Event Date: October 4, 2024
Locations: Jones Hall for Concert; Corinthian Houston for Gala
Event: Concert & Gala
Beneficiary: Houston Symphony
No. in attendance: 300
Money raised: $550,000
Chairperson: Mary Lynn Marks
Presenting Sponsor: ConocoPhillips
Décor: The Events Company
Cuisine: City Kitchen
Photography: Jacob Power and Thomas Campbell
Guests Discovered the New World at Houston Symphony Opening Night Concert & Gala
Our beloved Houston Symphony reached the New World at its Opening Night Concert and Gala as over 300 black-tie-clad guests set foot on Jones Hall to join Chairperson Mary Lynn Marks and Concert Sponsor and Lead Gala Corporate Underwriter ConocoPhillips for the opening of the 2024-2025 Classical Season.
Music Director and Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair Juraj Valčuha led the orchestra alongside the Houston Symphony Chorus and featured Dvorak’s The New World Symphony, which drew inspiration from the composer’s arrival in late 1800s New York City. It showcased themes of America’s landscapes, traditions and cultural exchanges.
Post-performance, partygoers were ready for food, spirits, entertainment and dance. They were not disappointed. Limousine buses swiftly whisked them away to Corinthian Houston, where The Events Company had created a reception and ballroom reminiscent of New York’s Gilded Age. Florals of assorted antique blue hydrangeas, quicksand roses, light blue delphiniums, red hanging amaranth, golden cymbidium orchids, elaborate chandeliers, and antique glassware alongside beautiful chargers atop sage and champagne linens set the ambiance for those arriving.
City Kitchen’s cuisine was also equal to the challenge, as diners were treated to a delicious salad, an entrée of Pan-Seared Icelandic Cod, and a decadent Orange and Elderflower Savarin dessert. Wine pairings provided by Lindy & John Rydman and Lisa Rydman Lindsey of Spec’s Wine, Spirits, & Finer Foods accompanied the meal. Following dinner guests enjoyed musical entertainment by Julie Johnson.
At evening’s end, the treasured Houston Symphony was over $550,000 richer, thanks to the support of many!
In the Social Scene (not previously mentioned): Stephen Marks, Elizabeth and Sam Condic, Margaret Alkek Williams, John and Lindy Rydman, Bill and Sharon Bullock, Barbara and Pat McCelvey, Mariglyn and Stephen Glenn, Janet Clark, Barbara Burger, Betty and Jesse Tutor, Dr. Sippi and Ajay Khurana, Ann and Jonathan Ayre, Marguerite Swartz, Betsy and Fredric Weber, Vicki West and Ralph Burch, Joan and Bob Duff, David Peavy and Stephen McCauley, Hallie Vanderhider and Bobby Dees, Maria and Omar Alaoui, Justice Brett and Erin Busby, Mary Fusillo, Leslie Siller, Farida Abjani, Rini and Edward Ziegler