Elizabeth Kendrick, Ashley Seals, Amanda Hanks Bayles
The affair kicked off on Thursday night, with an intimate "Into the Woods" reception featuring dealing pianos and tunes courtesy of DJ Mohawk Steve. The party continued at the Junior League's Briar Oaks Lane venue on Friday, with dinner and a live performance by Radio Live, as well as Saturday, featuring five-piece Texas band Satellite.
Between not one but two Big Board auctions — contested items included vacations in Belize and Colorado, custom boots and jewelry, and shopping sprees — and a paddles-up segment, the Junior League of Houston certainly got its happily ever after: The Charity Ball raised more than $800,000 for the organization's 32-plus community projects and mentorship programs.
“Our Charity Ball would not be possible without the 40 women on the Charity Ball Committee who selflessly and tirelessly volunteered their time over the last 12 months," said League President Amanda Hanks Bayles in a statement. “We are so grateful to those who attended and supported this event! For every dollar raised, the Junior League of Houston is able to triple its value by pairing funding with trained volunteers.”
Ashley Konikowski and Chase Zalman
Ross and Natalie Irvin
Dancers from The Lockin Keez Dance Company and singers Kaitlyn Stuart and Roslyn Bazelle-Mitchell
Randi Blashke and Kolbi Blanchette
Sarah Cloos, Lindsey Davis, Kristiann Rushton, Melissa Reihle
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Eight finalists from around the world — winnowed down from some 900 contestants — performed in Houston Grand Opera’s Concert of Arias before a packed hall, the final stage of the Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. The bragging rights to one of the most prestigious titles for emerging opera talent wasn’t the only thing at stake: Winners divided $21,500 in prize money!
The first-place winner, Alabama-born-and-raised soprano Elizabeth Hanje, took home $10,000 of that herself, as well as an invitation to join the Butler Studio, the company’s renowned training program for young artists. Chinese bass-baritone Ziniu Zhao won the second prize of $5,000.
The event was also “seen worldwide via a livestreamed program hosted by acclaimed baritone Ryan McKinny, a Butler Studio alumnus and adored company favorite,” noted an HGO rep.
After the performances, guests dined on duck, with blood orange panna cotta for dessert, and mingled with contestants and the evening’s judges. The latter included Eun Sun Kim, HGO’s principal guest conductor; HGO CEO Khori Dastoor; and HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers. The panel also included HGO’s artistic advisor, the soprano Ana María Martínez, who selected Brooklyn’s Sam Dhobhany, a bass-baritone, to win her annual Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award.
“There is no better distillation of HGO’s mission than the Concert of Arias,” said Dastoor of the ultimate dinner-and-a-show, which this year was chaired by Theresa and Peter Chang chaired and raised nearly $700,000 to support the Butler Studio and the company’s missions to make opera more accessible to diverse communities across Houston.
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