Grace and grandeur

44 Dallas Symphony debutantes make regal bows at 40th Presentation Ball

The 40th Dallas Symphony Orchestra League Presentation Ball brought a resplendent night of poise and pageantry - draped in pink - to the Meyerson Symphony Center on Saturday, February 21.

The glittering event marked three milestones in 2026, all worthy of grand celebration: 125 years of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; 80 years of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League; and 40 years of the DSOL Presentation Ball.

The opulent evening drew 1,200 attendees, impeccably dressed in their ballgowns and black- or white-tie tuxedos, for one of Dallas’ most glamorous formal events of the year. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra League is the largest of its kind in the nation, and the annual Presentation Ball is its largest fundraiser.

The 2026 milestone Presentation Ball took place under the guidance of co-chairs Kristin Hallam and Maggie Kipp, alongside DSOL president Claire Catrino (herself a 2011 DSOL debutante).

The evening’s honorary chairs were longtime Dallas Symphony supporters Fanchon and Howard Hallam. (To wit: A gift from the Hallams was instrumental in establishing the Kim Noltemy Young Musicians Program, one of the programs that the Presentation Ball supports.)

DSOL Presentation Ball 2026 Maggie Kipp, Claire Catrino, Kristin HallamPhoto by Danny Campbell

Guests arrived early for a cocktail reception in the lower lobby of the Meyerson. As the chimes rang, women picked up their dresses and the crowd ascended the staircase to the grand lobby, which was already set for dinner later that evening.

Working with various shades of "ruby" - the traditional 40th anniversary gemstone - event planner Steve Kemble, producer Tom Addis, and The Garden Gate owner Junior Villanueva decked out the space in blushes, burgundies, and deeper pinks - from the draping, to the table linens and floral arrangements, to the dance floor.

As stunning as the venue looked, however, the stars of the night were the 44 young women who made their debuts inside the concert hall:

Claire Francis Andrews, Madeline Grace Behrens, Claire Louise Bradshaw, Ryan Ella Marie Brown, Eleanor Baxter Browne, Meredith Lilly Burkhart, Jaya Fields Cagle, Catherine Sophia Cox, Larkin McKay Devening, Marbella Mora Duarte, Sophie Elizabeth Dybala, Kathryne Grace Eastin, Gisele Mary Rose Enrico, Ashley Shannon Goldman, Stella Jane Grabham, MaKenna Loy Harvey, Elizabeth Ann Hautt, Jane Penny Hochman, Madeleine Christine Jenkins, Livia Grace Lange, Charlotte Bryant Lauten, Madeline Mae Mayer, Sue Sealy McGowin, Attales Grace Meyer, Elizabeth Catherine Nance, Madelyn Leigh Neuhoff, Carly Nicole Polka, Chloe Olivia Polka, Rachel Camille Rader, Sofia Marie Reyes, Marlo Elizabeth Rivas, Campbell Ann Schultz, Kathleen Brooks Searcy, Lindy Kate Smith, Sienna Alexis Stagen, Tessa Elizabeth Stephenson, Charlotte Spencer Stiles, Harper Catherine Tagg, Margaret Lee Thompson, Corinne Elizabeth Tinker, Georgia Bedell Williamson, Virginia Anne Wilson, Olivia Constance Zambrano, and Elena Catherine Zeballos.

DSOL Presentation Ball 2026 McKenna Harvey presented by Jeff Harvey on the stage, bathed in pink light.Photo by Danny Campbell

After each woman was introduced by master of ceremonies Stan Gardner, they were escorted gingerly down the staircase by their father, or in some cases, a brother or uncle, who gave them a little smooch on the cheek and carefully stepped around their billowing white dresses to watch them take their bows.

While the Dave Alexander Orchestra serenaded to a song of their choosing, they walked forward on stage, floated their arms out while clutching a bouquet, and curtsied all the way to the floor. Members of the Honor Guard then offered their hand to assist the debs' rise from the floor and carefully escorted them off stage.

DSOL Presentation Ball 2026 Livia Lange takes her bow.Photo by Danny Campbell

The famous "Texas Dip" is both a feat of gymnastics and a most regal courtly bow. The debs had worked for months to perfect the maneuver under the guidance of Densil Adams and Mia Davis.

