Houston Chamber Choir Presents Daniel Knaggs's World Premiere Of THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES To Open 29th Season

The Grammy Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir, under the direction of founder and artistic director Robert Simpson, presents the world premiere of The Joyful Mysteries by composer Daniel Knaggs to kick off its 29th season “Prime Time.”

The Houston Chamber Choir joins Kinetic Ensemble and The Monarch Chamber Players for this new major work, a choral symphony for choir, chamber orchestra, and soloists. Commissioned by Holy Rosary Church in 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.

“Prime Time,” the Choir's 29th season, has special meaning. Wellesley College Professor of Mathematics Dr. Stanley Chang explains that the number 29 is prime, meaning that it cannot be multiplicatively divided into two parts. But 29 has interesting internal parts in other contexts. It is the sum of two squares and is the first prime number that is the sum of three squares. Every number up to 29 has at most two distinct prime factors, indicating that 29 is an apex of a phenomenon that will not be seen again.

Season 29 represents the apex of the Houston Chamber Choir's programming experience and growth leading to a unique season of concerts that will not be seen again.

In 2023, the Houston Chamber Choir is thrilled to welcome back Knaggs, who audiences may remember from the 2021-2022 season, Sing Out the New Day. His world premiere of “Two Streams,” a cantata scored for choir and string orchestra, was the season opener.

In 2022 alone, Knaggs's music was performed across the globe, including in Singapore, Australia, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Italy, England, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and throughout the U.S. After living abroad and having studied six foreign languages, he continues to explore the interplay between music and linguistics while maintaining an international outlook in his work.

Increasingly sought after as a composer, Knaggs has been commissioned in recent years by several highly prestigious chamber operas and choral groups. These include the 2023 Puccini Chamber Opera Festival (Italy), the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, VOCES8, Wells Cathedral Choir, Kinetic Ensemble, The Wooster Symphony Orchestra, The Houston Chamber Choir, Houston Children's Chorus, the Yale Norfolk Summer Choral Festival, The University of Michigan Chamber Choir and the 2021 Musica Vera Festival in Toruń, Poland.

WHO: The Houston Chamber Choir is made up of 24 professional musicians of diverse backgrounds who hail from some of the finest music programs in the country, including Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory in Boston, Moores School of Music at the University of Houston, College Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Members of the Choir have performed professionally across the United States and internationally, singing in festivals, operas, concerts, church choirs and in musical theater.

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. CT

 

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

COST: Single tickets for the performance range from $10 for students to $45. Seniors and military personnel receive a discount. Tickets can be purchased online at https://houstonchamberchoir.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/. Learn more concert details at https://www.houstonchamberchoir.org/the-joyful-mysteries.

MORE: There is ample parking in the church lot. Seating is first come, first served.

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