'Arabian Night' Christens Thompson Hotel, Breaks Fundraising Record for Mercury Orchestra

Priscilla Dickson
'Arabian Night' Christens Thompson Hotel, Breaks Fundraising Record for Mercury Orchestra

Noor Riddle, Ally Shell, Stacey Lindseth, Kendra Smith, Donae Chramosta

EVENT CHAIRS KENNY and Gaby Owen were thrilled to welcome hundreds of Houstonians to Mercury Chamber Orchestra's annual gala, this year held at the brand-new Thompson Hotel off Allen Parkway.


In addition to being one of the first mega events held at the glam newcomer, the fundraising fete, which adopted a theme of An Arabian Night, made headlines for breaking Mercury's fundraising record. It brought in more than $420,000 thanks to an exciting auction (items included a tour of Chinatown led by Chris Shepherd, and a week-long stay at Casa Angelina in Zihuatanejo, Mexico) and a raffle, which featured a pair of DeBoulle diamond earrings.

Divine Décor Design brought in elegant flowers, furniture and more, transforming the Thompson's Vesper Ballroom into a mystique-filled setting that provided the perfect backdrop for a dinner of Moroccan-spiced steak, Mujadara rice, and zaatar asparagus.

After dinner, Artistic Director Antoine Plante led the chamber orchestra in a moving performance of selections from Mozart’s Ronda Alla Turca, Tchaikovsky’s Arabian Dance, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, and Dizzy Gillespie’s A Night in Tunisa.

Linda & Mike DeMasi

Mike & Jo Anne Donovan, Lesley Crawford, Gary Swagerty

Kristen Shults, Kari Dial, Maria Alejandra Nebreda

David & Kelly Rose, Courtenay Vandiver Pereira & Sabata Pereira

Gaby & Kenny Owen

Brian Riter, Gaby & Kenny Owen, Antoine Plante

Brian & Stephanie Dubiski

Mickey & Debi Barret

Mathew & Mya Melton

Robert Navo & Ginny Hart

Shane & Marissa Gilroy

Gilbert Cruz & Natalie Keshemberg, Dahlia Chaudhury & Khalil Bryant

Summer Boots, Gaby Owen, Monica Jhunjhunwala

Rudy & Debbie Festari, Antoine Plante, Daniel Irion, Kirk Kveton

Ralf van der Ven, Megan Hendrix, Justin Garcia

Stephen & Kim Perich

Travelle & Zach Ellis

Parties

Lillith's Lullaby and Coven's Calling cocktails at The Cursed Cauldren

THE VEIL IS thinning! So sayeth the Instagram page of The Cursed Cauldron, a brand-new, Halloween-themed pop-up bar scheduled to pour beginning Friday, Oct. 13, through Oct. 31. From 4pm to 2am daily, The Cursed Cauldron will transform the popular late-night restaurant industry hang Ninja Ramen, located at 4219 Washington Ave., into an immersive, Instagram-worthy environment, serving handcrafted, eye-popping Halloween-themed cocktails infused with herbs, spices and local artisanal syrups from Levels of Grandeur.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

Lautenbach’s Orchard Country, a winery and market in Fish Creek

AFTER SUCH A brutally hot summer, Houstonians likely crave — even more intensely than usual — a picturesque fall. You know, apple-picking and crisp evenings and beautifully colored leaves and the like. Find a satisfyingly stereotypical destination in Door County, a quaint yet cultured region of Wisconsin boasting 300 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.

Keep Reading Show less
People + Places