Houston Chamber Choir

Results: Winner of Chorus America's 2018 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, the Houston Chamber Choir has established itself as one of the premier professional choirs in the United States, serving Houston through concerts and educational initiatives that enlighten, entertain, and educate people of all ages. Led by Artistic Director Robert Simpson, the Houston Chamber Choir has been described by The Tallis Scholars founder Peter Phillips as “one of this country’s leading ensembles." The Choir is comprised of 20 professional singers, most of whom have studied at the top music schools and conservatories in the United States including Julliard, New England Conservatory, University of Houston, and University of Texas. These musicians are selected through rigorous auditions from the finest singers in our region and are compensated for all rehearsals and performances. The Houston Chamber Choir feels a responsibility to commission and showcase Texas composers, particularly those from Houston. It has performed world premieres by Anthony Brandt, Dominick DiOrio, Jefferson Todd Frazier, Michael Horvit, Karim Al-Zand, David Ashley White and Rob Landes. In 2008 it commissioned and premiered Messages to Myself, a major addition to the choral repertoire by Houston native Chris Theofanidis. The Houston Grand Opera premiered his opera The Refuge. He currently serves as professor of composition at the Yale School of Music. In 2012 the Chamber Choir premiered former Houston Chamber Choir tenor Dominick DiOrio’s A Dome of Many-Coloured Glass to audiences in Houston, New York, and New Haven. DiOrio now is on the choral faculty at Indiana University. A Dome of Many-Coloured Glass has captured the attention of major music publishers and was performed in 2013 at the American Choral Directors Association national conference in front of thousands of choral directors from around the world. In June 2014, th Houston Chamber Choir is committed to launching young students on a life-long journey of music appreciation. In 2013 the Houston Chamber Choir, with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, initiated an in-school program entitled Rise Up Singing! The program brings weekly ear training, music history, and vocal instruction to students in grades 3-5 while introducing them to classic American folksongs. The program began with a residency at The Rusk School from 2013-2015, and is completed its residence at Davila Elementary at the end of the 2017 school year. In addition to Rise Up Singing!, Houston Chamber Choir invites three outstanding school choirs from the Greater Houston area to participate in their annual invitational choral festival, Hear the Future. Now entering its 20th year, thousands of students from over 40 of the area’s finest choral programs have participated in this free community concert, giving audience members a chance to show their support and appreciation for the outstanding work being done by music educators and their talented singers.

Programs: The houston chamber choir presented six subscription concerts (11 performances total) performances in houston. Its educational programs include a school choral festival, "hear the future," and an in-school residency program at the rusk school entitled "rise up singing. " in 2016-2017, the houston chamber choir reached more than 8,000 people with its diverse programming.