What: Ars Lyrica Houston’s A Roman Feast Gala
Where: The Esperson Building
The scoop: Ars Lyrica Houston’s A Roman Feast Gala, Honoring Rhonda and Donald Sweeney chaired by Drs. Rachel and Warren Ellsworth IV, and Sarah and Gabriel Loperena took place at the historic Esperson building in downtown Houston. The event raised funds for the organization’s first fully-staged Baroque opera, Handel’s Agrippina, to be produced November 2018. The evening began with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the contemporary Rusk Lobby, filled with fragrant lavender, ferns and Romanesque décor with live harp music.
An intimate concert of Handel arias followed, performed by acclaimed countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Artistic Director Matthew Dirst on harpsichord, and violinist Alan Austin in the Esperson Neils Lobby. Guests then enjoyed a grand feast on theme and ended with an Italian disco after party in the transformed Neils Lobby complete with dancing, drinks, light bites, and craft beer sponsored by Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.
Who: Michelle Stair and Carlos Sierra, Robin Angly and Miles Smith, Darrin Davis and Mario Gudmundsson, Stephanie Von Stein and Dr. Mark Schusterman, Tatiana Galitzine and Guillermo Sierra, Perryn Leech, Sixto Wagan, Andrew Davis and Corey Yu, Lauren and Brandon Abel, Emily Schreiber, Jano and John Kelley, Liam and Meredith Bonner, Carrie and Sverre Brandsberg-Dahl, Bradley Moore, Anna Kaplan, Trey and Katherine Brady, Dougal and Cathy Cameron, Jennifer Blanco, John Earles, Ed and Marianne Grusnis, and Judy Nyquist.
Gala chairs Gabriel Loperena, Sara Loperena, Dr. Rachel Ellsworth an Dr. Warren Ellsworth IV.
