The Houston Chamber Choir is a professional chamber choir based in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Robert Simpson.[1] The ensemble annually presents an eight-concert series of diverse, innovative choral programming throughout the Houston region. In 2024, internationally acclaimed conductor Dr. Betsy Cook Weber was appointed Artistic Director Designate, and joined forces with Artistic Director Robert Simpson to lead the choir's landmark 30th season.[2]
Beyond the known and celebrated choral works, the Houston Chamber Choir is also a champion of contemporary choral music, having expanded the repertoire with nearly a dozen commissions of new works. All but one of the compositions from Soft Blink of Amber Light are works commissioned and premiered by the ensemble.[4] Composers commissioned by the choir include:
Its two 2015 albums, Soft Blink of Amber Light[4] and Rothko Chapel: Morton Feldman, Erik Satie, John Cage[6] have been met with international acclaim.[7][8][9] The Rothko Chapel project, recorded in partnership with Da Camera of Houston Artistic Director Sarah Rothenberg,[10] was a US Billboard Top 10[11] and UK Top 20[12] Classical Album and was named one of the Best Classical Recordings of 2015 by the Chicago Tribune.[13]
The choir is the recipient of the 2018 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence given by Chorus America.[14]
The Houston Chamber Choir was selected to perform as one of the twenty-four choirs at the World Symposium on Choral Music sponsored by the International Federation for Choral Music in Auckland, New Zealand, in July 2020.[18]
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