Houston’s Magical Musical Morning Creates Adorable Kid Scenes Fit for a Disney Movie

This is One Sweet Symphony Moment

By Shelby Hodge // Dec 12, 2019

Photography Leah Wilson

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The three musical muskateers: Malcolm, Mitchell and Martin Boge at the Houston Symphony's Magical Musical Morning (Photo by Leah Wilson)

A magical moment on the violin at the Houston Symphony holiday event for families. (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Elliott Lester, Judson Lester (Photo by Leah Wilson)

An up-close-and-personal violin moment at the Houston Symphony's Magical Musical Morning. (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Berkley and Elizabeth Eggleston, Saylor and Gus Robbins (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Travis & Brittany Cassin with sons Charlie and Jake (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Haylie Duff, Ryan Rosenberg, Joan & Bob Duff (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Bailey Dalton-Binion, Jackson Binion (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Children in their Sunday best are mesmerized by the performance of Houston Symphony musicians. (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Bucky Walton, Will Eggleston (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Tracy & Valerie Dieterich with their daughter Madison (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Jacob & Francesca Saour (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Jan Rhodes, Ashley Oliver, Evan Oliver, Drew Oliver, Payton Valentine, Presley Valentine (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Drs. Ishwaria & Vivek Subbiah with their children, Ari, Nathan and Sasha (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Jessica and Paisley Cardenas, Katherine, Aubrey and Kat Dujka (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Princess Maria, Princess Maria Anna and Princess Alexandra Galitzine (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Mark Stadnyk & Amanda Hasler with their daughter Wyatt Stadnyk (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Pam Drury; Dawn, Zane and Brett Berly; Diane Boyd (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Vicki West, Lilly Andress, Maureen Higdon, Viviana Denechaud (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Dick & Susan Hansen (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Farida Abjani, Joan Duff, Betty Tutor (Photo by Leah Wilson)

Regina and John Mangum with their son John (Photo by Leah Wilson)

The Houston Symphony’s annual Magical Musical Morning so effectively spreads the seasonal joy through the ballroom of River Oaks Country Club that it could be a scene from a delightfully candy-coated Disney movie.

Picture youngsters, dressed in their holiday best, scampering from moments with Santa to a whimsical photo booth to the ever-popular Instrument Petting Zoo. And that is where the most heartwarming photos are taken year after year. We’re still smiling over the images of the three young Boge brothers warming up on mini-saxophones and Elliott Lester putting his lips to a full-sized French horn. And the precious little girls, bows in their hair, embracing violins could melt even a steely heart.

Applause, applause for chair Joan Duff for helming the day that fêted Sybil Roos as honorary great-grandmother and Susan and Dick Hansen and Brittany and Travis Cassin as honorary family.

Beyond providing a beautiful midday affair, the event raised more than $100,000 for the symphony’s Education and Community Engagement programs. It was therefore appropriate that classical entertainment, with the kiddos in mind, was provided by artists from the symphony’s Community-Embedded Musicians.

More than 280 youngsters, parents and grandparents were seated for the concert as well as for the family-friendly buffet that included breakfast croissants, pigs-in-a-blanket, French toast and musical themed sugar cookies.

PC Seen: Bob Duff, Hailey Duff, Drs. Ishwaria and Vivek Subbiah, Farida Abjani, Viviana and David Denechaud, Valerie and Tracy Dieterich, Mary Lou Dujka, Katherine and Jonathan Palme, Fran Fawcett-Peterson, Trish Greaser, Connie Kwan-Wong, Tammy Nguyen, Kimberly and Edoardo Padeletti, Gina and Saib Saour, Meagan and Christian Schwartz, Drs. Ishwaria and Vivek Subbiah, Mary Lynn Marks, Betty Tutor Bailey Dalton-Binion, and Regina and John Mangum, Houston Symphony CEO.