Once all 44 debs had been presented, they re-entered the stage with the Honor Guard for a final "photo finish" called the Grand Tableau. The crowd made up of family and college-age friends applauded and cheered enthusiastically for all on stage.

The formalities weren't done yet. An ensemble of trumpeters played a fanfare as the debs and their escorts processed into the foyer. There, the young women's fathers were waiting for a traditional grand waltz on the dance floor.

DSOL Presentation Ball 2026 The debs dance with their dads.Photo by Danny Campbell

Guests sat down to dinner of Caprese salad, seared filet, and a chocolate wine cake or berry cheese mousse dome; attentive wine stewards never let glasses run dry.

The dance floor quickly filled to the sounds of the Jordan Kahn Orchestra.

The presentation of Dallas Symphony debutantes is a time-honored tradition for many of Dallas' most influential and philanthropic families.

The Dallas Symphony debutantes are of college age and typically are graduates of Dallas-area high schools, but may be attending college out of the area. Participation is open to all young women. Like pledging a sorority, participants pay fees and participate in parties, fundraisers, classes, and other events throughout the year, all leading up to the Presentation Ball.

The annual event also represents a fun coming-together of generations. This year, for example, debutante mom Lee Thompson (who was presented in the second year of the Presentation Ball) and husband David (who was her Honor Guard escort) watched as their second daughter, Margaret, made her debut. The Cox family celebrated a second debutante daughter with Cate’s debut, and the Stiles family saw the presentation of a third daughter, Charlotte.

DSOL Presentation Ball 2026 Honorary chairs Fanchon and Howard Hallam.Photo by Danny Campbell

It was also a big night for the Hallam family. Co-chair Kristin Hallam's husband, James (son of honorary chairs Fanchon and Howard Hallam), is a former Honor Guard. Three of the next-generation Hallams participated in the 2926 Honor Guard: Hite Hallam, Hale Hallam, and Benton Lynch.

Also playing significant roles this year: Barbara and Don Averitt, who have assisted the debutantes since the first ball; and ball committee members Nancy Gopez, Sarah Mills, Annabel Toole, Stephanie Hunt, Mari Epperson, Christine Winn, Belinda Hancock, Nancy Labadie, Marena Gault, Sandy Ammons, and Sharon Ballew. Also lending their support were Michelle Miller Burns, the Ross Perot President and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Roger Gault, chair of the DSO Board of Governors.

Since its founding in 1946 by visionary philanthropist Tincy Miller, the DSOL has contributed over $25 million to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s education and outreach programs.

Photo by Danny Campbell

Jaya Cagle escorted by Ryan McCord during the 2026 Dallas Symphony Orchestra League Presentation Ball.

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The Rich List

Dallas visionary joins 18 DFW billionaires on new Forbes' richest list

Ben Lamm and George Church, Colossal cofounders

Courtesy of Colossal

Ben Lamm (left) and George Church (right) founded Colossal in 2021.

The richest billionaires in America have a collective worth of $8 trillion in 2026, a staggering $1.4 trillion increase since last year, says Forbes. And the Dallas-based billionaire best known for starting a company to resurrect the long-extinct woolly mammoth has become one of the richest people in America.

Biotech "serial entrepreneur" Ben Lamm, cofounder of Colossal Biosciences, has made his debut as one of the country's richest residents for 2026, according to the just-released Forbes 400.

The annual Forbes 400 list is a definitive ranking of the wealthiest Americans, using interviews, financial data, and documentation provided by billionaires and their companies. In all, 43 billionaires across Texas made it on the 2026 list, and 19 are based in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Lamm, 44, cofounded the Texas-based "de-extinction" company with geneticist George Church in 2021 with the goal to resurrect extinct animals including the mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, and the dodo. The company is now worth over $10 billion, and Lamm's own net worth is currently estimated at $5.7 billion.

"Lamm believes that governments, which have long budgeted for conservation efforts, will pay Colossal to reintroduce extinct species or to prevent endangered ones from dying off," Forbes says in Lamm's profile. "In April Lamm spun Astromech out of Colossal. The company, which private investors valued at $3.8 billion in August, uses AI to forecast evolutionary change."

He is tied with Austin billionaire and Tito's Handmade Vodka founder Bert Beveridge as the No. 302 richest person in America.

