Houston’s $400,000 Jazz Night Turns the Four Seasons Hotel Into a Supper Club With Sweet Notes
Honoring DACAMERA Visionary Elaine Finger
By Caitlin Hsu //
DACAMERA is now in its 38th season, and the beat isn’t stopping anytime soon. Houston’s chamber music and jazz organization raised nearly $400,000 at its 2026 annual gala dubbed Music Salons and Jazz Supper Club, with chairs Anne-Laure and Steve Stephens welcoming 375 music lovers to the Four Seasons Hotel Houston.
The night honored Elaine Finger, beloved philanthropist and longtime DACAMERA supporter — “a true visionary whose passion for our city is matched only by her dedication to its future,” KHOU 11 News anchor Len Cannon says. Cannon served as the night’s emcee.
Cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvres opened the program, followed by a wine pull, raffle and musical caricatures. A jazz trio from Houston Professional Musicians’ Association — Cory Wilson on saxophone, Paul Chester on guitar and David Craig on double bass — serenaded the crowd.
A highlight of the evening turned out to be a series of chamber music salon performances from DACAMERA Young Artists. A quintet composed of Ashni Budge (violin), Miranda Hollingsworth (violin), Nicholas Lindell (viola), Claire Druffner (cello), and Samantha St. John (double bass) delighted with Jessie Montgomery’s folk-inspired “Strum.” The trio of Adam W. Sadberry (flute), Felix Veser (viola), and Sophie Kim (harp) performed Maurice Ravel’s “Sonatine.”
Finally, sisters Chloe and Chelsea de Souza (the latter being a Da Camera alumni artist) performed Claude Debussy’s Petite Suite, a selection for four hands.
French-American jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant took the stage for the evening’s headline performance, which included a powerful rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “Alfie,” as well as “Obligation,” an original song. The three-time Grammy winner is known for blending musical theater, blues and classic jazz, and is compared by some to Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan.
What a perfect way to cap off a musical night.
PC Seen: Karen and Jonathan Finger, Heidi and David Gerger, Nicholas Stuart and Zsavon Butler, Jagdip Ahluwalia, Maureen and Adel Chaouch, Anil Deshpande, Kai Henning, Collin and Jaquelyn Cox, Denmon Sigler and Peter Chok, Yvonne Chen and Brandon Bell, Ron Franklin and Janet Gurwitch, Anna and Hal Holliday, Mary Shinn, Claudia and David Hatcher, Garfield and Jakeen Johnson, Lynn and Bill Hargrove, Robert Azencott, Geoffry H. Oshman, Mary and Robert Fusillo, Dawne and John Jordan, Gary and Carol Bucek, Elizabeth Fallon, Prentiss Burt, Lynn and Ty Kelly, and Blaine Adams and Patrick Falcon.
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