ARTS AND CULTURE

DOCUMENTARY FILMS

Remarkable Experiences

Friends of Jones Hall

WATCH in nine minutes how the 1966 opening of the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts propelled the Houston Ballet, the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony and Performing Arts Houston to international acclaim and contributed to the robust performing arts in Houston. Fenberg interviews arts patron Lynn Wyatt, former Houston Ballet principal dancer Lauren Anderson, prominent Rice University sociologist Stephen Klineberg, noted University of Houston history professor Joseph Pratt, and others. The film was presented before Itzhak Perlman performed with the Houston Symphony as part of Jones Hall’s 50th anniversary celebration.
READ the 100-page book Fenberg wrote and produced with CORE Design Studio that tells the history of the performing arts in Houston and Jones Hall. The commemorative book was given to those who attended Jones Hall’s 50th anniversary celebratory gala.

The Houston Symphony performs at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts.
The Houston Symphony performs at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts.

Remarkable Experiences

Friends of Jones Hall

WATCH in nine minutes how the 1966 opening of the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts propelled the Houston Ballet, the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony and Performing Arts Houston to international acclaim and contributed to the robust performing arts in Houston. Fenberg interviews arts patron Lynn Wyatt, former Houston Ballet principal dancer Lauren Anderson, prominent Rice University sociologist Stephen Klineberg, noted University of Houston history professor Joseph Pratt, and others. The film was presented before Itzhak Perlman performed with the Houston Symphony as part of Jones Hall’s 50th anniversary celebration.
READ the 100-page book Fenberg wrote and produced with CORE Design Studio that tells the history of the performing arts in Houston and Jones Hall. The commemorative book was given to those who attended Jones Hall’s 50th anniversary celebratory gala.

Ever Open

Congregation Emanu El

WATCH the 15-minute film that depicts the rich history and current activities of Congregation Emanu El, one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in the nation. It was established in Houston, Texas, in 1944 with an emphasis on freedom of speech and social justice, values that it perpetuates today in the community and among its congregants. Watch an interview with Senior Rabbi Oren Hayon about the creation of Ever Open, a 15-minute documentary film commemorating Congregation Emanu El’s 75th anniversary.
The interview starts at 4:35 and 24:02.

Senior Rabbi Oren Hayon in front of Congregation Emanu El in Houston, Texas.
Senior Rabbi Oren Hayon in front of Congregation Emanu El in Houston, Texas.

Ever Open

Congregation Emanu El

WATCH the 15-minute film that depicts the rich history and current activities of Congregation Emanu El, one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in the nation. It was established in Houston, Texas, in 1944 with an emphasis on freedom of speech and social justice, values that it perpetuates today in the community and among its congregants. Watch an interview with Senior Rabbi Oren Hayon about the creation of Ever Open, a 15-minute documentary film commemorating Congregation Emanu El’s 75th anniversary.
The interview starts at 4:35 and 24:02.

PRESENTATIONS

The John A. and Audrey Jones Beck Collection

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

WATCH Steven Fenberg at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam describe how Audrey and John Beck created a sweeping overview of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist periods through the paintings they collected by renowned and remarkable painters.

Portrait of Leopold Zborowski
Amedeo Modigliani’s Portrait of Leopold Zborowski in the Beck’s living room during Christmas.
Portrait of Leopold Zborowski
Amedeo Modigliani’s Portrait of Leopold Zborowski in the Beck’s living room during Christmas.

The John A. and Audrey Jones Beck Collection

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

WATCH Steven Fenberg at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam describe how Audrey and John Beck created a sweeping overview of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist periods through the paintings they collected by renowned and remarkable painters.

Audrey Jones Beck: A Preeminent Benefactor of the Visual Arts in Houston

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

WATCH as part of the Tales of Houston Women series, Steven Fenberg describe with rare photographs the life of Audrey Jones Beck and how she and her husband John assembled an encyclopedic collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces and donated them to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and to the people of Houston.

Newlyweds John and Audrey Jones Beck.
Newlyweds John and Audrey Jones Beck.
Newlyweds John and Audrey Jones Beck.
Newlyweds John and Audrey Jones Beck.

Audrey Jones Beck: A Preeminent Benefactor of the Visual Arts in Houston

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

WATCH as part of the Tales of Houston Women series, Steven Fenberg describe with rare photographs the life of Audrey Jones Beck and how she and her husband John assembled an encyclopedic collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces and donated them to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and to the people of Houston.

Hidden Treasures: An Exploration of Emanul El's Classical Music

Congregation Emanu El

WATCH Steven Fenberg explore the beauty of Congregation Emanu El’s classical music as Jewish synagogues turn to more contemporary music.  Fenberg presents recently retired renowned organist and longtime choir director Dr. Ann Frohbieter, the congregation’s professional choir and its outstanding 1966 Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ. Together they showcase the glorious and vanishing music composed in the 19th- and early 20th- centuries for cantor, choir and organ. Kurt Weill’s elegant Kiddush is performed and composer Dr. Michael Horvit conducts his Even When G-d is Silent as part of the program.

Organist and choir director Dr. Ann Frohbieter at Congregation Emanu El’s Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ.
Organist and choir director Dr. Ann Frohbieter at Congregation Emanu El’s Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ.

Hidden Treasures: An Exploration of Emanul El's Classical Music

Congregation Emanu El

WATCH Steven Fenberg explore the beauty of Congregation Emanu El’s classical music as Jewish synagogues turn to more contemporary music.  Fenberg presents recently retired renowned organist and longtime choir director Dr. Ann Frohbieter, the congregation’s professional choir and its outstanding 1966 Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ. Together they showcase the glorious and vanishing music composed in the 19th- and early 20th- centuries for cantor, choir and organ. Kurt Weill’s elegant Kiddush is performed and composer Dr. Michael Horvit conducts his Even When G-d is Silent as part of the program.

