Houston Chamber Choir presents regional premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered with Loop38 on Feb. 4 at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
WHAT: The Grammy® Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir, under the direction of founder and artistic director Robert Simpson, joins the exciting instrumental group Loop38 in the regional premiere of Mass for the Endangered by American composer Sarah Kirkland Snider, with libretto by poet Nathaniel Bellows. The concert will be held Saturday, Feb. 4 at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church.
A celebration, and an elegy, for the natural world, this extraordinary work is an appeal for greater awareness, urgency, and action. At once jubilant and reverent, Mass for the Endangered is a meditation on all that nature has to offer and what we can offer in return. The six-movement work is a rumination on the concept of the traditional Catholic Mass, its fidelity enhanced by Snider’s interpolation of traditional Latin text for the Gloria, Sanctus/Benedictus, and parts of the Kyrie, Credo, and Agnus Dei.
Snider has received critical acclaim for her chamber, orchestral, song cycle, choral, and ballet works. Her musical compositions, particularly her song cycles, frequently borrow from indie rock and popular musical idioms as well as classical chamber music forms and instrumentation. These stylistic choices have led critics to label her music as part of the burgeoning indie-classical movement, where she has been called “perhaps the most sophisticated” of voices within this genre.
Of particular note are the album releases of her classical song cycles and her Mass: Penelope (2010), Unremembered (2015), and Mass for the Endangered (2020).
Loop38 is a boundary-pushing, artist-driven music ensemble based in Houston that aims to build community around innovative, stimulating, and culturally relevant musical experiences. Since their debut in 2016, Loop38 has performed a range of works by local composers, young and upcoming voices, and globally established artists.
Photo caption: The Grammy® Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir, under the direction of Robert Simpson, presents the regional premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered with Loop38 on Saturday, Feb. 4 at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church. Photo credits: Jeff Grass Photography for Houston Chamber Choir, Anja Schütz for Sarah Kirkland Snider, Natalie Gaynor for Loop38
WHO: The Houston Chamber Choir and Loop38 come together for an evening of music that is sure to be one of the most memorable concerts of 2023. Special community partners for this event include the “green groups” Houston Botanic Garden, Houston Arboretum & Nature Center and Galveston Bay Foundation, all of which are dedicated to preserving, conserving and protecting the natural environment in the greater Houston Area.
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. CT
WHERE: St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, 2450 River Oaks Blvd., Houston, TX 77019
COST: Single tickets for the performance range from $10 for students to $40. Seniors and military personnel receive a discount. Tickets can be purchased online here or at https://www.houstonchamberchoir.org/mass-for-the-endangered.
MORE: There is ample parking in the church lot. Seating is first come, first served.
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