Recordings
The Grossman Ensemble released its debut album, Fountain of Time, on its own imprint, CCCC Records. The recently formed Grossman Ensemble, founded by composer and director Augusta Read Thomas, is a supergroup of 13 Chicago-based contemporary music specialists, exclusively performing new works from leading and emerging composers at the CCCC. Hou conducts David Clay Mettens’ stain, bloom, moon, rain.
Apollo Chamber Players - Within Earth
Featured on Apollo String Quartet’s Album Within Earth, Hou constructed the final and namesake track: Within Earth, Wood Grows by Alexandra du Bois. The piece is a musical interpretation of a line in the I-Ching and features the traditional instrument of the Dan Bau prominently. Hou led the combined groups of Apollo String Quartet, WindSync, Kinetic, and Loop38 for this piece imbued with unity and hope.
Karim Al-Zand - Studies in Nature
Studies in Nature is inspired by the captivating illustrations of biologist and naturalist Erns Haeckel (1834-1919). Composer Karim Al-Zand (b. 1970) has been called “strong and startlingly lovely” (Boston Globe). Hou conducts the album's closing track, Cinderella. Written to score Lotte Reiniger’s silent 1921 film, the piece was premiered by Musiqa in 2015.
Anthony Brandt - Maternity / Ulysses, Home
Recorded live in Houston TX, Brandt’s album “covers the multifaceted experience of human life from its very beginnings all the way to today” (Navona Records). Hou led singers Karol Bennett and Liam Bonner alongside the Del Sol String Quartet in this contemporary telling of the Ulysses myth.
Shih-Hui Chen - Silvergrass & Other Orchestral Works
Hou leads Shepherd School of Music orchestral musicians in a vivid catalogue of pieces by composer Shih-Hui Chen. Ranging from a piece for Zheng and Chinese Orchestra and mixed ensemble, to a concerto for Pipa and Chamber Orchestra, the repertoire is complex and compelling.