The Houston Chamber Choir will perform A Time to Draw Closer, the season finale of the Grammy Award-winning ensemble s 2020-21 virtual season, on May 9 under the direction of Founder and Artistic Director Bob Simpson. Of special note, the concert will include the world premiere of The Passion of St. Cecilia, a work composed by Mark Buller and specially commissioned for the choir s 25th anniversary. The three-movement work relates to the legend of the patron saint of music and musicians. The acclaimed chamber music ensemble Apollo Chamber Players will join the choir for this performance. To be asked to write a piece for the 25th anniversary is such an honor. Bob asked me to be involved about a year ago, just as we were all realizing the extent the pandemic would reshape the way we approach music. It was interesting timing because in the face of this really uncertain future especially for singing groups where things didn’t look great - he left it open ended. I could choo
I started playing piano when I was four or five, I think. So I started improvising and then eventually sort of composing at some point. And, and that s so the piano has always been my personal way of expressing myself as a musician. We ve talked about this a couple of times, so we can t remember never being best friends. I don t remember even our first meeting. I just remember there was the time before Tony in my life and then the time afterwards.
Composer Eric Whitacre and poet Charles Anthony (Tony) Silvestri, first met in college choir at the University of Nevada. Eric was an undergrad, and Tony was working on his doctoral thesis. Because of that chance encounter, they became lifelong friends and collaborators.