Cynthia Smoot
Where White Gowns Shimmered Beneath Crystal Chandeliers, Tradition Met Triumph In An Evening Of Elegance, Legacy, And Next-Generation Support
By Cynthia Smoot Photography By: Gittings Photography and Danny Campbell
THE SCENE: For forty years, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League Presentation Ball has stood as one of Texas’ most enduring and elegant traditions. In 2026, it did far more than honor history. It made it. This year also marked 80 years of League leadership and 125 years of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Milestones like that do not happen by accident. They happen because many generations choose to protect and elevate something that matters. The evening honored that legacy while clearly signaling strength, momentum, and new dynamic energy.
The 2026 debutantes making their debut were: Claire Francis Andrews, Madeline Grace Behrens, Claire Louise Bradshaw, Ryan Ella Marie Brown, Eleanor Baxter Browne, Meredith Lilly Burkhart, Jaya Fields Cagle, Catherine Sophia Cox, Larkin McKay Devening, Marbella Mora Duarte, Sophie Elizabeth Dybala, Kathryne Grace Eastin, Gisele Mary Rose Enrico, Ashley Shannon Goldman, Stella Jane Grabham, MaKenna Loy Harvey, Elizabeth Ann Hautt, Jane Penny Hochman, Madeleine Christine Jenkins, Livia Grace Lange, Charlotte Bryant Lauten, Madeline Mae Mayer, Sue Sealy McGowin, Attales Grace Meyer, Elizabeth Catherine Nance, Madelyn Leigh Neuhoff, Carly Nicole Polka, Chloe Olivia Polka, Rachel Camille Rader, Sofia Marie Reyes, Marlo Elizabeth Rivas, Campbell Ann Schultz, Kathleen Brooks Searcy, Lindy Kate Smith, Sienna Alexis Stagen, Tessa Elizabeth Stephenson, Charlotte Spencer Stiles, Harper Catherine Tagg, Margaret Lee Thompson, Corinne Elizabeth Tinker, Georgia Bedell Williamson, Virginia Anne Wilson, Olivia Constance Zambrano, and Elena Catherine Zeballos.
Claire Catrino graciously stepped into the role of League President during this anniversary season. During the evening’s presentation at the Morton Myerson Symphony Center, she recognized the Ross Perot President and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Michelle Miller Burns, and Chair of the DSO Board of Governors, Roger Gault, and acknowledged the vital partnership between the League and the Orchestra. Under the direction of Ball Co Chairs Maggie Kipp and Kristin Hallam, this ruby anniversary year delivered record underwriting dollars raised and a level of enthusiasm that could be felt the moment guests entered the room.
Forty-four debutantes were presented with honor, accompanied by their Honor Guard, continuing a tradition that remains one of the most meaningful in our city. And yet the evening did not feel nostalgic. It felt alive. The energy was over the top. The dance floor stayed full until well after midnight. This was not simply about looking back. It was about moving forward with clarity and conviction.
THE VIBE: What made this year different was not just the numbers, though they were historic. It was the leadership. It was the alignment. It was the presence of some of Texas’s most influential families standing behind an institution that has shaped Dallas’s cultural fabric for more than a century.
The Presentation Ball has always represented grace and tradition. In 2026, it also represented discipline, strength, and momentum.
Long-time symphony supporters Fanchon and Howard Hallam were the Honorary Chairs. Howard has maintained a distinguished and enduring relationship with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) for nearly four decades, having served on the Board of Governors since 1987, including terms as President and later as Chairman of the Board from 1990-1995. Fanchon and Howard’s leadership gift was
instrumental in establishing the Kim Noltemy Young Musicians Program, one of the programs that the Ball supports. The Hallams endowed the DSO Co-Concert Master Chair and are the named sponsor for Basically Beethoven Hallam Concerts.
Master of Ceremonies Stan Gardner formally introduced each of the debutantes, who performed the traditional Texas Dip bow—a full court bow, perfected under the guidance of Densil Adams and Mia Davis. Each debutante was accompanied by an Honor Guard escort, highlighting the deep-rooted traditions that make this event so special.
