Shelby About Town

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones takes Steve Tyrell's charity gift and multiplies ittimes 10, plus more party buzz

Steve Tyrell, left, and Jerry Jones at the ESCAPE Family Resource Center'sdinner at Tony's.
Photo by Michael Bowlin
Houston Grand Opera ball chair Rudy Avelar with Margaret Williams.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
At the Texas Legends Gala, Don Sweat, left, with Philamena and Arthur Baird.
Photo by Kim Coffman

Joan Schnitzer Levy, with one home in Houston and another in Dallas, proved on Sunday that the two rivaling cities can come together for a good cause — in this case, ESCAPE Family Resource Center. With a big helping hand from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (apparently a lot nicer here than when in NFL lockout debates), the annual Celebrity Serve benefit dinner at Tony's approached the half million dollar mark in proceeds.

Schnitzer Levy, along with Gerald Franklin, has chaired this annual fundraiser for decades and each year brings in a big-name guest to ramp up the celebrity quotient. Her long-time friend Jerry Jones and his wife, Gene, flew down in their private jet for the evening which, by all accounts, showed the NFL owner as congenial, gracious and generous.

As celebrity waiters such as Lynn Wyatt, Michael Garfield, Sharron Melton, Cerón, Milo Hamilton and Miya Shay scooted around the tables in Tony's dining room, Jerry Jones told his hostess that he had something special to help fill the kitty — a Dallas Cowboys football that he had autographed. Jones announced to the gathering that he would give 10 times as much as was bid for the football up to $100,000. Songman Steve Tyrell made the high bid of $22,000. Jones was so impressed that he upped his personal ante to make it the full 10 times value thereby contributing $220,000.

"Isn't that the most classy, amazing thing you've ever heard," said a clearly ecstatic Schnitzer Levy. A Houston native, she is married to Dallas' charming Irvin Levy and they divide their time between homes in both cities, gracefully bridging the competitive spirit.

Opera ball update

That cute Rudy Avelar, chair of Saturday Night's Houston Grand Opera Ball. Having worked closely with all the opera ball chairs during his 34-year-tenure as director of development and patron services, he honed a special relationship with each of the ladies. So on his special night, Rudy had a surprise for those in the white-tie-and-tails crowd.

He had nosegays made for the past chairs in attendance and added a personalized note to each thanking them for their work in orchestrating their particular opera ball. He presented the nosegays as the ladies sat down for dinner. Nice touch.

Among those applauding the lovely gesture were Donna Bruni, Lynn Wyatt, Denise Bush Bahr, Joanne King Herring, Jana Arnoldy, Eileen Hricik, Franelle Rogers, Terrie Hogan Turner and Lynn Guggolz.

Legends of the Galleria

A very good corporate citizen, the Apache Corp. was spotlighted as honoree at the Galleria Chamber of Commerce "Texas Legends Gala" at the InterContinental Houston Hotel. More than 300 community-minded supporters turned out for the dinner evening chaired by Lauren Nolasco.

Radio host Sam Malone emceed the event for which Old School Harmony provided the dance tunes. In addition to Obie O'Brien, who accepted the award for Apache, the crowd included Philamena and Arthur Baird, Karen and Byron Hood, Aimee and Roy Marsh, Astrid and Gene Van Dyke and Karen and Rudy Wildenstein.

Party designer Darryl Murchison is still getting raves for his energy-inspired decor that included glittery oil wells with black ostrich plumes rising like gushers from the top.

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doubling down

Shepherd School builds on 50 years with a 2026-27 season of discovery

Rice University Shepherd School of Music

Photo by Michael Stravato

The Shepherd School's 2026-27 season includes six world premieres.

The next generation of classical music doesn’t wait in the wings at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.

It walks onto the stage, often with a world premiere in hand, and slaps listeners with music so energetically performed that they might need a glass of wine or a Xanax to come down from the thrill.

Fresh off its milestone 50th anniversary, the Shepherd School’s 2026–27 season doubles down on discovery. The lineup includes six world premieres, the Texas premiere of Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl’s opera Eurydice, celebrated guest artists, and a steady reminder that Houston audiences can hear rising talent before the rest of the world catches on.

For students, Shepherd continues to function as a foundation where rigorous conservatory training meets the resources of a major research university. For audiences, it’s an invitation to witness artists in the midst of becoming, tackling ambitious repertoire in halls whose acoustics reward every nuance.

The orchestral season, led primarily by Distinguished Resident Director of Orchestras Miguel Harth-Bedoya, embraces both pillars of the canon and brand-new voices. Opening night sets the tone with Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso, Richard Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration, the world premiere of Jake Berran’s Probabolophony, winner of the 2026 Cooper Prize, and Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis.

The season also launches what is planned as a multi-year exploration of Gustav Mahler with Symphony No. 1, “Titan,” while spotlighting Shepherd faculty members as soloists, including pianist Jon Kimura Parker and oboist Erin Hannigan. Along the way come additional premieres by alumni composers, concerto appearances from competition winners, and opportunities for conducting students to take the podium.

Shepherd will present a fully staged production of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos before mounting the Texas premiere — and first university performance — of Eurydice, with composer Aucoin visiting campus to work directly with students and audiences.

Guest artists add another layer, from Aleko Endowed Artist Julia Bullock collaborating with Shepherd opera students to alumna Kate Soper returning with the acclaimed Wet Ink Ensemble. Chamber concerts, faculty recitals, festivals, and family programming round out a calendar of more than 400 events, many offered for free or at low cost.

The season also includes the Adventurous Electric Guitar Festival at Wortham Theatre, where concerts, workshops, and presentations explore contemporary electric guitar and electroacoustic performance in collaboration with Rice Electroacoustic Music Labs (REMLABS).

Notably, the school will also inaugurate its undergraduate orchestral conducting degree, the only program of its kind in the nation.

This author recently caught Miguel Harth-Bedoya deep in score study before a concert, next to his visiting family, meticulously parsing Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso.

It was a fitting snapshot of the institution itself: Craftsmanship behind moments that can feel effortless once the lights dim and the music begins. That dedication has defined Shepherd for more than 50 years, and the 2026–27 season suggests the next movement is well underway.

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