Galleries

When you think of a party, think of South Texas, why don’t you? The memorable party this year was Laredo’s festive Washington’s birthday celebration and debutante ball. Cocktails were poured, champagne was popped and hors d’oeuvres were passed as thousands of Laredo’s most esteemed denizens arrived en masse. They were there to celebrate the decades-old tradition in the South Texas region for The Society of Martha Washington Colonial Pageant & Ball that continues to thrive and grow more popular every year.

The annual fairytale-like ball for 40 ladies in white in San Antonio came to life with the San Antonio Symphony Ball, an elegant evening at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort, during which some of the city’s finest families presented their young women to society. Hosted by The San Antonio Symphony League and supporting the San Antonio Symphony, the 43rd annual Symphony Ball’s “An Evening in Imperial Saint Petersburg” theme that honored the 2013 Symphony Belles.

An enthusiasm for the outside world is indescribably necessary for a child’s growth and development. Children crave this kind of positive interaction with the natural world, which is why the San Antonio Children’s Museum successfully hosted its second annual Outside the Lunchbox Luncheon.

Women are capable of extraordinary things. Whether it is the many little victories battled and won throughout the day to starting their own charitable foundation to assist those with specific needs, eight women were recently honored for their talents at North Star Gives for being extraordinary in their own right.

This Spring, ARTS San Antonio presented “An Elegant Gala Evening at the McNay with The Joffrey Ballet” as one of the events in their celebratory series that led to The Joffrey Ballet’s performance of The Rite of Spring at the Lila Cockrell Theatre.

Gala Helps Celebrate Houston Symphony’s 100th Birthday

By Jen Roosth Photography by Jenny Antill, Jeff Fitlow and Michelle Watson

Over 650 Houston music lovers donned white ties, coat tails, and glamorous ball gowns at this year’s annual Houston Symphony Ball’s Russian Rhapsody a White Night Salute to Hans and Margarita Graf. Chairs Phoebe and Bobby Tudor welcomed arriving guests with champagne and Russian vodka as they gasped at the scenery, an opulent expression of Russian cultures designed by Dallas design dynamo Todd Fiscus at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Following a special tribute performance honoring Hans Graf’s twelve-year tenure as music director of the Symphony, eager attendees filed through a red velvet draped hallway, past the awe-inspiring James Turrell Skyspace, and into an extravagant ballroom.

The extravagant Russian theme took center stage at the event. There were ivory velvet settees, topped with raised platforms that featured live dancing ballerinas from the Houston Ballet Academy, seven Swarovski crystal chandeliers, 12,000 roses and orchids, 4,000 cherry love red roses and 4,800 feet of crystal draping. A “living fountain” by performance artist “Pearl” entranced guests with streams of water elegantly flowing from her fingertips. Talk about over the top.

The decadence continued with dinner designed by Jackson and Company, and silent auction packages celebrating arts festivals around the world (auction bidding was done on iPads roaming the ballroom). The evening concluded with dancing to the sounds of New Orleans Jazz Virtuoso, Jeremy Davenport. A younger generation of Symphony supporters joined for the After-Party, “Club Russe,” chaired by Lindley and Jason Arnoldy. The dance floor of this posh Russian nightclub scene was at full capacity rocking to the sounds of NYC DJ Zone, flown in for the luxe occasion. The event successfully raised almost $1.3 million for the Symphony’s education and community engagement programs, Music Matters!

Spring has sprung and has never looked so glorious as the line between fashion and art was blurred once again when designer Carolina Herrera attended the 2013 Houston Ballet Ball to honor her friend, Lynn Wyatt for her dedication to the Houston Ballet. The event, chaired by Martin and Kelli Cohen Fein (who was wearing a gown from Carolina Herrera’s not yet released pre-fall 2013 collection) and also honored long-time corporate supporters, Vinson & Elkins, LLP.

Recently, at the Austin City Limits/Moody Theatre in Austin, close to a thousand people attended the 4th and Goal Gala, which not only honored a Texas legend, but also raised over a million dollars to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s, an illness that touches many families in Texas and beyond.

It was an elegant black tie Valentine theme for this year’s Bexar County Medical Society Foundation that honored outstanding physicians in their field while simultaneously raising funds for the next generation of health care professionals. The sold-out event was held at the Eilan Hotel Resort and Spa and is the primary fundraiser for the Foundation’s medical scholarship program. It featured a silent auction, raffle, and entertainment by Frank Sinatra stylist, Paul Salos and the Let’s Dance Band.

Each year South By Southwest kicks off its ten days entertainment-palooza with the 13th annual Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards, benefitting the Austin Film Society. Harkening back to its venue roots, this year’s star-studded event was held at the Austin Studios.