How did you two meet?

David: We met in eighth grade. She was at Hockaday. I was at St. Mark’s. Unfortunately, after ninth grade, I moved away. We reconnected when I was 30 years old. I was working for the Richards Group here in Dallas, and I was just working here for the summer between my first and second year of business school in California. We reconnected during that summer, and then I graduated and got a couple job offers, but nothing was as appealing as trying to make it work with this cute girl in Dallas. So, I came back here, and two kids later, the rest is history.

How were you first introduced to the DSO?

Vanessa: My parents were taking me to see the orchestra since before I can remember, before they moved to the Meyerson in 1989. I grew up going to the symphony, then I went away for college, but I’d always come back and go to concerts with my parents. I joined the board in 2021, but yeah, my earliest memories go back to childhood.

David: My parents also took me when I was a young kid, but my first memories were with my class visits. We absolutely love how they get kids involved with the symphony. It’s one of my favorite parts.

What made you want to get involved with the organization as adults?

Vanessa: I really wanted to bring exposure of the DSO to my friends, my peer group, my colleagues. I wanted to bring some youth to the audience and to get my friend group to know about the community, the community outreach programs that the DSO does, what we’re raising money for at the gala, and so I joined the board.

Do you bring your kids to the DSO, too?

David: We have. I think we did a Harry Potter series where they show the movie on screen, and then they have a live orchestra behind it. The kids paid attention, enjoyed the movie, loved the music. It was a good moment. I felt like a good dad in that moment.

Vanessa: Two years ago, I started booking a block of tickets for the Christmas concerts. One year, it was Polar Express. Last year, it was Elf, and this year, it’ll be Home Alone. I got a block of tickets for my daughter’s friend group at a discount. So, we get a big group of girls and moms and dads, and by the end of the movie, the girls are all singing the holiday songs and everybody’s really happy. So I think I’m going to try and carry that tradition on as long as we have believers.