I hope this message finds you and your family well, fully recovered from any ill effects of Hurricane Ike, and ready to celebrate the holidays and the new year. 

Houston Early Music’s season has been celebrated by all, as well, starting with an extraordinary evening of music by La Donna Musicale in September, bringing the sounds of the Parisian salon with music of women composers of the French Baroque in the Rococo style. This was followed by a beautiful concert by the accomplished and internationally renowned harpsichordist, Richard Egarr, who performed J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Klavier, Book I in its entirety in November. Last week Libris Unusualis, a Boston-based vocal group, performed our Christmas concert of music from the Middle Ages. This well-attended concert was described by audience members as “ethereal,” with others telling me that they were “transported” by the beautiful voices and the perfect acoustics of Trinity Episcopal Church.

Although the storm impacted attendance and ticket sales for our opening concert, held less than two weeks after the hurricane in a different location than the original due to damage at our publicized location, our most recent concerts have been better attended. This, despite the heavy rain the night of the Richard Egarr concert and the week-day night Christmas concert. As always, we continue our educational outreach in the community, including an event held at the Houston High School for the Visual and Performing Arts, where we presented Richard Egarr (and a harpsichord) to the students, who were delighted to hear him play and to attend his master class. We have every right to be proud of our over 40-year-old organization, but are hopeful that more patrons of the arts in Houston will hear of our world-class concerts and artists and publicize to others in the city and the state the excellent work we do in bringing world renowned artists to this city.

Our next concert (Fretwork’s “Happy Birthday Henry!”) will be on Saturday, January 17, at 8:00pm at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue. The British group Fretwork, with mezzo-soprano Clare Wilkinson, will help us celebrate Henry Purcell’s 350th birthday. If you have not already purchased tickets, please do so today and visit our website, houstonearlymusic.org, for more information.

As a friend of the organization, it is important for you to know that the consequences of Hurricane Ike, combined with general economic conditions, have put a serious strain on Houston Early Music’s already limited financial resources. Hence, I am making an urgent plea to our supporters to consider making a tax deductible contribution to the organization right away, remembering that your donation is tax deductible. As a mostly volunteer-run non-profit, the bulk of our expenses are artist fees. We need help from local early music enthusiasts to be able continue our history of bringing exceptional early music artists to Houston.

Thank you for your consideration of this special request. Please send checks made out to Houston Early Music to P. O. Box 271193, Houston, Texas 77277 to reflect your support of the organization. On behalf of the Board of Directors I wish you and your family happy holidays and a healthy and prosperous 2009. Thank you again.

Sincerely yours,

Magali Suárez Candler

President, Board of Directors