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28 PURE MAGIC FOR HIS LAST GALA PERFORMANCE AS MUSIC DIRECTOR FOR THE DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, JAAP VAN ZWEDEN CONDUCTS A LEGEND. By Christina Geyer. Photography Kristina Bowman. O f all the unforgettable occasions I have witnessed — Karl Lagerfeld presenting Chanel's Métiers d'Art at Fair Park in 2013, composer Alan Menken tickling the ivories at the debut of the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre in 2009 — this year's Dallas Symphony Orchestra Gala will go down as one of the most memorable. Expectations were high, as this was music director Jaap Van Zweden's fi nal Gala performance before he assumes his new role as music director for the New York Philharmonic in 2018. To kick off his farewell season, the DSO secured a megastar soloist for its black-tie evening: master cellist Yo-Yo Ma. As has become Dallas Symphony Orchestra Gala tradition, a beautiful banquet was served in the lobby of the I.M. Pei-designed Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center prior to the performance. Chairs Lisa and Clay Cooley coordinated with Todd Fiscus on the look, which was appropriately subtle and elegant, with towering palm leaves as centerpieces replacing the de rigueur (and, dare I say, tired) fl owers. Post dinner, Gala guests packed into the Eugene McDermott Concert Hall for the performance. But fi rst, a spotlight splashed across a balcony, highlighting the vibrant 105-year-old Margaret McDermott — widow of the music hall's namesake, Texas Instruments co-founder Eugene McDermott. She was this year's DSO Gala honorary chair, although everyone in the room knew her contributions to the city, the arts, and the Symphony warrant a much weightier title. The raucous applause and cheers lasted several minutes. As for the performance itself, Van Zweden's intense presence at the podium mixed brilliantly with Yo Yo Ma's unmatched talent and passion. The audience was captivated by two of the world's great musical minds coming together. Afterwards, audience members jumped to their feet — congratulating not only the performers but also the Dallas Symphony Orchestra organizers for producing an evening that won't soon be forgotten. BASKING IN THE SUBLIME: After Party chairs Lara and Brian Pryor and Graeme Ross; After Party honorary chairs, Wren and Benji Homsey; DSO board chair Joseph F. Hubach; interim president and CEO Michelle Miller Burns; After Party DJ Steffi Burns; and attendees Diane and Hal Brierley, Katherine and Key Coker, Barbara and Don Daseke, Laree Hulshoff and Ben Fischer, Nancy Nasher and David Haemisegger, and Cece Smith and Ford Lacy. DJ Steffi Burns Michelle Miller Burns, Jaap van Zweden Sanjiv Yajnik Margaret McDermott Bill & Linda Custard Nancy Nasher David Haemisegger Yo-Yo Ma, Jaap van Zweden Kara & Randall Goss Rhonda & Fraser Marcus Clay & Lisa Cooley Fanchon & Howard Hallam Robert & Rachel Allen Linda & Scott Greer Sheila & Jody Grant