, whose campus has suffered many tree losses.

Kim Padgett, Leigh Smith, Patti Murphy, Cheryl Byington

Will and Elizabeth Galtney

Anne Neeson and Craig Janies (photo by Cathy Miller)

Valerie and Sam Golden

Charlie Lusk, Suzie Johnson

Tony Bradfield, Jennifer Allison, Rachel Regan

Felicia and Rafael Stone

Steve Trauber and Lexi Trauber

Geraldina Interino, Geraldina and Scott Wise

Sherry and Jim Smith, Erin Asprec

Lorraine Wegmann, Jen Savery

Roslyn Mitchell, Anne Neeson, Leigh Smith, Melissa Juneau, Tony Bradfield

Mary and Will Williams, Kathy and Charles Lusk

Myron Blalock, Tonya and Dr. David Callender

Melissa Juneau, Amalia Stanton, Laurie Krohn

Parties

Mwenso Carnegie Squad

WITH SUMMER FAR from over, DACAMERA continues to roll out some of the hottest musical programming to be enjoyed here — and anywhere else in the South for that matter — with Houston SUMMERJAZZ 2023 (Aug. 17-20). The series highlights the breadth of contemporary jazz, with nods to the music’s Cuban, pan-African, funk, pop, and soul connections. This year’s festival includes performances by the Spanish Harlem Orchestra (Aug. 17), vocalist Gretchen Parlato in her first Houston appearance (Aug. 18), and crowd-pleasing global artists Mwenso & The Shakes (Aug. 19), whose members come from Sierra Leone, London, South Africa, Greenwich Village, Madagascar, France, Jamaica and Hawaii. (Jazz is, indeed, “global” music.) All Houston SUMMERJAZZ concerts take place in the Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater.

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BEGINNING THIS THURSDAY, Aug. 17, DACAMERA’s Houston SUMMERJAZZ festival presents a concise, three-night program of jazz in a myriad of contemporary forms, with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra (Aug. 17) illuminating its historical connections to Cuba and Puerto Rico, and internationalists Mwenso and The Shakes (Aug. 19) extolling the music’s pan-African, funk, and pop potential. In between those two hits, on Friday, Aug. 18, all of these tributaries and more will be explored in a set by two-time Grammy-nominated vocalist Gretchen Parlato, making her first appearance in Houston.

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Art + Entertainment