The Grammy® Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir presents The Holly and the Ivy, a celebration of the Christmas season through music both familiar and unexpected.
During this season of Advent, the Choir will perform at three of the Houston area’s most beautiful and historic churches, two in Houston and one in Galveston. All three are new performance venues for the ensemble, including Trinity Episcopal Church (Galveston), Trinity Episcopal Church (Houston) and The Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham.
Conducting the performances will be Dr. Betsy Cook Weber, Houston Chamber Choir Artistic Director, along with guest conductors Jorge Garza and Paul Mortilla and Choral Conducting Fellow Jay Besch.
Special guests include Gamelan of the New Moon and Segundo Barrio Children’s Chorus, who will perform with the Houston Chamber Choir singers.
Gamelan of the New Moon, directed by Mortilla, is a percussion ensemble that showcases the distinctive blend of traditional and contemporary Central and West Javanese music.
Segundo Barrio Children’s Chorus, directed by Garza, is Houston’s first bilingual children’s choir. Its mission is to enrich the lives of children and families in Houston’s historic Second Ward and Greater East End through bilingual music education and performances.
WHO: The Houston Chamber Choir is composed of 24 professional musicians from diverse backgrounds who have studied at some of the country’s leading music institutions, including the Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Moores School of Music at the University of Houston, College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
Photo Credit: Jeff Grass Photography
WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday, December 4, at 7:30 p.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church
2216 Avenue H, Galveston, Texas 77550
Featuring Gamelan of the New Moon, directed by Paul Mortilla.
Founded in 1841 and completed in its current Gothic Revival style in 1857, Trinity Episcopal Church survived Civil War skirmishes, the 1900 Storm and the raising of the island’s grade. The historic church remains a cornerstone of Galveston.
Saturday, December 5, at 2:30 p.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church
1015 Holman St., Houston, Texas 77004
Featuring Segundo Barrio Children’s Chorus, directed by Jorge Garza, and Gamelan of the New Moon, directed by Paul Mortilla.
Founded in 1893 as a mission of Christ Church in the Fairground Addition (now Midtown), Trinity Episcopal Church grew over the next century into one of the largest parishes in the Episcopal Church. Five of its rectors eventually became bishops.
Sunday, December 6, at 3:30 p.m.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham
7809 Shady Villa Lane, Houston, Texas 77055
Established in 1984, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham serves as the cathedral for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. It is known for its beautiful Neo-Gothic architecture.
COST: Tickets range from $10 for students to $50 for general admission. Discounts are available for senior citizens, military personnel and educators. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.houstonchamberchoir.org/2026-2027/the-holly-and-the-ivy or click HERE for tickets.
MORE: Visit HoustonChamberChoir.org and follow the Houston Chamber Choir on Facebook and Instagram.
