Two World Premieres & More Set for Houston Chamber Choir 2023-2024 Season
The Grammy Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir has revealed its new 2023-2024 season “Prime Time,” including two world premieres. Season subscriptions are now on sale to the public at houstonchamberchoir.org, with single tickets for all concerts available on August 1. Of the eight concert events, six are part of the choir’s subscription series, while two are free community concerts.
"The coming season is a year-long exploration of compelling repertoire and fresh perspectives,” says Simpson. “I am grateful that we have arrived at year 29, and it is exciting for all of us to have this opportunity to bring Houston audiences musical experiences that are unique, enriching and enduring.”
The 29th season opens in October with a world premiere by composer Daniel Knaggs called The Joyful Mysteries, followed by the whimsical “City of Stars – Hollywood Hits from Garland to Gaga” October 28 at Miller Outdoor Theater. This concert is free and open to the public.
In November, the Houston Chamber Choir presents ”Byrds of a Feather,” honoring William Byrd, while December brings “Feliz Navidad: Christmas at the Villa,” a return to Villa de Matel for four concerts the weekend of December 9-10. The event has been a favorite holiday tradition for Houstonians for many years.
The Hear the Future Invitational Choral Festival returns in January with performances featuring 11 of the area’s finest choirs, along with a VIP Masterclass with Dr. Derrick Fox, Professor of Choral Music and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Creative Endeavors at Michigan State University. March brings another world premiere with Mass in Exile by composer Mark Buller and librettist Leah Lax.
In April, Dr. Betsy Cook Weber from the University of Houston serves as guest conductor for “California Gold,” while the season finale on June 1, “Brubeck: A Celebration!” celebrates Dave Brubeck’s contributions to jazz and his explorations of new musical forms. It features his sons Chris Brubeck and Dan Brubeck and noted Houston musicians Paul English and Horace Alexander Young, along with the Choir.
The Joyful Mysteries (World premiere)
Saturday, October 7, 7:30 p.m.
Location: South Main Baptist Church, Houston
The Houston Chamber Choir joins Kinetic and The Monarch Chamber Players for the world premiere of Daniel Knaggs's new major work, The Joyful Mysteries, a choral symphony for choir, chamber orchestra, and soloists. Commissioned by Holy Rosary Church (Houston), the work explores five mysteries of joy, which come to be even in the context of fear, sorrow, and suffering. A trio of illustrious soloists include Gemma Summerfield, soprano; Sarah Mesko, mezzo-soprano; and Federico De Michelis, bass-baritone.
“City of Stars – Hollywood Hits from Garland to Gaga”
Saturday, October 28, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Miller Outdoor Theatre, Houston
The hill at Miller Outdoor Theatre will be alive with the sound of music as the Houston Chamber Choir presents an evening of Hollywood hits. From Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow” and Barbara Streisand’s iconic rendition of “The Way We Were,” to “I’ll Never Love Again,” sung by Lady Gaga in “A Star is Born,” movies have provided the soundtrack of American life. Spend an evening under the stars enjoying your favorites and be prepared to sing along!
“Byrds of a Feather”
Saturday, November 11, 7:30 p.m.
Location: St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Houston
Marking the 400th anniversary of the great composer’s death, the Houston Chamber Choir sings works by William Byrd and his contemporaries Thomas Weelkes, Orlando Gibbons, and Thomas Morely. Concluding the concert, members of the University of Houston Concert Chorale join the Chamber Choir in a rare performance of the celebrated 40-voice motet Spem in alium by Byrd’s teacher, colleague, and friend, Thomas Tallis.
“Feliz Navidad – Christmas at the Villa”
Saturday, December 9, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 9, 5 p.m.
Sunday, December 10, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 10, 5 p.m.
Location: Chapel at the Villa de Matel, Houston
The Houston Chamber Choir returns to the beauty of the Villa de Matel Chapel to present its annual Christmas concerts, capturing the universal message of peace and goodwill to all the world. Featured in this joyful program will be carols and lullabies (“Christmas in the Southwest”) by composer Conrad Susa with harpist Laura Smith, guitarist Marc Garvin, and Craig Hauschildt, marimba. Special guest is the Treble Choir of Houston at Christ Church Cathedral, directed by founder Marianna Parnas-Simpson. Join with family and friends in this Houston tradition.
24th Annual Hear the Future Invitational Choral Festival
Saturday, January 27, 2024 (all day VIP Choral Clinic)
Sunday January 28, 2024; 4 p.m. (free community concert)
Location: South Main Baptist Church, Houston
Always a highlight of the year, the 24th Annual Hear the Future Invitational Choral Festival brings together 11 area school choirs over two days to sing and learn together. Leading Saturday’s VIP Masterclass is Dr. Derrick Fox, Professor of Choral Music and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Creative Endeavors at Michigan State University. On Sunday, three of the region’s finest choirs are showcased: Bay Area Youth Singers, conducted by Nicole Daniel; Cook Middle School, conducted by True Hernandez; and Bridgeland High School, conducted by Christopher Fiorini. The public is invited to discover that the future has never sounded so good.
Mass in Exile – Mark Buller and Leah Lax (World premiere)
Saturday, March 9, 2024; 7:30 p.m.
Location: South Main Baptist Church, Houston
Mass in Exile is a deeply moving new work for chorus and orchestra by composer Mark Buller and librettist Leah Lax, whose previous collaborations includeOverboard, commissioned by Houston Grand Opera. In Mass in Exile, the composer and librettist embark on a gripping, personal exploration of their strict religious pasts. Together, they glimpse the possibility of a different kind of faith within an ailing world.
"California Gold” (Dr. Betsy Cook Weber, Guest Conductor)
Saturday, April 27, 2024; 7:30 p.m.
Location: South Main Baptist Church, Houston
The Houston Chamber Choir has a long tradition of engaging distinguished guest conductors from around the world. This season, it needed to look no further than the University of Houston’s Director of Choral Activities, Dr. Betsy Cook Weber. Well-known beyond the University as the former Director of the Houston Symphony Chorus, Dr. Weber is staking a claim that even proud Texans will discover that California composers have produced a wealth of wonderful choral music. The program includes works by Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen, John Cage and the Chamber Choir’s first performance of Igor Stravinsky’s Mass.
“Brubeck! A Celebration”
Saturday, June 1, 2024; 7:30 p.m.
Location: Stude Concert Hall, Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, Houston
In 2006, the Houston Chamber Choir invited jazz great Dave Brubeck to perform in Houston after a 20-year absence. Now, 18 years later, his sons Chris and Dan (Dave Brubeck Quartet) and noted Houston musicians Paul English and Horace Alexander Young join the Choir, along with a chamber orchestra, in a concert celebrating Dave Brubeck’s contributions to jazz and his explorations of new musical forms. Brubeck had a significant impact on the music world, and his legacy continues to influence musicians today. Though less well-known, he also composed classical and sacred music featuring his signature jazz rhythms and harmonies, which are admired by both jazz and classical audiences and have firmly established Brubeck as a leading composer of the 20th century.