Rice’s Storied Music School Celebrates 50 Years With $1.5 Million Night — Looking To the Future Of Tunes

What: Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music 50th anniversary gala

Where: Musical buildings on the university campus

PC Moments: Befitting the 50th anniversary of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, this Houston night was filled with nods to an illustrious past and a glorious future with musical performances, an on-stage dinner salute and a fundraising effort that surpassed the goal.

Chaired by Anne and Albert Chao and Isabel and Danny David along with underwriting chairs Shawn Stephens and Jim Jordan, the evening raised $1.5 million toward another half century of inspiring beautiful music on every level.

The night began in Stude Concert Hall where the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra, led by Miguel Harth-Bedoya, delivered a program honoring the school’s past, present and future. The program included a new work by faculty composer Pierre Jalbert featuring two-time Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano and Shepherd alumna Sasha Cooke.

“For five decades, the Shepherd School has set the standard for musical training and performance,” Rice president Reginald DesRoches told the gathering of 370. “Its students, faculty and alumni bring talent, discipline and artistry that inspire all of us — on this stage, across Houston and around the globe.”

Joining DesRoches in making remarks was Dean of Music Matthew Loden. “From our earliest days when Sallie Shepherd Perkins so generously brought our school to life, we have been a place of dreams brought to reality by the leaders in our community,” Loden says. “Thank you for 50 years of dreams and for standing with us as we translate those dreams into the next 50 years of success for the Shepherd School of Music.”

The evening honored philanthropist Anne Duncan, who along with her late husband Charles Duncan, were generous benefactors of the university, including helping fund the music school. No small contribution was their gift. It even created the Anne and Charles Duncan concertmaster chair.

Following the concert, the celebration moved to the stage of Brockman Hall for Opera for a glorious dinner where performances by Shepherd School students set the sound track for the festivities.

PC Seen: Molly and Jim Crownover, Cynthia Allshouse, Linda McReynolds, Cynthia and Tony Petrello, Leigh and Reggie Smith, Y. Ping Sun and David Leebron, Lilly Andress, Amy and Robert Dittmar, Vicki West and Ralph Burch, Khori Dastoor, Margaret Alkek Williams, Kristy and Chris Bradshaw, and James Gaffigan, Shepherd School of Music class of 2003 alum just named Houston Grand Opera music director.