Houston Chamber Choir was formed in 1995 by its conductor, Robert Simpson, who is director of music at the Episcopal Christ Church Cathedral in the city. It is one of the most admired chamber choirs in the United States, with pioneering original instrument performances, international appearances, and a repertoire from the English Renaissance to Duke Ellington and contemporary composers (especially those from Houston).
Maurice Duruflé (1902-86) was for many years organist titulaire at the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris, just down from the Panthéon. With its spun-sugar steps and screen, and the magnificent 18th-century organ case, the church remains a uniquely beautiful central Parisian place of devotion. And Duruflé, with only a small number of compositions, enhanced devotion through music with a kind of sumptuous austerity.
