On Saturday, September 28, 2024, classical music connoisseurs and influential figures stepped into the sophisticated elegance of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s 2024 Symphony Gala. More than 420 distinguished guests gathered at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center for an unforgettable evening of dinner, drinks, a live auction and an exciting afterparty. The evening featured a phenomenal performance by world-renowned guest artist Lang Lang on piano alongside the DSO conducted by Louise W. & Edmund J. Kahn Music Director Fabio Luisi. Continuing the tradition, the annual Symphony Gala is one of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s largest annual fundraisers, benefitting the DSO’s life-changing education and community outreach initiatives, including Young Strings and Young Musicians. These programs touch the lives of more than 243,000 North Texas residents annually, including more than 30,000 children.
Gala Chairs, Laura Harris-Means and Patrick Means, along with Honorary Chairs Cassandra and Avery Johnson, welcomed sponsors, DSO stalwarts and notables including 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, District 14 Councilmembers Paul Ridley and Jamie Resendez.
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, playing “Oh When the Saints Go Marching In,” led a second-line-style procession down the steps and through the lobby with the Means and Johnsons trailing behind with umbrellas waiving above their heads signaling to guests that it was time to enter the dining area and be seated for an elegant dinner sponsored by Charles Schwab. The New Orleans theme continued with a Creole-inspired menu including filet of beef, blackened gulf prawns, asparagus, dauphinoise potatoes and tri-colored carrots.
After dinner, guests moved into the Eugene McDermott Concert Hall to enjoy Lang Lang in his first appearance with the DSO orchestra since the 2016 DSO Gala, the sold-out concert sponsored by Capital One. Dallas Symphony Association (DSA) Chair of the Board of Governors Cece Smith thanked the 1700 concert attendees saying, “The Dallas Symphony has long been at the heart of Dallas’s cultural identity, shaping our city’s growth into the vibrant international destination it is today. Tonight, we express our deep gratitude to every one of you. Your generous support enables us to continue our artistic, community, and educational initiatives. We all know the transformative power of music, and with your help, we're making a lasting impact on lives across Dallas.”
Smith then introduced Michelle Miller Burns, the DSO’s new Ross Perot President & CEO, who thanked Co-Chairs Laura Harris-Means and Patrick Means for their incredible support and leadership. Burns then reminded attendees that proceeds from the evening will support the DSO’s education programs, including the Young Strings and The Kim Noltemy Young Musicians programs. The 28 Young Strings, Young Musicians and Teen Council students who were in the audience then stood and were acknowledged to thunderous applause. Before handing the mic over to the Gala’s Co-Chairs, Burns asked guests to mark their calendars for next year’s Gala, which will take place on Saturday, October 4, 2025.
Closing out the evening’s remarks were Gala Chairs Laura Harris-Means and Patrick Means who noted that, "Art and music are an integral part of a well-rounded education, and the educational programming that tonight’s event supports enhances our community and opens doors to our city’s youth that might not otherwise exist. The DSO is one of our city’s greatest treasures, and we are excited to celebrate it with you tonight."
And with that the legendary Lang Lang took to the stage on piano alongside the DSO, conducted by Music Director Fabio Luisi, where Rachmaninoff’s expressively virtuosic Second Piano Concerto was performed. Lang Lang gave two encores, Charlotte Sohy’s “Romance,” followed by his own arrangement of the Disney Hit, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to thunderous applause. After the performance, guests returned to the Meyerson lobby which had been magically transformed into “Club Toulouse,” an after-party experience sponsored by Charles Schwab Bank, where those with the stamina enjoyed savories, desserts and dancing to tunes spun by Endolena as DJ.