Shelby's Social Diary

Marking end of an era, Houston Symphony Maestro's Wine Dinner is a sentimental affair

Houston Symphony music director Hans Graf exited his post in grand style Sunday night, ending his tenure as the symphony's longest-serving music director amid a stage full of admiring fans. The annual Maestro's Wine Dinner and Collector's Auction, held under the lights at Jones Hall, served as a generous toast to the man who also is an avid wine connoisseur and serious collector.

More than 300 close friends, symphony supporters and musicians gathered for the successful fundraiser (more than $400,000). While the evening could not help but be nostalgic on the heels of Graf's farewell concerts, there was an electric buzz as guests recalled the countless curtain calls that followed the final notes of the symphony's performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 the night before.

The black-tie evening was orchestrated by chairs Mary Lynn and Steve Marks and Judy and Rodney Margolis with Dr. Tom Nichols and Robert Sakowitz serving as wine auction chairmen.

While guests dined on a five-course dinner by Jackson & Co., entertainment was provided Houston Symphony harpist Paula Page and flutist Judy Dines, performing duets by French composers. The dinner courses were presented with exceptional wine pairings, selected by dinner wine chairs Lindy and John Rydman of Spec's Wines, Spirit & Finer Foods.

Toasts to the Graf and his beloved wife, Rita Graf, flowed with Symphony CEO Mark Hanson, concertmaster Frank Huang and gala chair Rodney Margolis praising the couple. Along with his words of praise, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst presented the Grafs with a Texas state flag that had flown over the capitol in Austin earlier in the day.

Well-wishers included Gina and Dr. Devinder Bhatia, Danielle and Josh Batchelor, Darlene and Cappy Bisso, Viviana and David Denechaud, Tricia Dewhurst, Linda and Gene Dewhurst, Marie Bosarge, Katie Flaherty, April and Tom Lykos, Barbara and Ulyesse LeGrange, Nancy and Bob Peiser and Betty and Jesse Tutor. They all went home with commemorative Riedel wine glasses bearing the image of Graf.

Special guests were Matthew VanBesien and wife Rosie Jowitt, who had flown in from China. VanBesien, currently CEO of the New York Philharmonic, served as symphony executive director in association with Graf from 2005 to 2010.

Gina and Dr. Devinder Bhatia at the Houston Symphony Maestro's Wine Dinner.

Houston Maestro's Dinner May 2013 Gina Bhatia and Devinder Bhatia

Photo by © Michelle Watson CatchLightGroup.com

Gina and Dr. Devinder Bhatia at the Houston Symphony Maestro's Wine Dinner.

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Remembering the Flood

Texan wins Pulitzer Prize for heartbreaking story of Guadalupe flood

Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Aaron Parsley has won a Pulitzer Prize for "Where the River Took Us," published days after the flood.

Many Houstonians know someone who was impacted by the July 4, 2025 flood that killed more than 100 people. But one story cut through the chaos with an emotionally raw, first-person view of what actually happened. Texas Monthly senior editor Aaron Parsley published his survival story in "Where the River Took Us." On Monday, May 4, he has won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing.

The prestigious journalism award has 23 winners each spring. For features, the judges chiefly consider "quality of writing, originality and concision."

"Where the River Took Us," brought readers moment-by-moment from Parsley's family house on the Guadalupe River, to family members including Parsley rushing down the river itself, to reunification for most of the family and grief for his 20-month-old nephew, Clay, who drowned.

Parlsey renders each scene with arresting detail, recalling dialog and individual pieces of refuse raging past in the water: branches, furniture, a car with headlights still on. Adding to the immersion were photographs by Jordan Vonderhaar and Parsley's family. Published just days after the flood, the account was one of the first deep looks at what happened for readers who had only seen general news coverage and disorganized posts on social media.

“In a matter of hours, Aaron uncovered the singular experiences of family members wrenched from one another and thrown into a raging flood," said Texas Monthly editor in chief Ross McCammon in a story announcing the Pulitzer award. "He then braided those stories together to convey what a tragedy of this sort actually feels like. This is a deeply reported story of horror, courage, and love, and it is one of the finest magazine stories ever written.”

“I am grateful to my family for trusting me and to everyone at Texas Monthly for offering their support, talent, and meticulous care during the process of writing, reporting, and all that goes into putting this story into the world,” said Parsley. “It means everything to me, and I’m deeply proud to be a part of the Texas Monthly team.”

journalism floods natural disaster