Steve Kemble, along with Junior from Garden Gate and Tom Addis, made the Meyerson a ruby-toned dream of palest pinks to deepest burgundies. Many longtime supporters said they had never seen the Meyerson looking more gorgeous. The pink and burgundy dance floor was put to great use late into the evening!
Family legacies were woven throughout the 40th celebration year. Claire Catrino, herself a 2011 debutante leading the League during this milestone year, is the first past debutante to be President of the League. Through the years, Fanchon and Howard Hallam’s children and grandchildren have been debutantes and served as an Honor Guard. For this special evening, three Hallam Family Honor Guard members participated: Hite Hallam, Hale Hallam, and Benton Lynch. Debutante mom Lee Thompson was presented in the second year of the Presentation Ball, and her husband, David, was her Honor Guard escort. They watched as their second daughter, Margaret, made her debut, and the Cox family also celebrated a second debutante daughter with Cate’s debut. The Stiles family saw the presentation of a third daughter, Charlotte, a testament to the meaningful traditions that continue through generations.
Belinda and Lance Hancock experienced a full-circle moment watching their son, Mark, serve as an Honor Guard 40 years after Lance served in the inaugural Honor Guard at the very first Presentation Ball. Co-Chair Kristin Hallam’s husband, James, is a former Honor Guard, and they watched with pride as their twin sons carried on the tradition.
Following the formal presentation, the Debutantes and Honor Guard assembled on stage for a final tribute to their Presentation Season. The debutantes then joined their fathers on the dance floor for the cherished Grand Waltz, a moment of elegance and sentiment. A formal seated dinner and dancing with music by the Jordan Kahn Orchestra concluded the unforgettable evening.
In a grand symphony of legacy, elegance, and generosity, the 2026 DSOL Presentation Ball was a true celebration of the Dallas community’s enduring commitment to music, tradition, and the future.
The 2026 Honor Guard: Patrick Burke Arthur, Robert Scott Behrens, Carl Martin Blumenschein, Cadet Dale Thomas Bailey Booth, Michael Louis Boren, Thomas George Boren, Alexander Douglas Boyd, Matthew Douglas Bracken, Evan Clarence Brown, John Charles Bullard, Stephen Key Coker, Jr., William Kearns Collet, Joseph Robert Copeland, Carter Lewis Cox, Cade Randolph Devening, Michael McKane Groover, Matthew Hale Hallam, James Hite Hallam, Mark Russell Hancock, Mark Stuart Hardaway, Jr., Henry Wilfredo Hernandez, Alan James Hunt, George Harris Jones, Luke Benjamin Lange, James Hunter Lee, John Thomas Liptack, Benton Ross Lynch, Ryan Nicholas McCord, Midshipman First Class Hayden Cade McCullough, Stanley Warner McGowin, Jr., Matthew James Melcher, Vance Calvin Miller III, Vaughn Sebastian Miller, Jr., Edward Blake Miller, James Bosler Miltenberger, Robert Steele Peacock, Garrett Frost Sampson, Jack Taylor Schlafer, Scott Peterson Sealy III, William Conner Searcy, Maximiliano James Siguenza, Calder Crook Sinak, Joseph Miles Smith, Calum Fitzgerald Taylor, Landon Dean Tinker, Georgios Angelo Touris, Daniel Stephens Waggoner, Knox Allen Wagoner, Harrison Miles Ward, Carter Harrison Weigand, Heinrich Molsen Wicklund, and Steven Robert Williamson, Jr.
THE NON-PROFIT: The Dallas Symphony Orchestra League is the largest of its kind in the nation. It is an organization of volunteers who support the Dallas Symphony Association through service, education, and fundraising activities.
Since 1946, the DSO League has embraced the mission of supporting the Dallas Symphony Orchestra through service, education, and fundraising efforts. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra League has contributed more than $25 million in support of the Dallas Symphony Association’s Community Outreach and Education programs, which help bring the wonder of music to thousands of youths and adults in the Dallas area.
