GRAMMY® AWARD-WINNING HOUSTON CHAMBER CHOIR PRESENTS “TO BRING COMFORT” FOR NOVEMBER OFFERING, WITH BRAHMS’ EIN DEUTSCHES REQUIEM

WHAT: The Grammy® Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir, under the direction of Robert Simpson, presents its second offering of the 2021-22 season with Ein deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms in a concert entitled “To Bring Comfort,” presented in partnership with the Houston Methodist Center for Performing Arts Medicine (CPAM). The concert opens with the premiere of “Hymn for Strength,” a new composition dedicated to caregivers with words by Houston Poet Laureate Outspoken Bean and music by CPAM Director Todd Frazier. This new work will be performed by a choir comprised of representatives from Houston's healthcare community, led by M.J. Gallop.

Brahms wrote his Requiem for the living. He conceived of it as a “human requiem” to offer comfort to those who mourn. Given the losses of the past year and a half and the heroic efforts of researchers and medical professionals, Brahms’ masterpiece expresses our emotions of sorrow and gratitude like no other.

WHO: Founder and Artistic Director Robert Simpson will conduct the Houston Chamber Choir. The choir will be performing Brahms’ own four-hand piano arrangement featuring noted pianist Brian Connelly, Artist Teacher of Piano at the Shepherd School of Music, playing a 19th century Bösendorfer piano similar to one Brahms would have played. Featured soloists are soprano Cynthia Clayton and baritone Héctor Vásquez, distinguished members of the Moores School of Music faculty at the University of Houston.

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m. CT (in-person) and Sunday, Nov. 21, 2 p.m. CT (virtual release)

WHERE: The choir performs at South Main Baptist Church, 4100 Main St., Houston, Texas 77002, on Saturday, Nov. 6. The concert is available on the Houston Chamber Choir Digital Stage starting Sunday, Nov. 21.

COST:  Single tickets for in-person and virtual concerts range from $10 to $25, with discounts for students, seniors, veterans/military and music educators. Pick four in-person subscriptions and full season digital subscriptions are available at $93.32 and $80 respectively. Go to https://houstonchamberchoir.org/2021-2022-season to purchase single tickets or a subscription.

Check out our website at HoustonChamberChoir.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Link to photos here.

About Houston Chamber Choir

The Grammy® Award-winning 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. The Houston Chamber Choir released its fifth CD, “Duruflé: Complete Choral Works,” with organist Ken Cowan in April 2019, which won a Grammy® Award in the category of “Best Choral Performance” at the 62nd Annual Grammy® Awards in January 2020.

Winner of Chorus America’s 2018 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, the Houston Chamber Choir received The American Prize for best choral performance in the country and its Artistic Director Robert Simpson received the award in the conducting category in 2015. Additionally, the Houston Chamber Choir was selected as one of 24 choirs to participate in the prestigious World Symposium on Choral Music in Auckland, New Zealand, which was canceled by the organizers due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Simpson was honored by Chorus America with the Michael Korn Founders Award in 2015 for his contributions to developing the professional choral art.

The Houston Chamber Choir is composed of 25 professional singers, most of whom have studied at the top music schools and conservatories in the United States including Juilliard, New England Conservatory, University of Houston, and the 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.

About Houston Chamber Choir Digital Stage

The Houston Chamber Choir Digital Stage brings choral music straight to your fingertips – anytime and anywhere. Enjoy year-long access to all our concerts, dynamic original programming, favorites from the archive, and our podcast, With One Accord. The Digital Stage is accessible from the web and can easily be viewed on computers using most web browsers. It is also available on iOS and Android phones via the Houston Chamber Choir Digital Stage App. 

A digital subscription for a season can be purchased at $80.