Houston Chamber Choir Announces New 2021-2022 Season 'Sing Out the New Day'

The Grammy Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir, under the direction of Founder and Artistic Director Robert Simpson, has announced its new 2021-2022 season, Sing Out the New Day, with season subscriptions now on sale to the public. Single tickets for all concerts go on sale on Aug. 2.

The "hybrid" season, Sing Out the New Day, will contain dynamic original programming through in-person and virtual concerts on the Houston Chamber Choir Digital Stage.

"I am proud of the innovative ways we found to make music last year," says Simpson. "Our staff and musicians were unstoppable. Thanks to our Digital Stage and podcast, With One Accord, we kept in touch with our Houston audience while making new friends around the world."

"But as any performer will tell you, there is no substitute for a live audience," Simpson continues. "We can't wait to return to in-person concerts while maintaining our international reach through a full season of virtual performances."

The season runs the gamut from timeless masterpieces by Rachmaninoff and Brahms, to new works by young contemporary composers Daniel Knaggs and Benedict Sheehan. Patrons will enjoy two world premieres, traditional holiday concerts, music of South and Central America and whimsical fairy tales set to song.

The Houston Chamber Choir's 2021-2022 concert lineup is:

I. Two Streams, A Cantata

Two Streams - Daniel Knaggs (b. 1983)

Sept. 10, 7:30 pm CT | South Main Baptist Church

Sept. 26, 2 pm CT | Houston Chamber Choir Digital Stage, Virtual Release

The Houston Chamber Choir opens the 2021-2022 season with Two Streams, a cantata scored for choir and string orchestra by the young American composer Daniel Knaggs.* Joining the choir for the concerts are Kinetic, the dynamic Houston-based string ensemble and international soloists Caitlin Aloia, soprano; Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano; Christopher Bozeka, tenor and Mark Diamond, baritone. Following these performances, the 70-minute work, written in memory of the composer's father, will be recorded for international release by Grammy Award-winning producer Blanton Alspaugh.

*The Houston Chamber Choir will be featured in the world premiere of Two Streams at Annunciation Catholic Church on Sept. 9.

II. A Requiem for Humanity

Ein deutsches Requiem - Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Nov. 6, 7:30 pm CT | South Main Baptist Church

Nov. 21, 2 pm CT | Houston Chamber Choir Digital Stage, Virtual Release

A deeply personal work, Brahms wrote his Requiem for the living. Rejecting liturgical tradition and dogma, he conceived the work as a "human requiem" to offer comfort for those who mourn. Given the losses of the past 16 months and the heroic efforts of researchers and medical professionals, Brahms' beloved 19th century masterpiece expresses our emotions of sorrow and gratitude like no other. This concert is dedicated to the men and women who risked their personal safety to care for the victims of COVID-19 and their families. The choir is pleased to feature soloists Cynthia Clayton, soprano; Héctor Vásquez, baritone and distinguished Moores School of Music faculty member at the University of Houston; noted early piano specialist Brian Connelly, Artist Teacher at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and Chelsea de Souza, award-winning Steinway artist from Mumbai, India, playing a historic 19th century Bösendorfer piano, like one Brahms himself might have played.

III. Candlelight Christmas

Dec. 10, 7:30 pm CT | Christ Church Cathedral

Dec. 11, 3:30 pm & 7:30 pm CT | Christ Church Cathedral

Dec. 26, 2 pm CT | Houston Chamber Choir Digital Stage, Virtual Release

Joyful music of the season will resound through the candlelit beauty of Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Houston as the Houston Chamber Choir once again offers carols both old and new to welcome the Yuletide season. Special guests will be international organ recitalist Daryl Robinson, Director of Organ Studies at the Moores School of Music and organist at Christ Church Cathedral and the Treble Choir of Houston, directed by Marianna Parnas-Simpson. This holiday tradition is the perfect occasion to celebrate the season with family and friends.

IV. Hear the Future

Jan. 30, 2022, 4 pm CT | South Main Baptist Church

Each year the Houston Chamber Choir invites three outstanding school choirs from the Greater Houston area to participate in its annual invitational choral festival. Now celebrating its 22nd year, thousands of students from the area's finest school choral programs have participated in Hear the Future. This year, the choir welcomes the Parker Elementary School Advanced Chorus directed by Marianna Parnas-Simpson (Houston ISD); the North Shore Middle School Choir under the direction of Erin Huston (Galena Park ISD) and the Cy-Fair Chorale, conducted by Nicholas Lykos (Cypress-Fairbanks ISD). To further its impact on local choral music education programs, the Houston Chamber Choir includes a clinic for eight Title I high schools on Jan. 29, 2022 as part of the festival. This season's clinic will be led by Dr. Eduardo García-Novelli, a University of Houston graduate who is the newly appointed Director of Choral Activities at the University of Kansas.

V. De la noche el día

Music of Central and South America - María Guinand, guest conductor

Mar. 12, 2022, 7:30 pm CT | South Main Baptist Church

Mar. 27, 2022, 2 pm CT | Houston Chamber Choir Digital Stage, Virtual Release

The Houston Chamber Choir eagerly awaits the return of Venezuelan conductor María Guinand, one of its most popular guests, in this reunion between conductor and choir. In demand around the world, Guinand brings a master's touch to the exuberant and passionate music of Central and South America. Seven years ago, the audience erupted in applause at the conclusion of her concert.

VI. All-Night Vigil

All-Night Vigil - Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Apr. 23, 2022, 7:30 pm CT | The Edythe Bates Old Recital Hall and Grand Organ at Rice University

Apr. 24, 2022, 3:30 pm CT | The Edythe Bates Old Recital Hall and Grand Organ at Rice University

May 15, 2022, 2 pm CT | Houston Chamber Choir Digital Stage, Virtual Release

The Houston Chamber Choir was on the eve of presenting All-Night Vigil in March 2020 when the world abruptly shut down. Returning to its unfinished business, the choir presents what many feel is Rachmaninoff's greatest work within the reverberant space of the Organ Hall at the Shepherd School of Music. The hall was the ideal location for the Houston Chamber Choir's previous performances of this Russian masterpiece in 2002, and 20 years later the choir can welcome the audience back to this extraordinary concert space.

VII. Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time - Benedict Sheehan (b. 1981)

May 21, 2022, 7:30 pm CT | South Main Baptist Church

Jun. 5, 2022, 2 pm CT | Houston Chamber Choir Digital Stage, Virtual Release

The Houston Chamber Choir concludes its season with an evening of enchantment to delight children and adults alike. Once Upon a Time features the magical retelling of treatments of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" by The Brothers Grimm and "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen, as interpreted by young American composer Benedict Sheehan. Scored for choir and narrator, this concert promises to be a perfect outing for the entire family.

On Aug. 2, the public can purchase single tickets to any concert, starting at $25, with discounts for seniors and students. Please visit our website at HoustonChamberChoir.org to be directed to single tickets sales on Aug. 2 or after. Go to HoustonChamberChoir.org/2021-2022-season for subscription information.

The Houston Chamber Choir offers several options for subscription pricing:

• Full season subscription: regular: $140
• Full season subscription: senior, music educator, and veteran/active military: $120
• Full season subscription: first time subscriber: $116.67
• Full season subscription: student and youth ambassador: $50
• "Pick four" subscription: $93.33 (choose four out of six concerts)
• Digital subscription: $80

The Houston Chamber Choir continues its successful podcast series With One Accord, described as a "one-stop shop for choral joy." Season 2 starts on Sept. 6, available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts, Anchor and YouTube.

For more information on the Houston Chamber Choir go to HoustonChamberchoir.org or call 713-224-5566.

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