The Houston Lutheran Chorale's mission
is to spread the
Gospel of Jesus Christ
through song and music.    

The Houston Lutheran Chorale is composed of members from many congregations of the Lutheran Church in the Houston and surrounding area. Rehearsals are held on scheduled Sunday afternoons at Trinity Lutheran Church, 800 Houston Avenue in downtown Houston, under the direction of Jeff Armstrong.

The Chorale was founded in 1985 under the direction of Metford Mountford after he was approached about providing music for the opening worship service for that year's LCMS Texas District Convention. Deciding that singing was an excellent way to witness to the love of Jesus and also a great deal of fun, the group asked Met if he would continue to direct them.  The Houston Lutheran Chorale was born.

In the years from its formation under Director Mountford, the group carried the Gospel "in song" throughout Texas as well as California, Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri. The Chorale toured Germany, France, and Scotland and participated in festivals in Coventry, England and Salzburg, Austria. The singers were also included in NBC Christmas Specials in 1986 and 1988. In 1991 the Chorale performed Puccini's Messa di Gloria in Carnegie Hall, New York City. 1995 saw the group participating in the Salzburg Church Music Festival in Salzburg, Austria. In June of 2000, the singers took part in the International Church Music Festival in Coventry, England as one of the featured Chorales. Under the direction of world renowned master conductor Sir David Willcocks, they joined in a concert by over 500 singers from around the world.  The concert was broadcast across Britain on BBC.

In January, 2004, Metford Mountford joined the heavenly chorale after a valiant battle with cancer.

A search committee was formed in March 2004, culminating in the selection of Jason Mangels
as Director. After a short hiatus in early 2004, the Chorale resumed rehearsals in September in preparation for the 2004 Christmas concerts. After an initial drop in membership after Met's passing, the group has been making steady progress in increasing the size of the Chorale.

In June of 2006, the group was asked to sing at the Opening Worship service of the LCMS Texas District Convention.

The Chorale has sung at the Sunday services of several churches in the area. The group has sung in Pearland, Katy, Beaumont, and Spring, as well as other cities in the region. The Chorale has been featured at many special services and programs under Jason Mangels; direction. In December 2009, the Christmas concerts celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Chorale with an Alumni Choir performing to the delight of all in attendance. March 2010 found the Chorale assisting in the commemoration service celebrating 30 years of Lutheran High North.  In November of that year the group was honored to be part of the Trinity Lutheran-Klein Concert Series.

In June of 2011, 37 singers took its first singing tour under the leadership of Jason Mangels. A weekend trip was planned and the members chartered a bus for the trip which found them singing in San Antonio on Friday evening and Georgetown on Saturday. On the return trip to Houston, the group sang at the Sunday morning service at St. Michael Lutheran in Winchester.  The following year found the Chorale returning to St. Michael in Winchester to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the church.

From 2006 to 2013, the Chorale hosted an annual Oktoberfest which was a major fundraiser for the group and treated guests to an evening of homemade German food, beer, and music.

In 2014, Jason accepted a call to teach in Phoenix. J.D. Struckman served as director for the remainder of the 2014 season until 2016. Kerry Talley joined the Chorale as Director in 2016, and in October 2017, the group performed during the unified 500-year celebration of the Reformation. Kerry planned to retire after the July 4th concert in 2020, but the Chorale had to go on hiatus in March of that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chorale began rehearsals after the pandemic in August 2022 under the direction of Steve Bayless and performed Christmas concerts in December of that year and our traditional July 4th concert in 2023.

The Chorale is now under the direction of Jeff Armstrong and hopes to rebuild our membership and seeks additionall opportunities to perform beyond our annual Christmas and July 4th concerts.

The Houston Lutheran Chorale plans to continue to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through song and music in concerts, church services, and special events.