Houston Symphony Chorus to Perform in Mexico City

This Labor Day weekend, the Houston Symphony Chorus will travel to Mexico City, where it will perform with the Orquesta Sinfýnica de Mineria under the baton of Carlos Spierer. The performances, to be held on August 30 and 31 at the Sala Nezahualcoyotl, will be devoted entirely to renowned opera choruses from such monumental works as Verdiýs Aida, Pucciniýs La Bohýme and Borodinýs Polovetsian Dances. Internationally renowned, the Orquesta Sinfýnica de Mineria has 120 members.

The program will be broadcast live on Mexican television and radio, and broadcast locally on Houston's National Public Radio Station, KUHF 88.7 FM.

The concerts, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Orquesta Sinfýnica de Mineriaýs founding, will also commemorate the long-time service of the orchestraýs late music director, Jorge Velazco, who died earlier this month. For 15 years, Maestro Velazco and Houston Symphony Chorus Director Charles Hausmann collaborated on programs bringing their respective orchestras and choruses together for numerous performances.

One of the oldest vocal ensembles in the United States, the Houston Symphony Chorus is the official choral unit of the Houston Symphony with 200 members from the greater Houston area. This community of experienced choral singers is an all-volunteer organization, representing all professions and ages. Dr. Charles Hausmann, director of the Chorus, also serves as director of choral studies and professor of music at the Moores School of Music, University of Houston.

Each season, the Houston Symphony Chorus performs great masterworks from the choral repertory. This season marks its 56th anniversary and will feature performances of Carl Orffýs Carmina Burana and Mozartýs Requiem, among many others. In addition to regular concerts in Jones Hall each season, the Chorus has toured Europe and performs regularly in Mexico City with the Orquesta Sinfýnica de Mineria.

Auditions for the Houston Symphony Chorus are held each year in January, June and August. There are 40-50 singers in each section - soprano, alto, tenor and bass ý with generally 10 openings per section each year. For further information, please contact the chorus manager at chorus@sbcglobal.net or visit www.houstonsymphony.org for the Chorusý 2003-04 concert listings.

Art Kent, Senior Director, Public Affairs
Media Contacts, 22 Agosto 2003