Dear Friends,
Our Symphony of Soul Swingin’ in the Stars Soiree was a swingin’ success!!!!! Sleek. Sexy. Intimate. Romantic. Simply stated, it was the perfect precursor to Valentine’s Day.
View from The Austonian
On a crisp Thursday evening, February 9, 2012, our stylish guests gathered on the posh 55th floor of The Austonian and admired the sparkling 360 degree view of the city. It was only because of the kindness of our dear friend Emily Moreland that we were able to host our event at The Austonian, one of the most sought-after venues in Austin.
The Ambler Family Foundation lovingly donated beautiful bouquets of pink, red and lavender roses that perfumed the air, while votive candles emanated a romantic glow to the already stunning setting. The soulfully sexy jazz of The Russell K Shores project wowed the guests with every wail of the saxophone and slap of the bass. People couldn’t help swaying and dancing to the sultry tunes.
At a certain point, the band accompanied yours truly while I sang a few torch songs from the 30‘s and 40‘s. When the band took a well-deserved break, the ever-charming men of the Medallion Quartet wooed the guests with their beautiful a cappella renditions of tender love songs. I couldn’t help but notice how so many couples held each other just a little bit closer a they listened to the beautiful singing voices of the four men. And, let’s face it, I loved being serenaded by the guys! What girl wouldn’t?
Amidst mixing and mingling and hugs and laughter, there were oohs and aahs of delight as our guests tasted the marvelous food prepared by Chef David Bull of Congress Restaurant. Toasts abounded as everyone sipped the sweet and splendid vodka cocktails generously provided by Dripping Springs Vodka.
I was tickled to see how playfully competitive our guests became as they purchased more and more tickets in hopes of winning the Sir Elton John Extravaganza Raffle. For $50 a ticket, the raffle provided roundtrip airfare for two people to Las Vegas, two night’s stay in the five star Bellagio Hotel, two tickets to see Elton John in concert, and two backstage passes. We thank our wonderful friend and Advisory Board member Bill Ham for arranging that package on our behalf. Congratulations to the raffle winner Christopher Hill!
There were squeals of delight as the women tried on the exquisite jewelry imported by my dear childhood friend Kendall Wilson of San Miguel Treasures. Kendall kindly donated a generous percentage of the purchases to Symphony of Soul at the end of the evening. “Leslie, look what I just bought!” my friends would giggle as they rushed up to me throughout the evening, proudly modeling their sparkly purchases.
It is because of friends like the wonderful Michael Barnes of The Austin American Statesman, that word got out about our event and we sold out. Thank you, Michael! And speaking of promotion, thank you to our sweet friend Sherry Scott for designing such beautiful invitations, brochures and the ongoing media presentation of Symphony of Soul in action that flashed so stylishly on the walls of The Austonian.
Our guests felt like fashion models as they posed for the renowned photographer Brenda Ladd, our lovely friend and Advisory Board member. Thank you, Brenda, for donating your fantastic photography skills to capturing our event on camera.
We could never have pulled off such a lovely event without Davis & Wilkerson, US Mexico Consulting, and Catalyst Consulting, The Ambler Family Foundation, Chef David Bull and Scott Walker of Congress Restaurant, Emily Moreland of Moreland Properties, The Austonian, Lauren Kelleher and Dripping Springs Vodka, our stellar volunteers Debbie Murphy, Monika Seiders and Sherry Scott, Kendall Wilson, my beloved husband and board member Dr. George Rodgers, as well as our other board members Bill Ham, Brenda Ladd, Tommy Cowan, Jos DenHartog, Terry Heller and Tamra Swindoll. You have blessed me and the organization with your loving hearts and generosity. Thank you for giving the Symphony of Soul family such a wonderful celebration of friendship!
With blessings,
Leslie Hyland Rodgers