HOUSTON CHAMBER CHOIR’S “DURUFLÉ: COMPLETE CHORAL WORKS” RECEIVES GRAMMY® NOMINATION FOR “BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE”
HOUSTON, November 21, 2019 – Houston Chamber Choir has been nominated for a 2020 GRAMMY® Award for “Best Choral Performance” for its Signum Records recording of “Duruflé: Complete Choral Works,” a performance of music by 20th century French composer Maurice Duruflé. The recording was also part of a second GRAMMY® nomination: Blanton Alspaugh was nominated for Producer of the Year, Classical, for his work on eight recordings including Houston Chamber Choir’s Duruflé recording.
“A GRAMMY® nomination is the dream of every performer and when it comes the feeling is just as wonderful as you imagined it would be,” says Robert Simpson, Founder and Artistic Director of Houston Chamber Choir. “Our recording of the ‘Complete choral works of Maurice Duruflé’ was a labor of love from the very start. I am thrilled that our efforts have been recognized with this prestigious nomination.”
Featured on the Houston Chamber Choir’s Duruflé CD are:
Requiem
Ken Cowan, organ (Professor of Organ at The Shepherd School, Rice University)
Norman Fischer, cello (Professor of Cello at The Shepherd School, Rice University)
Cecilia Duarte, mezzo-soprano
Eduardo Tercero, baritone
Messe “Cum Jubilo” (men’s voice)
Ken Cowan, organ
Notre Père (a cappella)
Quatre Motets (a cappella)
Ubi caritas
Tota pulchra es
Tu es Petrus
Tantum ergo
The other nominees in the “Best Choral Performance” category are:
Boyle: Voyages – Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)
The Hope of Loving – Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Conspirare)
Sander: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom – Peter Jermihov, conductor (Evan Bravos, Vadim Gan, Kevin Keys, Glenn Miller & Daniel Shirley; PaTRAM Institute Singers)
Smith, K.: The Arc in The Sky – Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)
The Houston Chamber Choir continues to be recognized for its outstanding work. In 2018, the organization received the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence from Chorus America, the advocacy, research and leadership development organization that advances the choral field. Most recently, the Choir was invited to participate in the prestigious World Symposium on Choral Music 2020 (WSCM2020), to be held in Auckland, New Zealand in 2020, where 24 of the best choral ensembles in the world will perform. The festival, held every three years in different locations across the globe, received a record 179 entries this year. This is the first such invitation for the Houston Chamber Choir.
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About Houston Chamber Choir
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. Winner of Chorus America’s 2018 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, it has been described by The Tallis Scholars founder Peter Phillips as “one of this country’s leading ensembles.” The Choir also 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. The Chamber Choir released its fifth CD, The Complete Choral Works of Maurice Duruflé, with organist Ken Cowan, in April 2019.
Led by Artistic Director Robert Simpson, 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 Julliard, 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.