AIDS: Just Say Know

AIDS Foundation Houston

Steven Fenberg wrote and produced AIDS: Just Say Know, a short educational play that was performed throughout greater Houston in theaters, community centers, workplaces, religious centers and as in-service training for teachers and law enforcement officials when the lethal disease was just emerging. The play shows through the interactions of four characters how to prevent HIV/AIDS. It requires two chairs, a box and four actors. Paper and a pencil are at each audience member’s seat so anonymous questions can be collected at the end of the play and answered by a qualified cast member.

3-2-894x1024
1988 document certifying Steven Fenberg as a trained AIDS Foundation Houston volunteer.
3-2-894x1024
1988 document certifying Steven Fenberg as a trained AIDS Foundation Houston volunteer.

AIDS: Just Say Know

AIDS Foundation Houston

Steven Fenberg wrote and produced AIDS: Just Say Know, a short educational play that was performed throughout greater Houston in theaters, community centers, workplaces, religious centers and as in-service training for teachers and law enforcement officials when the lethal disease was just emerging. The play shows through the interactions of four characters how to prevent HIV/AIDS. It requires two chairs, a box and four actors. Paper and a pencil are at each audience member’s seat so anonymous questions can be collected at the end of the play and answered by a qualified cast member.

PUBLICATIONS

Remarkable Experiences

Friends of Jones Hall

READ the 100-page history of the performing arts in Houston. The book produced in collaboration with CORE Design Studio celebrates the evolution of the Houston Ballet, the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony and Performing Arts Houston (formerly Society for the Performing Arts) and shows how the 1966 opening of Jones Hall propelled their success and transformed Houston.
WATCH the documentary.

Mayor Lewis Cutrer’s statement on June 1, 1962, upon receiving the donation of Jones Hall to the City of Houston from Houston Endowment.
Mayor Lewis Cutrer’s statement on June 1, 1962, upon receiving the donation of Jones Hall to the City of Houston from Houston Endowment.

Remarkable Experiences

Friends of Jones Hall

READ the 100-page history of the performing arts in Houston. The book produced in collaboration with CORE Design Studio celebrates the evolution of the Houston Ballet, the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony and Performing Arts Houston (formerly Society for the Performing Arts) and shows how the 1966 opening of Jones Hall propelled their success and transformed Houston.
WATCH the documentary.

Hidden Treasures

Congregation Emanu El

READ the program notes about the power of 19th- and early 20th-century Jewish classical music composed for cantor, choir and organ—a body of exquisite sacred music that is vanishing as many congregations turn to more contemporary music.
WATCH the program.

Hidden Treasures

Congregation Emanu El

READ the program notes about the power of 19th- and early 20th-century Jewish classical music composed for cantor, choir and organ—a body of exquisite sacred music that is vanishing as many congregations turn to more contemporary music.
WATCH the program.

Jones Hall, The Building That Expanded Houston's Horizons

Houston Chronicle

READ how the 1966 opening of Jones Hall galvanized the performing arts in Houston and epitomized the city’s evolution from a provincial boomtown into a sophisticated urban center.
The 1966 opening of the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts won the American Institute of Architect’s Honor Award, the nation’s highest honor for architectural excellence.
The 1966 opening of the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts won the American Institute of Architect’s Honor Award, the nation’s highest honor for architectural excellence.

Jones Hall, The Building That Expanded Houston's Horizons

Houston Chronicle

READ how the 1966 opening of Jones Hall galvanized the performing arts in Houston and epitomized the city’s evolution from a provincial boomtown into a sophisticated urban center.

INTERVIEWS

Audrey Jones Beck: An Interview With Thomas P. Lee, Jr.

Houston History Magazine

READ how John and Audrey Jones Beck assembled an encyclopedic collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces and gave them to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and to the people of Houston.
Foto's website (6)
John and Audrey Beck at home in front of Maurice de Vlaminck’s Landscape at Valmondois, one of the first paintings they bought in the 1960s for their collection.
Foto's website (6)
John and Audrey Beck at home in front of Maurice de Vlaminck’s Landscape at Valmondois, one of the first paintings they bought in the 1960s for their collection.

Audrey Jones Beck: An Interview With Thomas P. Lee, Jr.

Houston History Magazine

READ how John and Audrey Jones Beck assembled an encyclopedic collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces and gave them to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and to the people of Houston.

Jones Hall: Past, Present and Future

Houston Public Media

LISTEN to a conversation with reporter Amy Bishop about the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts’ 50th anniversary and its profound impact on the performing arts in Houston.
LISTEN to Part 2.

The 1966 Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts under construction. The unique ceiling adjusted to accommodate audience size and performances.
The 1966 Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts under construction. The unique ceiling adjusted to accommodate audience size and performances.

Jones Hall: Past, Present and Future

Houston Public Media

LISTEN to a conversation with reporter Amy Bishop about the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts’ 50th anniversary and its profound impact on the performing arts in Houston.
LISTEN to Part 2.

Ever Open

Congregation Emanu El

Watch an interview with Senior Rabbi Oren Hayon about the creation of Ever Open, a 15-minute documentary film commemorating Congregation Emanu El’s 75th anniversary.
The interview starts at 4:35 and begins after the film at 24:02.

Senior Rabbi Oren Hayon in front of Congregation Emanu El in Houston, Texas.
Senior Rabbi Oren Hayon in front of Congregation Emanu El in Houston, Texas.

Ever Open

Congregation Emanu El

Watch an interview with Senior Rabbi Oren Hayon about the creation of Ever Open, a 15-minute documentary film commemorating Congregation Emanu El’s 75th anniversary.
The interview starts at 4:35 and begins after the film at 24:02.

Scroll to Top