Houston Chamber Choir to Present LOVE ME DO! LOVE SONGS OF THE '60s, 5/16-18

The Houston Chamber Choir presents three performances in and around the Houston area of Love Me Do! Love Songs of the '60s, - the 1860s & 1960s, that is! The Houston Chamber Choir's 18th season comes to a classic close with Brahms's popular Liebeslieder Waltzes and The Beatles's chart-toppers in brilliant settings by famed arranger Yumiko Matsuoka. Leonard Bernstein quipped, "Three bars of 'A day in the life' still sustain me, rejuvenate me and inflame my senses and sensibilities."

The first performance of Love Me Do! will take place Friday, May 16, 2014 at 7:30 pm at Lone Star College - Montgomery, Music Recital Hall at 3200 College Park Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77384.

The next performance will take place Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 7:30 pm at South Main Baptist Church at 4100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77004.

The last performance will take place Sunday, May 18, 2014 at 4:00 pm at Imperial Arts, Center for the Arts at 823 Third Street, Rosenberg, TX 77471. For information, visit theimperial.org or call (281) 277-7444.

Opening the program for Love Me Do! is the romantic period classic Liebeslieder Waltzes by Johannes Brahms. In a style more associated with Johann Strauss, the "Waltz King," the Liebeslieder Waltzes are a series of 18 love songs that reveal Brahms's compositional skill in creating ravishing melodies beloved by vocalists and audiences alike.

The second half of this romantically inspired program includes a set of Beatles's songs to celebrate their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show 50 years ago. Houston Chamber Choir offers its take on the songs from the British quartet that wildly swept through our nation and defined a generation. Selections include: "Yesterday", "Help!", "Eleanor Rigby", "Come Together", "Hey Jude", and of course "Love Me Do!". Many of the songs selected showcase the wonderfully crafted arrangements by Yumiko Matsuoka, professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Artistic Director and Conductor, Robert Simpson, notes: "Love has been a favorite topic for as long as there's been music. And with our upcoming concert of Brahms and The Beatles we can explore the universal themes of joy, loss, and longing in timeless settings created a century apart. This is a program we have been waiting to sing all year. Yumiko Matsuoka's enchanting arrangements will make you fall in love with The Beatles all over again."

Tickets for the May 16th and May 17th concerts are $40 for general admission, $36 for seniors, and $10 for students (with valid ID). Purchase tickets online at www.houstonchamberchoir.org or call (713) 224-5566.

Tickets for the May 18th concert in Rosenberg range from $22-$30. Purchase tickets to the Rosenberg concert online at theimperial.org, or call (281) 277-7444.

The Houston Chamber Choir is a professional ensemble dedicated to increasing the awareness, appreciation and esteem of choral music and musicians through performance, outreach and education. Described by Peter Phillips, founder of the Tallis Scholars, as "one of this country's leading ensembles," the Houston Chamber Choir was established in 1995 by Artistic Director Robert Simpson. In April 2012, Houston Chamber Choir made its New York City debut at Trinity Church Wall Street. The Choir continued its tour to Yale University by invitation of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music where it presented a master class and concert in Marquand Chapel. The Chamber Choir is showcased on the world premiere recording of Psalmi ad Vesperas (1694) by Giovanni Paolo Colonna and Ravishingly Russian, a recording of 19th and 20th century Russian secular choral music.

Photo Credit: Jeff Grass Photography