The Houston Symphony Chorus, the official choral unit of the Houston Symphony, is led by Dr. Charles Hausmann. It is a chorus of volunteer singer-musicians who are committed to rehearsing and performing the choral-orchestral repertory at the highest level of choral artistry. In addition to presenting an annual schedule of concerts in Jones Hall with the Houston Symphony, the Chorus has toured Europe several times and has performed regularly in Mexico with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Mineriá in Mexico City.
The group, originally known as the Houston Chorale, was founded in 1946 by Alfred Urbach, then principal cellist of the Houston Symphony. The Chorale made its debut with the Houston Symphony in 1949 with a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. This inaugurated what was to be a lasting relationship, one that has produced hundreds of memorable performances of the great choral masterworks led by some of the world's leading conductors. In 1986, the Chorale was renamed the Houston Symphony Chorus.
The Houston Symphony's Fund for Choral Music
In 1997, members of the Houston
Symphony Chorus established an endowment in honor of the 50th anniversary of
the Chorus. Funds from this endowment are used to enrich the choral experience
of singers and the entire Houston community and helps finance special
projects that are over and above the normal chorus activity. The first of these
big projects was the 2005 production of Voices of the Symphony, the Chorus’s
first a capella recording. In spring 2008, the endowment fund helped to support
another important venture: a performance with the Houston Symphony of
Mendelssohn’s great oratorio, St Paul. This well-received special concert –
conducted by Chorus director Charles Hausmann – presented Houston with a rarely-heard work that could not be fitted into the Symphony’s
regular subscription program. Future endowment projects will be varied, but
will build on these traditions of nurturing high-quality performances and the
presentation of unusual repertoire.
We would like to thank everyone who has supported the Endowment over the years with their generous contributions. Since its establishment, the endowment has steadily grown as the result of our annual campaigns. Our 2007-08 annual campaign netted record funds and involved a record number of donors!
If you would like to know more about the Chorus Endowment or about how to contribute, please either contact Chorus Manager Susan Scarrow at chorus@sbcglobal.net or (713) 444-9221, or call the Houston Symphony Development Office at (713) 224-4240. You can also drop by the Symphony offices at 615 Louisiana Street, Suite 102, Houston, Texas 77002-2715.