Savor the Symphony

Dallas Symphony patrons orchestrate noteworthy night to benefit young musicians

What: Dallas Symphony Orchestra League's 2023 Savor the Symphony Wine Dinner & Auction

Photo by Chuck Clark

Donna Arp Weitzman, Terry Loftis

Where: The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas

The 411: Still basking in the success of the 37th Annual Presentation Ball, members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League gathered at a special wine-focused dinner on April 13 to clink glasses and raise even more funds for young musicians.

Guided by event chairs (mother-daughter super-duo) Laura Downing and Caroline Gahm, under the direction of DSOL president Cynthia Beaird, the elegant evening included a wine-tasting reception, dinner, entertainment, and auctiosn for individual bottles of wine and more.

Per tradition, this year's Savor the Symphony showcased one special winery - Coquerel Family Wine Estates. The winemakers, Brenda and Clay Cockerell, live in Dallas. Their daughter Lily flew in from California for the event. Read more about their story and their wines here.

During the tasting, which highlighted Coquerel's Sauvignon Blanc, guests browsed the auction items, including special bottles from the winery and an exciting new entry - transportation by AERO, the new exclusive private jet service launching flights this month from Dallas to Cabo and Aspen.

Guests then feasted on a lavish wine-paired dinner prepared by the Ritz-Carlton kitchen and enjoyed a musical performance by DSO violinist Lucas Aleman.

Proceeds from the evening benefit the Dallas Symphony Association and its education and community outreach programs, including the Kim Noltemy Young Musicians, Young Strings, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert Series. These programs impact more than 35,000 local students, helping to promote brain development and increased high school graduation rates, and opening the door to a brighter future with more opportunities, the organization touts.

Who: Donna Arp Weitzman, Terry Loftis, Randy and Jennifer Marvel, Larry and Venise Stuart, Tricia and Michael Wortley, Carole Ann Brown, Deborah Brown, Maurice and Sharon Ballew, Kim Brannon, Barbara Averitt, Marena Gault, Don Averitt, Jill and Bruce Goldberg, Kay and Pete Weeks, and many more ardent supporters of the DSOL.

DSO DSOL symphony wine galas

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Jazz and classical mix at Dallas Symphony Orchestra's New Orleans-style gala

Photo by Kristina Bowman

Patrick Means, Laura Harris-Means, Cassandra Johnson, Avery Johnson.

For one night only, Dallasites got to pretend they were in the Big Easy without ever leaving Texas. More than 420 guests gathered at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center on September 28 for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's gala, themed this year around the colorful culture of New Orleans.

The evening began with a champagne cocktail reception featuring the David Washburn Jazz Band playing New Orleans-style jazz on the Meyerson’s radial staircase. When the time came to transition to dinner service, members of the DSO Young Musicians played “Oh When the Saints Go Marching In” and led a second-line-style procession down the steps and through the lobby.

DSO gala 2024 It'd be impossible not to follow them.Photo by Sylvia Elzafon

Gala chairs Laura Harris-Means and Patrick Means, along with honorary chairs Cassandra and Avery Johnson, followed with umbrellas waving above their heads to signal to guests that it was time to be seated for an elegant dinner. The New Orleans theme continued with a Creole-inspired menu that included filet of beef, blackened Gulf prawns, asparagus, dauphinoise potatoes, and tricolored carrots.

DSO gala 2024. Patrick Means and Laura Harris-Means led the second line.Photo by Sylvia Elzafon

Spotted at the tables were Venise and Larry Stuart, Marena and Roger Gault, Andy Smith and Paul von Wupperfeld, Rachel and John Koryl, Chuck Steelman, Nancy A. Nasher, David J. Haemisegger, Grace Cook, Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins, and District 14 Councilmembers Paul Ridley and Jamie Resendez.

After dinner, guests moved into the Eugene McDermott Concert Hall to enjoy world-renowned pianist Lang Lang in his first appearance with the DSO orchestra since the 2016 DSO gala.

The sold-out concert begin with Dallas Symphony Association chair of the Board of Governors Cece Smith thanking the 1,700 concert attendees. Smith then introduced Michelle Miller Burns, the DSO’s new president and CEO, who reminded the crowd that proceeds from the evening support the DSO’s education programs, including the Young Strings and The Kim Noltemy Young Musicians programs. These programs touch the lives of more than 243,000 North Texas residents annually, including more than 30,000 children.

DSO gala 2024 Laura Harris-Means and Young Strings student Patrick Miranda.Photo by Kristina Bowman

The 28 Young Strings, Young Musicians, and Teen Council students who were in the audience then stood to thunderous applause.

And with that, the legendary Lang Lang took to the stage on piano alongside the DSO, conducted by music director Fabio Luisi. On the program were Rachmaninoff’s expressively virtuosic Second Piano Concerto and two encores, Charlotte Sohy’s "Romance" followed by his own arrangement of the Disney/Elton John hit “Can You Feel the Love Tonight."

DSO gala 2024 Lang Lang during the performance.Photo by Sylvia Elzafon

After the performance, guests returned to a lobby that had been magically transformed into Club Toulouse, an Cajun-flavored after-party experience with savory snacks, sweet desserts, and dancing to tunes spun by DJ Endolena.

DSO gala 2024 Guests danced their hearts out at the after-party.Photo by Sylvia Elzafon

Photo by Kristina Bowman

Patrick Means, Laura Harris-Means, Cassandra Johnson, Avery Johnson.

Next year’s gala is scheduled for Saturday, October 4, 2025.

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