Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/148971
Sax Strains, Cha-Cha-Cha and Arias Glamorous Galas for Houston Grand Opera, Society for the Performing Arts, Moores School of Music Chair Hans Strohmer at Moores CATHERINE D. ANSPON HEARS THE SOCIAL MUSIC. PHOTOGRAPHY KIM COFFMAN, PRISCILLA DICKSON, WILSON PARISH. Chair Nancy Strohmer at Moores Kathi Rovere at Moores Bill Rovere at Moores Catherine Kaldis at Moores Danielle Ellis at Moores Patricia Cooper at Moores June Chair Rosemary Christensen at SPA Schatzman at SPA John Ellis at Moores Margaret Williams at Moores Chair Vanessa Sendukas at SPA Ernie Manouse at Moores Jim Daniel at Moores $1.75 Million Époque for HGO At the crescendo of the spring season, Houston Grand Opera Ball, a big, beautiful white-tie night, channeled the glamour and exuberant splendors of fin-de-siècle Paris with its La Belle Èpoque theme. At the center of the Wortham's action were chairs Anne and John Mendelsohn and HGO main men managing director Perryn Leech and artistic and music director Patrick Summers, greeting patrons supreme including Lynn Wyatt escorted by son Brad Wyatt; HGO board chair Beth Madison on the arm of Ralph Burch, the couple in dialogue with the MFAH's Frances Marzio; Cynthia and Tony Petrello; wine auction chairs Laura and Jerry Lasco; silent auction chairs Isabel and Danny David; Anne and Albert Chao; Carol and Michael Linn; Michelle and Frank Hevrdejs; Gracie and Bob Cavnar; Diane Lokey Farb with Mark Sullivan; and Encore after-party chairs Leslie Jackson and Marcus Carter, as well as young professional Ovation honorees including PaperCity's Kate Stukenberg with husband Will. Jackson and Company's fine French fare — duck à l'orange, brie and pear en brioche, and filet mignon joined by free-flowing Perrier-Jouët — made the seven-figure night something to clink flutes about. Smoldering at SPA "Come Samba with SPA" invoked the Society for Performing Arts Gala invite, which took Carnival and Red Hot Rio as its starting point. Chair ladies Vanessa Sendukas and Rosemary Schatzman, joined by respective husbands Perry and Matt, devised a Latin-infused night not for the faint-hearted. Brazilian show girls, Latin Grammy winner crooner Diogo Nogueira and dancing to Memphis Train bookended the Jackson and Company seated dinner, staged in the outrageous fuchsia-and-orange ribbonwrapped Wortham foyer (crafted by Rebekah Johnson). Auction chair Kathryn Smith and auctioneer husband Jeff presided over liveauction lots including a trip to the Masters and stays at lush private homes in Nantucket and Cabo, courtesy of Elizabeth and Tim Vail and Phoebe and Bobby Tudor. Among the 400 making merry: honorary chairs Liz and Tom Glanville, honorees Leticia and Steve Trauber, Stephanie and Kirby Shanks, Ginni and Richard Mithoff and famille Melissa and Michael Mithoff, Rosemarie and Matt Johnson, Cartier Houston director Kari Gonzales (the jeweler bestowed a bottle of Cartier bubbly on each couple) with John Dagley, Luba and Alan Bigman, and SPA leading lady June Christensen and husband Steve joined by board chair Jim Postl and wife Beverly; all helped bring in a sexy $600,000 for future SPA programming. Phyllis Williams at Moores Eric Andell at Moores Ulyesse LeGrange at Moores Ralph Ralph Burch Burch at HGO at HGO Barbara LeGrange at Moores Frances Marzio at HGO Diane Gendel at Moores Scott Bera at SPA Anne Chao at HGO Harry Gendel at Moores Chair John Mendelsohn at HGO Kathryn Smith at SPA Chair Anne Mendelsohn at HGO Jeff Smith at SPA Honorary chair Tom Glanville at SPA Albert Chao at HGO Clayton Erikson at SPA Tony Petrello at HGO Cynthia Petrello at HGO Joann Crassas at SPA Beth Madison at HGO Honorary chair Liz Glanville at SPA Wendy Bera at SPA Bill Crassas at SPA John Jamail Jr. at Moores Shirlee Jamail at Moores Shel Erikson at SPA Monty McDannald at Moores Katina Pontikes at Moores Elizabeth Tim Vail Vail at at SPA SPA Music Ascendant for Moores School "Up, Up and Away" was the leitmotif for a medley-bedecked dinner concert benefitting Moores School of Music, which filled the Wortham Theater Center with a showcase of top talent from University of Houston's acclaimed conservatory for future orchestral headliners. Chairs Nancy and Hans Strohmer presided over the classically attuned evening, which honored six ardent, long-standing champions of the Moores: Monzer Hourani, Carole Lee and Ken Robertson, Phillip Winston, Downey Bridgwater, and Sybil Roos. Jeff Smith conducted the Catch a Rising Star Auction, fielding funds for scholarships from the crowd of 300, while silent-auction goodies curated by Phyllis Williams added to the night's melodious bottom line. Brad Wyatt at HGO Lynn Wyatt at HGO John Hrncir at Moores Betty Hrncir at Moores