Symphony Ball raises $800,000 at Post Oak Hotel
It had been 360 days since Houston’s last in-person, blacktie gala.
The date was March 6, and the event was Asia Society Texas’ annual Tiger Ball in the Museum District. The coronavirus was on the tip of everyone’s tongue, though no one could have anticipated that COVID-19 would shut down social events for nearly a year.
Which explains the renewed energy inside the Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston last Saturday night. Approximately 115 guests zipped into evening gowns and tuxedos for the Houston Symphony Royal Phoenix Ball. Another 70-plus households tuned in virtually.
The up side of the more intimate gala was increased face time — albeit from a distance, in this case — with fellow guests and symphony leadership, zero lines at cocktail bars. There was no downside. Attendees raised more than $800,000 toward the organization’s educational programs and community outreach, which is within striking distance of previous years’ bottom line. For context, Symphony Ball 2019 raised $1.3 million with 450 patrons present.
Much of the magic was the work of Richard Flowers and the Events Co. A stunning Dragon
Fly Bar welcomed guests into the ballroom. There, servers poured Singapore Slings, the night’s signature cocktail, from a bamboo-wrapped, tiki-style bar — an upscale version of a watering hole one might find at a beach resort.
Alternating high and low floral arrangements varied across the tabletops; each centerpiece was a little different than the last. Some tables sat up to eight diners, others had only two. And
there was very little seat-hopping, though some just couldn’t resist — small talk and air kissing proved a tough habit for some to break.
Most were content to forgo the usual “how do you dos” and savor the three-course meal prepared by executive chef JeanLuc Royere instead. An heirloom tomato salad circled first, followed by filet mignon and roasted red snapper for the main and last, a Flaming Phoenix dessert.
Keeping with tradition, wine pairings were selected by John and Lindy Rydman and Lisa Rydman of Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods.
Two of the program’s major highlights included live performances by the IDT Band and Elan. The latter featured elaborate dance sequences and costumes on a liquidlike stage. Only cameos from the symphony’s own musicians could have rivaled the show — we’ve missed them, after all.
Honorees Robin Angly and Miles Smith were there to accept the Mike Stude Award for Enduring Artistic Vison; Ima Hogg Philanthropy Award recipient John Neighbors was honored remotely.
Event chairs Rini and Edward Ziegler made virtual appearances, too, though their presence was felt throughout the room. Rini’s vision for a Royal Phoenix Ball was an undertaking years in the making, delayed nearly 10 months after its original May 2020 date.
The audience clapped and cheered when she and Edward appeared onscreen. Rini, a children’s book author and arts lover, made her moment memorable by reading a poem she’d written for the occasion:
We have the Covid
We had the flood
We have suffered for all it’s worth
Our passion ignites us
We come back stronger To enter the Nobel Court of the Golden Phoenix
To be reborn
To gather inner strength
To rise from the ashes of despair and soar to greater heights
Bringing hope and joy and a better future for all.