HEAR THE FUTURE

Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, 4 pm  | South Main Baptist Church

Free community concert

Each year, the Houston Chamber Choir invites three outstanding school choirs from the Greater Houston area to be the special guests at our annual invitational choral festival, Hear the Future. This year’s three participating ensembles and their gifted directors include:

  • North Houston Children’s Choir - Colleen Riddle, Executive Director

  • Seven Lakes Junior High School - Kristin Likos, Conductor

  • Montgomery High School - Heather Orr, Conductor

This free community concert gives audience members a chance to show their support and appreciation for the outstanding work being done by music educators and their talented singers. To further its positive impact on our region’s school choral programs, Hear the Future now includes a VIP Choral Clinic for eight high schools. This season’s clinic will be led by Dr. Jennaya Robison, Director of Choral Studies in the Conservatory at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

CONCERT LOCATION

South Main Baptist Church, Houston
4100 Main St. Houston, TX 77002

 

North Houston Children’s Choir

  • Shelly Harrington graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Music Education degree and began teaching in Spring ISD in 1992. Her choirs and ensembles have performed at TMEA, the Houston Children’s Music Festival, and the Children’s Music Invitational. Her middle school choirs earned straight First Division ratings at the UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Contest. Shelley was an invited elementary music clinician at the TMEA 2020 Convention. She currently teaches at Mittelstadt Elementary in Klein ISD. Her husband Tom, is the band director at Cy Woods High School and they have 3 adult children.

  • Andrea Brown graduated from the University of Evansville with a vocal Music Education degree. She studied abroad at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England, and attended the Opera festival di Roma music festival in Rome, Italy. She sang with First Methodist Houston church for 7 years and directed their youth choir for 5 years. She also sang, recorded, and traveled with the Moses Hogan Singers (3 Seasons) and the Houston Chamber Choir (6 seasons). Before coming to Kuehnle Elementary in Klein ISD, Andrea taught 6th-grade choir in Aldine ISD for 16 years. She is in her 23rd year of teaching and loves to travel, cook and hang out with her amazing husband and three daughters.

  • Samantha Mansour is a music education graduate of Sam Houston State University. She is in her 15th year of teaching elementary music in Klein ISD at Hassler Elementary, where she directs the Hassler Elementary Choir and Orff Ensemble. Samantha taught music in Aldine ISD for 10 years and served as co-director for the Aldine Children’s Honor Choir from 2014-2018. Her choirs have received top honors, including “Most Outstanding Choral Piece” at the Children’s Music Festival of Houston for five consecutive years. Her choirs were invited performing groups at the 2015 and 2017 TMEA Conventions. She lives in Spring, TX, with her husband, Bobby ,and two children.

  • Hope is a Hidden Star Mark Patterson (b. 1969)

    Pie Jesu arr. Victor Johnson (b. 1978)

    Bhombela arr. William Skaff , ed. Melissa Keylock

Seven Lakes Junior High School Varsity Treble Choir

  • Kristin Likos is in her sixteenth year of teaching and is currently the Head Choir Director at Seven Lakes Junior High in Katy ISD. Mrs. Likos opened Seven Lakes Junior High in 2012 with 80 students in the choir department. The Choral Program has grown to over 240 students under her direction. The SLJH Choirs consistently earn sweepstakes awards at UIL and festival competitions. The Seven Lakes JH Varsity Treble Choir performed at the TMEA Convention in 2018. Mrs. Likos is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She is a frequent clinician and adjudicator for choirs throughout the state of Texas. She and her husband, Nick, live in Katy with their two children, Grace (7) and Luke (4).

  • Abendlied Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

    Where the Light Begins Susan LaBarr (b.1981)

    Isabel and the Bear Andrea Ramsey (b.1977)

Montgomery High School Madrigals

  • Heather Orr is in her 22nd year as Head Choir Director at Montgomery High School and 28th year teaching. While at Montgomery HS, Orr has had the honor of having 7 choirs perform at conventions. Convention choirs under Orr’s direction are TMEA in 2018, 2010, and 2005, the National ACDA Conference in 2021 and 2011, and the SWACDA Conference in 2022 and 2018. Orr’s choirs are consistently recognized with UIL Sweepstakes Awards and have earned the Mark of Excellence Award numerous times from The Foundation for Music Education. In addition, this year the Varsity Mixed Choir is thrilled to perform with the Houston Chamber Choir on the Hear the Future Concert, as well as present an Honor Concert for the Celebration of Excellence Competition after winning 1st place in 2022. Orr has been recognized with the UIL Sponsor Excellence Award and Fine Arts Teacher of the Year Award for Montgomery County. She has served in many facets for TMEA, ACDA, and UIL events, including host for several events, three times as an All State Treble Choir Section leader, and 2 terms as Region 9 Vocal Chair. Orr holds a Master of Arts in Vocal Pedagogy from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Heidelberg College. She resides in Montgomery, TX and has been married to Will Orr for 29 years. They have four children, Abby, Carly, Christopher, and Claire.

  • Gaudete Mark Burrows (b.1955)

    Exsultate Justi Ludovico da Viadana (1560-1627)

    De profundis John August Pamintuan