In nearby Fort Worth, Walmart heiress Alice Walton, 76, who leads as the richest woman globally, still reigns richest woman in America, the third-wealthiest person in Texas, and the richest resident in Fort Worth for 2026.

Walton's net worth has grown by $12 billion since last year, bringing her current net worth to $118 billion. She is the only daughter of late Walmart cofounder Sam Walton, though she focuses her attention on other endeavors like the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, Arkansas. Forbes still lists her residence as Fort Worth.

Alice Walton in 2026 Walmart heiress and Fort Worth resident Alice Walton is $12 billion richer than she was a year ago.Alice Walton/Facebook

Walton is one of only 62 women billionaires on the Forbes 400 list, making up just 16 percent of the total list.

"Shares of the retailing giant are up more than 10 percent since last year, helping Walton widen her lead over the nation’s second-wealthiest woman, Julia Koch (estimated net worth: $84.6 billion), an heir to the Koch, Inc. conglomerate fortune," Forbes says.

Missing from this year's list is David Dean Halbert of Colleyville. Halbert, 70, earned his billionaire status last year when his diagnostics firm, Caris Life Sciences, went public. He became one of the 400 richest Americans in 2025, but his net worth is currently estimated at $3.7 billion, which — shockingly — makes him one of the 590 American billionaires that are "too poor to make the cut" this year, according to Forbes.

"With the AI and data center boom in full swing and the U.S. stock market near an all-time high, it now takes a record $4.4 billion to rank among the nation’s 400 wealthiest people," the publication said. "That’s $600 million more than last year and $2.7 billion more than a decade ago.

Here's how the rest of Dallas-Fort Worth's billionaires fared on this year's list:

Koch, Inc. stakeholder Elaine Marshall and her family rank No. 34 nationally with an estimated net worth of $32.2 billion. Last year: $28.3billion.
Endeavor Energy Resources chairman Lyndal Stephens Greth and her family rank No. 37 nationwide with an estimated net worth of $30 billion. Last year: $27.4 billion.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of Dallas sits at No. 49 in the U.S. with an estimated net worth of $23.5 billion. Last year: $19.6 billion.
Money manager Ken Fisher of Dallas ranks 83rd nationally with an estimated net worth of $15 billion. Last year: $13.2 billion.
Banking and real estate mogul Andy Beal of Dallas holds the No. 110 spot nationally. His estimated net worth is $12.3 billion. Last year: $12 billion.
Gas tycoon Kelcy Warren of Dallas ranks No. 170 nationally with an estimated net worth of $9.3 billion. Last year: $7.5 billion.
Hotel and investment guru Robert Rowling of Dallas ranks 187th nationally with an estimated net worth of $8.8 billion, unchanged from 2025.
Oil and real estate titan Ray Lee Hunt of Dallas ranks 199th nationally with an estimated net worth of $8.3 billion. Last year: $6.9 billion.
Real estate bigwig H. Ross Perot Jr. of Dallas ranks No. 233 nationally with an estimated net worth of $7.4 billion. Last year: $6.5 billion.
Oil and investment mogul Robert Bass of Fort Worth ranks 245th nationally with an estimated net worth of $7 billion. Last year: $6.1 billion.
Media magnate and Cost Plus Drugs cofounder Mark Cuban of Dallas ranks No. 255 nationally with an estimated net worth of $6.8 billion. Last year: $6 billion.
Margot Birmingham Perot of Dallas, widow of tech and real estate entrepreneur H. Ross Perot Sr., ranks No. 264 nationally with an estimated net worth of $6.4 billion. Last year: $5.7 billion.
Oil and gas honcho Trevor Rees-Jones of Dallas ranks as No. 269 nationally with an estimated net worth of $6.2 billion. Last year: $5.9 billion.
Airplane leasing industry founder Steven Udvar-Hazy of Westlake ranks No. 336 nationally with an estimated net worth of $5.1 billion. Last year: $4.5 billion.
Oil and gas magnate Ray Davis of Dallas ties for 375th nationally with an estimated net worth of $4.6 billion. Last year: $3.5 billion.
Oil heir Sid Bass of Fort Worth and private equity firm cofounder Carl Thoma of Dallas tie for No. 380 nationally with an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion. Last year: $3.8 billion and $4.4 billion, respectively.

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