Valentino, Debbie and Rudy Festari
The event, dubbed “Bella Roma” and chaired by Karen Remington and Saula Centa Valente, raised more than $200,000 — a record! — for the Italian Cultural & Community Center. Honorees for the day were longtime Houston clothiers Debbie and Rudy Festari. Debbie teared up discussing her husband’s journey from a childhood in Rome to becoming one of H-Town’s most iconic fashion merchants; Astros royalty Jeff Bagwell also honored Rudy with remarks.
“Speaking in his native Italian, Rudy spoke of his love of fashion and family, thanking his many friends and supporters,” said a rep for organizers of the event. “Rudy and Debbie’s proud son Valentino was there and shared in the applause and standing ovation for him.”
A lunch of caprese salad and stuff chicken — with a splash of Pinot Grigio, naturally — provided fuel for a fun afternoon. Guests not only enjoyed the sophisticated ladies’ styles on the runway but also perused an extensive silent auction and wine pull.
VIPs in the crowd included emcee Owen Conflenti, Nicole Lassiter, Brigitte Kalai, Sippi Khurana, Lesha Elsenbrook and Donna Lewis, Daniel Irion and Kirk Kveton, Melissa Juneau, Ally Shell, Courtney Hopson, Melissa Mithoff, Mauney Mafrige, Roland Maldonado, Jessica Rossman, Kristen Cannon, Jessica Meyer, Debbie Clemens, Rachel Bagwell, Gary Petersen, Victor Costa, Roz Pactor, Brian Ching and Lindsay Yates.
Brian Ching and Lindsey Yates
Courtney Hopson and Melissa Mithoff
Sippi Khurana and Felicia Stone
Roz Pactor and Victor Costa
Ally Shell and Michelle Reyna
Marla Hurley and Jennifer Grigsby
Farida Abjani, Brigitte Kalai and Alex Blair
Maria Moncada Alaoui and Kristen Cannon
Lorena Gomez and Jessica Gomez
Mauney Mafridge and Travis Torrence
Kristy Phillips and Jennifer Pinkerton
Kirk Kventon, Debbie and Rudy Festari and Daniel Iron
Karen Remington, Saula Valente, Roberta Bentley and Holly Dean
Jody Merritt, Edna Meyer Nelson and Christine Johnson
Jessica Rossman and Ronald Maldonado
Gary Petersen and Rachel and Jeff Bagwell
Lady Stephanie Kimbrell, Cory McGee, and Butler Studio artists, Ani Kushyan, Alissa Goretsky and Elizabeth Hanje (photo by Michelle Watson)
“Stephen Wadsworth’s brand-new production of Verdi’s perennially popular tragedy sets the story in modern Spain,” notes a rep for the company, “where old and new worlds coexist, cathedrals comingling with street art.”
The elaborate sets — with graffiti-style accents by 26-year-old Houston street artist Floyd Mendoza — and engaging contemporary costuming awed the audience, to say nothing of the singing by worldwide opera luminaries Raehann Bryce-Davis, Ailyn Pérez, Michael Spyres, Lucas Meachem, and Morris Robinson. One of Houston’s most beloved arts leaders, Artistic and Musical Director Patrick Summers, who recently announced a shift to an emeritus role in 2026, conducted the orchestra.
After the opera, Janet Gurwitch and Ron Franklin, chairs of the evening, welcomed some 425 guests to Fish Plaza, where “décor by The Events Company blended old-world charm with a modern edge, the dramatic yet elegant ambiance accentuated by rich hues of burgundy, teal, navy blue, and gold,” said the HGO rep. Dinner included a raved-over beet salad with frisee followed by beef short ribs with butternut squash and mushrooms. For dessert: dark chocolate torte.
Boldface names seen schmoozing about incude HGO General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor, Margaret Alkek Williams, Molly and Jim Crownover, Isabel and Danny David, Tracy and Valerie Dieterich, Carey Kirkpatrick, Franci Neely, Duyen and Marc Nguyen, Cynthia and Tony Petrello, Lindy and John Rydman, Anita and Gerald Smith, Phoebe and Bobby Tudor, Betty and Jesse Tutor, Hallie Vanderhider and famed opera composer Jake Heggie.
More than $600,000 was raised to support HGO’s community-engagement programs.
Omar and Maria Alaoui (photo by Michelle Watson)
Alecia Harris and Eivind Moen (photo by Emily Jaschke)
Lucas and Irina Meachem, and Tracy Maddox and John Serpe (photo by Emily Jaschke)
Janet Gurwitch, Raehann Bryce-Davis and Michelle Hevrdejs (photo by Michelle Watson)
Emily Bivona and Ryan Manser (photo by Emily Jaschke)
Nico Roussel and Teresa Procter (photo by Emily Jaschke)
Bobby and Phoebe Tudor (photo by Emily Jaschke)
Khori Dastoor and William and Huda Zoghbi (photo by Michelle Watson)
Melanie Smith and Michelle Klinger (photo by Michelle Watson)