Image
Early in the pandemic shut-down, the leaders of several Houston community choirs formed a support group of sorts, to regularly encourage each other and share ideas on how to move forward. Belinda Rossiter, Executive Director of Houston Show Choir says, “There are many excellent choirs in Houston and although we perform with different styles, we share the exhilaration of singing together and bringing enjoyment to our audiences. Choir directors struggled to keep their singers encouraged and engaged, whilst experiencing difficulty and isolation themselves. We wanted to provide an environment where these leaders could support each other.”
Houston Masterworks Chorus Artistic Director and Conductor, Dr. Paulo Gomes had an idea for a choral festival and shared it with the group. And so the online “United in Song – A Convergence of Houston Choirs” project was born. Dr. Gomes says, “We are very excited about this virtual choir festival, featuring over 250 voices celebrating music. Our hearts and souls will converge and be filled with the deepest gratitude for the grace of being alive to share this profound moment with our dedicated audiences.”
“United in Song” brings together five, notable Houston community choirs: three classically-inspired (Houston Masterworks Chorus, Houston Choral Society, Houston Cecilia Chamber Choir), one singing and dancing show choir (Houston Show Choir), and one barbershop a capella group (Space City Sound). During the free online concert, each choir will perform one or two uplifting songs in their own style. The finale will be a collaboration of voices from all five choirs singing the lovely “Holy Night, Silent Night” arranged by Ruth Elaine Schram, with video editing by Stretch Your Mind Entertainment LLC.
This choral festival will be livestreamed on Friday, December 18th, 2020 at 7:00pm CST, appearing simultaneously in the social media feeds of each participating choir. While there is no charge to view the production, donations to the participating choirs are encouraged. Each ensemble is a Houston nonprofit organization, and all singers are skilled volunteers.
