The 1980’s. Founded in 1987 under the original name of The Houston Choral Union, the Houston Choral Society began as a 30 member hybrid community college choir and community choir, offering an excellent opportunity for college students and members of the Houston community to expand their vocal experience. It was founded by Dr. Betty Devine, its current Artistic Director, who was at that time a faculty member at Houston Community College System’s Northwest College, located at the Westchester Campus, performing its initial concerts at Westchester’s auditorium before growing to 90 singers and moving to a concert venue at Grace Presbyterian Church. The Houston Choral Society eventually became the crown jewel of the Houston Community College System’s choral program, performing at graduation ceremonies and representing the college at various venues, including “Select ‘89″ honoring the Texas Legislature and “Hats Off to Bob Lanier” at River Oaks Country Club, honoring Houston’s then mayor.

The 1990’s. By 1990 it had officially become The Houston Choral Society and grew in numbers, and in September of 1990 the Friends of The Houston Choral Society, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was chartered to seek financial support outside the college system and support The Houston Choral Society’s performances. During the 1990’s, the quality and make-up of the singers became more refined, and The Houston Choral Society’s budget grew to the point that it moved from using amateur musicians to professional musicians to accompany its concerts. The organization’s community outreach expanded to include choral singing every Christmas for the patients at M.D. Anderson Hospital and the children at Shiners’ Hospitals for Children-Houston, an annual Christmas tradition that continues today. The HCS chorus performed for the opening of the Republican National Convention in Houston, woke up the astronauts one morning on one of their flights with “Awake the Harp,” from Haydn’s The Creation, and was joined by the West Point Military Academy’s Glee Club in a presentation of Randall Thompson’s Testament of Freedom, a benefit performance for the Houston Food Bank at Wortham Theater Center. In 1996, The Houston Choral Society moved its concert venue and rehearsals to the Foundry United Methodist Church in northwest Houston because of the church’s new sanctuary with superior acoustics, its eventual installation of a tracker organ, regarded by the Houston Chronicle as one of the top four organs in Houston, and ample rehearsal space. It continues to have its rehearsal and concert base there today, although it has sung in other venues, such as the Wortham Theater Center and Moore’s Opera House at the University of Houston.

In 1999, The Houston Choral Society left the Houston Community College System and established itself as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

The 2000’s. During the 2000’s its budget increased, thanks to a growing patron base, an increasing audience, and generous grants and corporate donations, and it employs a full time business manager today. The 70 singers of the HCS chorus are auditioned and are multi-generational, coming from various backgrounds and professions, many with extensive choral experience, but all having a love for ensemble singing, fulfilling The Houston Choral Society’s mission statement: to be a professional-quality civic chorus dedicated to performing great choral music to enrich the soul and advance the choral arts to Houston audiences. The HCS chorus has increased in vocal skill and reading ability over the years to the point that The Houston Choral Society is considered to be a semi-professional community chorus today, presenting a wide repertoire of choral music to growing and appreciative audiences. It has a hard-working board of directors and an army of volunteers who are well organized and highly motivated. Our Artistic Director and Founder, Dr. Betty Devine, has expressed her joy at being able to spend most of her time designing the repertoire for The Houston Choral Society and in rehearsal preparation, while the current management of the organization has taken care of so many of the varied details in producing a concert season. The Houston Choral Society is a member of Chorus America, an association of professional and volunteer vocal ensembles, and is funded in part by grants from Harris County and the Texas Commission on the Arts through the Houston Arts Alliance.

World Premiere of Commissioned Piece. In 2008, thanks to a generous grant from Conoco Phillips, the Houston Choral Society performed the world premiere of a piece it had commissioned Dr. Adolphus Hailstork to compose, Set Me On A Rock, a dramatic choral presentation of the great flood in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and Houston’s response to its victims.

International Tours. In 2001, The Houston Choral Society made its first international concert tour, performing in cathedrals in England and Scotland. This was followed by a second tour to Italy in 2004, in which the HCS chorus sang in an array of historical venues, as well as responding to an invitation by the Vatican to sing a mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In 2007, a third international concert tour was made for performances in Prague, Vienna and Budapest. In 2011, The Houston Choral Society made its fourth international concert tour of Dublin and southern Ireland.

Repertoire. See a list of our extensive repertoire here.