HGO Preview

Houston Grand Opera previews new season for young professionals at fashion-forward fete

A few days before Hurricane Harvey descended on Texas, more than 150 Houston Grand Opera supporters gathered at The Webster to preview the new 2017/2018 season and view some opera-inspired high-fashion looks by such designers as Christian Dior, Gucci, Dries Van Notten and Saint Laurent.

Opera officials are still hopeful that the show will go on in the fall, with productions of the Verdi classic la Traviata and Handel's Julius Caesar, updated to 1930s Hollywood with Cleopatra as a platinum blonde film star, planned to premiere on October 20 and October 27, respectively. Both productions are up in the air as officials assess flooding damage at the Wortham Theater Center, where the operas are scheduled to be performed.

HGO assistant artistic director Paul Hopper gave guests — many of who are part of the opera's Young Patrons Circle and Opening Night Professionals — a dramatic overview of the entire opera season, which also includes the world premiere of The House without a Christmas Tree, in December, followed by Elektra ("shock and horror with gallons and gallons of blood") and The Barber of Seville ("a great entry point to opera") in January 2018.

Closing out the season in April 2018 are the first major opera house version of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story and the first HGO production of Norma in 25 years, with soprano powerhouse Liudmyla Monastyrska in the title role.

Guests gathered near the baby grand piano in the Galleria store as bass Anthony Robin Schneider and pianist Peter Walsh from the HGO Studio performed Verdi’s “Illacerato spirito” from Simon Boccanegra.

Seen in the crowd were the evening's host Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl (solo since hubby Sverre was called away to Norway on business), The Webster's Contstance Bost, Claire Cormier Thielke, Duyen and Marc Huynh, Ishwaria and Vivek Subbiah, Kendall and Christopher Hanno, Carolyn Dorros, Michelle Aviña, Claudio Gutierrez, Mahzad Mohajer, Dr. Parissa Mohajer, Elina Htun, Patricia Resterpo, Dr. Michal Yafi, Sarah and David Keck, Jeremy Garcia and Brian McCullough, Tijuana Harvey, and Ruchi Mukerjee.

Ann Malcolm, Sandra Manela, Ruchi Mukerjee, Raquel Lewis.

Priscilla Dickson Photography

Ann Malcolm, Sandra Manela, Ruchi Mukerjee, Raquel Lewis.

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Party Watch

Champagne and shells mark bold push to save Texas oyster reefs

Coastal Preservation and Restoration launch party

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Caroline Craddock, Tommy Garcia Prats, and Andrew Abendshein.

What: Texas Farm-Raised Gulf Oyster Tasting Celebrating the Launch of Coastal Preservation and Restoration

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Caroline Craddock, Tommy Garcia Prats, and Andrew Abendshein.

Where: La Griglia

The Scoop: Shell-ebrating sustainability never tasted so chic. More than 85 guests gathered on La Griglia’s breezy patio to toast the official launch of Coastal Preservation and Restoration (CPR), a new initiative aiming to restore 5,000 acres of Texas’s public oyster reefs by 2050, making it the largest reef restoration effort in the nation.

The soirée paired bubbly with brininess, as guests slurped freshly shucked Texas farm-raised Gulf oysters from Key Allegro Oyster Co. and Oyster Bros., complemented by elegant accoutrements and a touch of night sparkle.

John Eads, CPR’s founder and chairman, shared heartfelt remarks about the power of oyster mariculture to safeguard reef systems, bolster local economies, and buffer coastal communities. He was joined by Shellye Arnold, introduced as the organization’s incoming CEO, who brings serious conservation chops from her decade-plus leading Memorial Park Conservancy.

With organizations like Harte Research Institute, Galveston Bay Foundation, and Coastal Conservation Association Texas in the mix, the evening closed with a toast to the future, one where Texas bays thrive with purpose, oysters, and just the right hint of salinity.

Who: Mary Eads, Pam and Will Harte, Nancy and Butch Abendshein, Sis Johnson, Daniel and Lucie Arnoldy, Emily Clay, Susan Cooley, Dancie and Jim Ware, David Mincberg and Lainie Gordon, Rob Fondren, Carla Knobloch, Bob Stokes, and Bill King.

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