The Grammy® Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir, under the direction of Founder and Artistic Director Robert Simpson, announces its new 2022-2023 season, “A Heart for the Choral Art,” with season subscriptions now on sale to the public at houstonchamberchoir.org. Single tickets for all concerts go on sale on Aug. 5.

“The diversity and scope of our upcoming season highlights, once again, the Houston Chamber Choir’s musical range and endless curiosity,” says Simpson. “Each concert has a unique focus taking us from choral classics by Vaughan Williams to underappreciated gems by Black composers and the heartfelt Indie Folk music of Iron and Wine. Yet, at the core of each performance will be one unifying element, our heart for the choral art.”

The 28th season opens in September with a festival concert in tribute to English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams celebrating his 150th birthday, followed by a return to Miller Outdoor Theatre in October for This Land is Your Land, focusing on our nation’s great folk songs. This concert is free to the public.

In November, the Houston Chamber Choir presents Desert Island Playlist, a program of all-time favorites, while December brings Christmas at the Villa with a return to Villa de Matel for four concerts the weekend of Dec. 10 - 11. The event has been a favorite holiday tradition for Houstonians for many years.

Hear the Future returns in January with performances by three stellar choirs from area schools – elementary, middle and high school. February brings Mass for the Endangered by American composer Sara Kirkland-Snider, with special guest ensemble Loop38.

In March, Dr. Anthony Trecek-King serves as guest conductor for Ancestors’ Dreams, exploring works by Black composers, including spirituals. The season finale in May features singer-songwriter Sam Beam, known as Iron & Wine, in his first performance with a choral ensemble.

Details for the Houston Chamber Choir’s 2022-2023 concert lineup are:

I. Let All the World in Every Corner Sing

Ralph Vaughan Williams @ 150

Guests: Paragon Brass and Yuri McCoy, organ

Saturday, Sept. 24, 7:30 pm | South Main Baptist Church, Houston

The Houston Chamber Choir opens its 28th season with a festival concert in tribute to the great English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams marking his 150th birthday. His ethereal Mass in g minor for double choir will be the centerpiece in a program that also features sacred and secular works by his mentors Charles Villiers Stanford, and Maurice Ravel.

II. This Land is Your Land

Saturday, Oct. 29, 7:30pm | Miller Outdoor Theatre, Houston

Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw remind us in their book, Songs of America, that the history of the United States— its struggles, politics, and successes —is embedded in our nation's folksongs. From Pre-Revolutionary calls for independence, to spirituals, Depression-era laments, and songs of protest, the Houston Chamber Choir will bring the voice of American history to the stage of Miller Outdoor Theatre.

III. Desert Island Playlist

Saturday, Nov. 19, 7:30pm | South Main Baptist Church, Houston

There are certain pieces that touch us so deeply that we would not want to be without even if stranded on a desert island. In this concert, the Houston Chamber Choir will perform some of its all-time favorites, along with song requests from patrons, for an evening of music with special meaning for all.

IV. Christmas at the Villa - On this Day Earth Shall Ring

Saturday, Dec. 10, 2:30 pm and 5 pm | Chapel of the Villa de Matel, Houston

Sunday, Dec. 11, 2:30 pm and 5 pm | Chapel of the Villa de Matel, Houston

Guests: Treble Choir of Houston and Marc Garvin, guitar

The Houston Chamber Choir is coming home for the holidays as it returns after a two-year absence to the Chapel of the Villa de Matel for its annual Christmas concerts. The choir will once again be joined by the Treble Choir of Houston directed by Marianna Parnas-Simpson. Well-known classical guitarist Marc Garvin will be welcomed as a special guest. Join family and friends for this festive Houston holiday tradition.

V. Hear the Future

Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, 4 pm | South Main Baptist Church, Houston

Each year, the Houston Chamber Choir invites three outstanding school choirs from the Greater Houston area to be the special guests at our annual invitational choral festival, Hear the Future. This year’s three participating ensembles and their gifted directors include:

North Houston Children’s Chorus - Colleen Riddle, Executive Director

Seven Lakes Junior High School - Kristin Likos, Conductor

Montgomery High School - Heather Orr, Conductor

This free community concert gives audience members a chance to show their support and appreciation for the outstanding work being done by music educators and their talented singers. To further its positive impact on our region’s school choral programs, Hear the Future now includes a VIP Choral Clinic for eight high schools. This season’s clinic will be led by Dr. Jennaya Robison, Director of Choral Studies in the Conservatory at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

VI. Mass for the Endangered by Sara Kirkland-Snider

Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, 7:30pm | St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, Houston

Guest: Loop38

The Houston Chamber Choir joins the exciting new instrumental group Loop38 in the regional premiere of Mass for the Endangered by young American composer Sara Kirkland-Snider. A celebration, and an elegy, for the natural world, this extraordinary work is an appeal for greater awareness, urgency, and action. At once jubilant and reverent, Mass for the Endangered is a meditation on all that nature has to offer and what we can offer in return.

VII. Ancestors’ Dream

Dr. Anthony Trecek-King, guest conductor

Saturday, Mar. 11, 2023, 7:30pm | South Main Baptist Church, Houston

When considering choral music by Black composers some think no further than spirituals, work songs, and gospel music. This concert broadens that view by presenting seldom heard works by Nathaniel Dett, Harry Burleigh, Florence Price, and others who believed that Black composers should embrace the spiritual but never be limited by it.

VIII. Holy Smoke and the Flame - Iron & Wine with the Houston Chamber Choir

Saturday, May 6, 2023, 7:30pm | South Main Baptist Church, Houston

Singer-songwriter Sam Beam has performed sold-out concerts at New York City’s Radio City Music and venues throughout the world as Iron & Wine. In his first performance with a choral ensemble, he joins the Houston Chamber Choir to perform favorites from his seven albums.

Season subscriptions start at $50 for students up to $201 for the six-concert option. For information about ticketing and subscriptions, visit the Houston Chamber Choir website at https://houstonchamberchoir.org/2022-2023-season. This Land is Your Land and Hear the Future are free and open to the public.

The Houston Chamber Choir continues its successful podcast series With One Accord, described as a “one-stop shop for choral joy.” Season 3 starts in September 2022 stay tuned for more information.

Previous seasons are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts, Anchor and YouTube.

For more information on the Houston Chamber Choir go to HoustonChamberchoir.org or call 713-224-5566.