The final chord of an era rang out on a warm spring night as the Houston Chamber Choir marked the coda of its 30th season — and the retirement of its founding maestro, Robert Simpson — with an evening rich in harmony.
Titled “Gather ‘Round,” the concert at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church was less a program and more a choral pilgrimage, leading an audience of music lovers through a time-spanning repertoire that echoed the ensemble’s artistic journey since its founding in 1995. From Palestrina’s 16th-century Missa Papae Marcelli to contemporary gems by Daniel Knaggs and Rob Dietz, the Grammy-winning group turned memory into melody.
Then came the moment that turned tissues into must-haves: Nearly 40 alumni rose from the pews to join current members onstage for a lush rendition of Choose Something Like a Star. The sight of generations of singers reunited around their longtime conductor was enough to soften even the steeliest of baritones.
Following the ovation-filled send-off, about 150 supporters, singers, and friends filed into Ouisie’s Table, where the postlude to the concert played out in celebratory tributes — and one pitch-perfect surprise.
Houston Chamber Choir Board president Rick Kellogg set the tone.
“Maestro Simpson has given Houston a world-class treasure,” he said. “We salute him and wish him Godspeed.”
The room echoed with applause as tributes flowed, including words from longtime friend Philip Brunelle, who hailed Simpson as “shining and god-like,” and Jack Byrom, a board member and former singer who lauded the infrastructure Simpson built to sustain the ensemble’s artistic ambitions.
Ever the humble conductor, Simpson — joined by wife and co-founder Marianna Parnas-Simpson — thanked family and longtime collaborators, acknowledging the early days when then-board president Frank Hood quite literally housed the organization, and the recent years when Kellogg helped steady the ship through the pandemic’s dissonance.
And in a moment that hit like a well-timed fortissimo, executive director Brian Miller took the mic to reveal that Simpson had been unanimously named Laureate of the Houston Chamber Choir. The celebration swelled further with the announcement of the Simpson Society, a new donor circle, and the evening’s true showstopper: A $1 million anonymous gift, the largest in the choir’s history.
Looking ahead, Betsy Cook Weber, described by Simpson as “a choral giant in her own right,” will step to the podium as the new artistic director. With her at the helm, the ensemble looks set to keep its vocal flame alight and burn brighter still.
Before the night ended, Simpson raised a toast. And with it, a new chapter began.
The choir will next embark on its Baltic Tour 2025, with concerts in Estonia, Latvia, and Sweden, offering Simpson one final international ovation as conductor.
Josh Langham, Allison Martin, Ashley Stouffer, Andreea Muţ, Keith Lathrom, Carol Brejot, Rachel and Warren Ellsworth IV, Cynthia and Sid Davis, Alli and Sean Bittner, Johanna and Richard Wolfe, Amanda and Jacob Malinoff, Amy and Brian Kerswell, Greg Goedecke, Wayne Ashley, Alphonso Seals, Josh Wilson, Deb Edquist, Jade Pañares, Jeff Ragsdale, Lauren Suchy, Penelope Campbell, Rebecca Castillo, Kolton Kruger, Emily Wolfe, Ava and Cordell Hayman, Sally Schott, Janice Bradshaw, Pat Bonner, Fredricka Brecht, Carl Cunningham, Linnet Deily, Joy Horak-Brown, Nancy Kruka, Ann McGinty, William McKenzie, Dorothy McLemore, Martha Palmer, Fairfax Randall, Grace and Jim Roman, and Justin Langham.
Photo by Jeff Grass
Aaron James, Robert Simpson, Ashley James, Laura and Paul James, Kyle James, and Rebecca Koch.
