Best known for the famous Hallelujah Chorus, Handel’s Messiah is one of the most performed pieces of classical music in history. Get ready for the Houston Symphony’s annual presentation of this masterpiece. By the time George Frederick Handel began composing Messiah in 1741, he was at the height of his powers, recognized as one of London’s leading … Continued
From Harry Potter to Carmina Burana, from Mahler to Messiah: the 2018–19 Season challenged Houston Symphony Chorus and made for a memorable year. Houston Symphony Chorus Director Betsy Cook Weber and Chorus Manager Anna Diemer share their favorite moments from last season, with a look ahead to what’s coming up next—including auditions open to all … Continued
In June, 40 singers from the Houston Symphony Chorus joined Chorus Director Betsy Cook Weber and Chorus Manager Anna Diemer for a concert tour across Poland and Germany. In this post, Anna shares memories of the trip. Our unforgettable June tour—five concerts in five cities!—culminated with an invitation to sing at the Bach Festival in … Continued
Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Rivera is one of the most dynamic personalities in opera and classical music today: her multifaceted career includes not only a busy schedule of international performances, but also blogging, arts advocacy and arts administration. Recently, I got to ask her a few questions in advance of her upcoming performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Houston … Continued
By: Case Scaglione, Conductor In 1987 when I was five years old, a babysitter malfunction put me front and center at the new Wortham Center Brown Theater for a production of Aida with my parents. At intermission I announced to them that I wanted “to be that guy”. They assumed that I meant Amneris, played … Continued
What is it about Handel’s Messiah that makes it such an amazing masterpiece year after year? At first blush, performing the same piece each season could become repetitive and less interesting, but it doesn’t. How can a piece of music feel different each time you perform it, even though nothing on the page has changed … Continued
If you were able to make it to last month’s ACCESS concert, you were introduced to the series’s host, Miles Hoffman of NPR’s Morning Edition. Ahead of this weekend’s performances of Handel’s Messiah, Miles took the time to write up a little “tidbit” about the great German composer. … Continued
This next post comes from William McCallum, who has been a Houston Symphony Chorister for over 12 years! I have been a member of the Houston Symphony Chorus for over 12 years and this will be my eighth season singing Messiah. During the day I am an internal medicine physician and work predominantly with cancer … Continued
Ahead of the orchestra’s performances of Handel’s Messiah in Candlelight this weekend, we invited members of the Houston Symphony Chorus (who, by the way, just celebrated their 1000th performance!), to write about their experience preparing for such a huge piece. Our first entry comes from Susan Scarrow, the manager of the Houston Symphony Chorus. In … Continued