Divine Food and Drink

Symphony patrons eat, drink and are very merry at black-tie wine dinner on stage

What a deliciously spoiled black-tie bunch it was that sat down for dinner on the stage of Jones Hall on Friday night. Who wouldn't be spoiled with a 90-minute cocktail hour to be followed by a lavish dinner paired with fine wines?

Such was the divine luck of Houston Symphony patrons. After the cocktail hour perusing wine lots, guest moved to the stage to be seated amid a splenderous Todd Events decor including gloriousa lilies and orchids while staff from Jackson and Co. served one of the best gala meals in recent memory. The fundraiser was titled "An Evening in the Southern Hemisphere," which inspired not only the menu but also the wines which came from Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and Chile via Spec's Wines, Spirits and Finer Foods.

Applause, applause for Viviana and David Denechaud and Christie and Billy McCartney who chaired the 15th annual Wine Dinner that enjoyed a record turnout of more than 400 guests and proceeds of more than $550,000. (Previously known as the Maestro's Wine Dinner in honor of wine connoisseur and former maestro Hans Graf, the name was wisely changed with the arrival of chief conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada, who does not consume alcohol.)

The evening benefited the Symphony's education and community programming which this year will reach 65,000 students. While there was no designated honoree, praise was heaped on Cora Sue Mach, who was recognized for her efforts in growing the program. It was a nice touch for family members at the table that included her husband, Harry Mach, and their son Steve Mach, Houston Symphony Society president, and his wife, Joella.

Contributing to Symphony coffers were symphony society chairman Bobby Tudor and wife Phoebe, Houston Symphony League president Betty Tutor and Jesse Tutor, collector's auction chairman Bob Weiner, Gina and Dr. Devinder Bhatia, Tara and David Wuthrich, Robert Sakowitz, Franelle Rogers, Courtney and Bill Toomey, Linda and Gene Dewhurst, Elise Glattier-Hollingsworth, and Helen and Jim Shaffer.

Jim Shaffer, Jill Kirk, Helen Shaffer, Ray Kirk.

Photo by Killy

Jim Shaffer, Jill Kirk, Helen Shaffer, Ray Kirk.

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Standing Ovation

Inside the elegant dinner celebrating Jones Hall’s transformation

Photo by Dave Rossman

Judy and Don Fernbach; Robert and Kate Eubanks; Amanda Clayton and Kaitlyn Hunt.

For nearly six decades, Jones Hall has hosted standing ovations, curtain calls, and goosebump-inducing performances. On May 4, the spotlight shifted from the stage to the people and institutions who helped usher Houston’s cultural living room to its next act.

More than 40 guests gathered inside the renovated Jones Hall lobby for an intimate dinner celebrating the donors, stakeholders, and arts leaders behind the Foundation for Jones Hall’s sweeping $67.5 million facelift. Attendees in cocktail attire mingled over a red-carpet reception while pianist Jayoung Hong provided a charming soundtrack appropriate for an evening about Houston’s performing arts future.

As guests settled in for a dinner by City Kitchen, Foundation for Jones Hall board chair Barbara McCelvey reflected on the project’s decade-long journey, one that weathered Hurricane Harvey, a pandemic, and the delicate balancing act of renovating an active venue without dimming the marquee. She acknowledged the support and partnership of the Houston Symphony, Performing Arts Houston, Houston First, Houston Endowment, and management consultant Kim Sterling.

Lead donor and building committee chair Chuck Davidson spoke candidly about the project’s evolving ambitions, noting that the original $25 million vision eventually expanded into a far more comprehensive undertaking focused on acoustics, accessibility, technology, infrastructure, and audience experience. The result is a reimagined Jones Hall with enhanced patron spaces, improved sound quality, updated backstage operations, additional lounges and restrooms, and expanded accommodations for guests with disabilities.

Foundation for Jones Hall executive director and renovation project manager Robert Eubanks offered heartfelt thanks to the many partners who shepherded the project forward.

“More than 400,000 people come to Jones Hall annually,” Eubanks said. “Thank you for making this possible.”

He also recognized incoming foundation chair Brad Corson, arts patrons and sponsors Nancy and Chuck Davidson, Phoebe and Bobby Tudor, Jane Cizik, Janet Clark, Barbara Burger, Mary Lynn Marks, ConocoPhilips, and Elisa Villanueva Beard and Bao-Long Chu of the Houston Endowment.

CultureMap seen were Gary Ginstling, Meg Booth, Deborah Lugo, Judy and Don Fernbach, Kate Eubanks, Amanda Clayton, Kaitlyn Hunt, Ginger Clark, Melanie Cizik, Jennifer Renner, Khao Dao, and Pat McCelvey.

Photo by Dave Rossman

Judy and Don Fernbach; Robert and Kate Eubanks; Amanda Clayton and Kaitlyn Hunt.

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