Houston Chamber Choir Will Perform WHAT HAVE WE DONE TODAY?
Jason Max Ferdinand to conduct Houston Chamber Choir in an upcoming performance
The Grammy Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir will present What Have We Done TODAY? with renowned guest conductor Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand on Saturday, February 21st at South Main Baptist Church. According to Houston Chamber Choir Artistic Director Dr. Betsy Cook Weber, “If you ask who the hot choral conductor in the world is right now, nine out of 10 people in the choral world will say Jason Max Ferdinand.”
Fresh from acclaimed performances at the BBC Proms in London and with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Ferdinand will work his magic with the Houston Chamber Choir, as he presents a repertoire primarily, but not entirely, of beautiful concert arrangements of American Spirituals, interspersed with other tunes that resonate with the overall theme, What Have We Done TODAY?
Composers from the 1800s (Charles Wood, Gabriel Fauré, John McCurry) and the 20th and 21st centuries (John Rutter, Z. Randall Stroope, James Quitman Mulholland, JD Martin, Jan Garrett, Lisa Aschmann) will be featured in themed sets curated by Ferdinand. These sets include “The trumpet sounds!”, “Kindred, and aligned by birth,” “The walls,” “Sweet chariot,” “Don't you know?”, and “Til we meet again.” Selections are taken from Biblical texts (Psalms and Revelation), a Longfellow poem, and a Latin hymn.
Expect to hear the traditional African American spiritual, “The Battle of Jericho,” arranged by Moses Hogan, and “Swing Down, Chariot,” arranged by Ken Burton, among many other moving pieces.
Only season subscribers are guaranteed a seat at this concert, so it is recommended to purchase tickets as early as possible.
Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand is the founding artistic director of The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers: An Ensemble of Exceptional Talents and is director of choral activities and professor at the University of Maryland. He is a published author and composer with GIA Publications, featuring the book, Teaching with Heart: Tools for Addressing Societal Challenges Through Music, and The Jason Max Ferdinand Choral Series (Walton Music). He maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor and lecturer domestically and internationally at schools, universities, churches, and choral festivals and conferences.
The Houston Chamber Choir is made up of 24 professional musicians of diverse backgrounds who hail from some of the finest music programs in the country, including Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory in Boston, Moores School of Music at the University of Houston, College Conservatory of Music, the University of Cincinnati and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. (Note: For this concert, there will be 28 singers.)
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