Houston Chamber Choir Announces Single Tickets Now On Sale For 30th Anniversary Season
The Houston Chamber Choir is under the direction of Founder and Artistic Director Robert Simpson and Artistic Director Designate Dr. Betsy Cook Weber.
By: Blair Ingenthron Aug. 24, 2024
The Grammy Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir has announced that single tickets for the 2024-25 season are now on sale to the public for “30th Anniversary Season: From Startup to Standout.” Of the eight concert events, six are part of the choir's subscription series, while two are free community concerts.
The Houston Chamber Choir is under the direction of Founder and Artistic Director Robert Simpson and Artistic Director Designate Dr. Betsy Cook Weber. They will share conducting duties for the season, which marks the farewell for Simpson, who is stepping down from his role after the final concert on May 31, 2025.
Having built the Choir into one of the finest vocal ensembles in the world, Simpson leaves a legacy of musical brilliance that has enriched the Houston-area community and left a lasting mark on the choral community at large. Weber, an internationally renowned choral conductor, assumes the podium as Artistic Director and Conductor beginning with the 2025-2026 season.
Details for the Houston Chamber Choir's “30th Anniversary Season: Fron Startup to Standout” concert lineup include:
“The Son of Man” (Robert Simpson conducting)
Saturday, September 21; 7:30 p.m.
Location: South Main Baptist Church, Houston
The Choir launches its 30th season with the world premiere of “The Son of Man,” a brilliant new work by renowned English composer Patrick Hawes for choir, soloists and orchestra. This concert marks the first-ever collaboration with the renowned Houston Symphony. Based on iconic texts from the Old and New Testaments, its memorable melodies, imaginative choral and orchestral writing and deep sense of drama result in a powerful experience which is very much of our time, yet reminiscent of Handel's Messiah. Be the first to hear a work that promises to become a favorite of audiences around the world.
“I Just Want to Celebrate! Songs from the ‘70s” (Dr. Betsy Cook Weber conducting)
Saturday, October 19; 7:30 p.m.
Location: Miller Outdoor Theatre, Houston
For many, there is no better pop music than that created in the ‘70s. The Houston Chamber Choir will take you through the decade with music by Roberta Flack, the Bee Gees, Carly Simon, ABBA, the Jackson 5, and many others. Come rock and roll and sing along at this free concert at beautiful Miller Outdoor Theatre.
“This Sky” (Dr. Betsy Cook Weber)
Saturday, November 16; 7:30 p.m.
Location: St. Philip Presbyterian Church, Houston
Humans have always looked to the sky for answers to the big “Why?” And composers have done the same. The Houston Chamber Choir offers a stellar compilation of pieces that ponder the heavens. The centerpiece of this program, in addition to music by Heinrich Schütz, Venezuelan-Texan Carlos Cordero, Johannes Brahms, and others, is the breathtaking “Consolation of Apollo.” Written in 2014 by American composer Kile Smith, “Consolation” has important connections to Houston, with texts pulled from the philosopher, Boethius, as well as from the astronaut crew of Apollo 8. Accompanied by breathtaking projections of images from and about space, this concert is sure to engage the imagination aurally and visually.
“Glory in the Highest: Christmas at the Villa” (Robert Simpson)
- Saturday, December 7; 2:30 p.m.
- Saturday, December 7; 5 p.m.
- Sunday, December 8; 2:30 p.m.
- Sunday, December 8; 5 p.m.
Location: Chapel at the Villa de Matel, Houston
The soaring sounds of voices, organ and brass will ring throughout the beauty of the Chapel of the Villa de Matel as the Houston Chamber Choir presents “Christmas at the Villa – Glory in the Highest.” This year, special guests are the outstanding instrumental ensemble Paragon Brass, along with the return of the Treble Choir of Houston at Christ Church Cathedral directed by Marianna Parnas-Simpson. Join with family and friends in this Houston holiday tradition.
25th Annual “Hear the Future” Invitational Choral Festival (Robert Simpson and Dr. Betsy Cook Weber)
Sunday, January 26, 2025; 4 p.m. (Free community concert)
Location: South Main Baptist Church, Houston
The Houston Chamber Choir has a long tradition of featuring some of the Houston area's most outstanding school and community choirs. This year features the Chamber Choir with McCullough Junior High School, The Treble Choir of Houston and The Woodlands High School. The public is invited to enjoy these four fine ensembles in a free concert amid the impressive acoustics of South Main Baptist Church.
“Love Songs and Sonnets” (Dr. Betsy Cook Weber)
Saturday, February 22, 2025; 7:30 p.m.
Location: South Main Baptist Church, Houston
How do I love thee? Composers have counted the ways through the centuries. The Houston Chamber Choir will take the listener on a romantic journey that begins in the Renaissance period with madrigals — searing and saucy. Next, are two important pieces from the Romantic period —the Brahms' Vier Gesänge for treble choir, horns, and harp and Schubert's Ständchen for tenor-bass chorus, followed by Sven-David Sandström's “Four Songs of Love.” Finally, the Choir adds jazz, pop, and barbershop to round out the program.
“From Darkness to Light” (Dr. Betsy Cook Weber)
Saturday, April 5, 2025; 7:30 p.m.
Location: South Main Baptist Church, Houston
In 1638, Gregorio Allegri composed a setting of Miserere mei, Deus (Psalm 51) for the Sistine Chapel. The apocryphal story is that the Vatican allowed there to be only three copies in existence, and they were locked away for safe-keeping so that no one could copy or perform the work. Fast forward to 1764-65, when a young Mozart heard a performance of Allegri's composition, went back to his inn, and flawlessly copied it from memory.
Fast forward again, this time to 1989, when Estonian composer Arvo Pärt set the same text. Pärt's Miserere is described as one of his “most dramatic and contrasting pieces…” From these two pieces of darkness, we move to hope and light, working our way through a Latvian “Plaudite, Psallite” and American spirituals, including Thomas Dorsey's “Precious Lord.” The concert closes with the gorgeous “Amazing Grace,” arranged by Ēriks Ešenvalds.
“Gather ‘Round” (Robert Simpson)
Saturday, May 31, 2025; 7:30 p.m.
Location: St. Luke's United Methodist Church, Houston
On this special night, the Houston Chamber Choir family will come together to honor Simpson as he concludes his 30-year tenure as Founder and Artistic Director. The Choir will perform some of its favorites from over the years while also previewing the program it will take on tour to Sweden, Latvia and Estonia in June 2025. As the Houston Chamber Choir prepares for the continued growth and artistic success of its next 30 years, this evening will celebrate the love, leadership and luck that has propelled this Grammy-winning ensemble from “Start-up to Standout.”
Single tickets start at $10 for students, up to $45, while season subscriptions range from $57 for students up to $222 for the six-concert option. For information about ticketing and subscriptions, visit HoustonChamberchoir.org.
Comments
Videos