It’s the season for heavenly choirs and for voices of angels singing – but for one Katy couple, choir music is not just a seasonal part of life – it’s now their full-time careers.

Brian Miller is the Executive Director of the Houston Chamber Choir and is married to the talented soprano Melanie Piche Miller, who is also part of the Houston Chamber Choir.

“A chamber choir is typically a smaller vocal ensemble of 8 to 40 singers that performs its own independent concert series,” Melanie Piche Miller explained in an email interview with the Katy Times. “The Houston Chamber Choir is an independent nonprofit organization made up of 24 professional singers who present a full season of six to eight concerts throughout the Greater Houston area. Unlike a church choir of similar size, which generally sings as part of worship services, a chamber choir performs self-contained concert programs. It also differs from a symphony chorus, which may include hundreds of voices and typically performs in collaboration with a symphony orchestra, or from an opera chorus, whose size and role vary depending on the demands of each opera. Chamber choirs like HCC focus on musical precision, blend, and artistic versatility, often exploring a wide range of repertoire from Renaissance to contemporary works.”

“Our musicians are all professionals, and they work hard for the cohesive sound they achieve,” added Brian Miller.

“Having the Houston Chamber Choir in our city is immensely important,” Melanie Piche Miller said. “Houston has an incredibly rich and diverse arts community, with space for every imaginable form of creative expression. What makes the Houston Chamber Choir unique is the level of artistry and intentionality we bring to each performance. We hold ourselves to the highest musical and expressive standards, striving to create concerts that are not only beautiful but deeply moving. I believe that one of the most essential parts of being human is our capacity to connect and to feel. My personal goal as a member of HCC is to inspire that connection.”

The couple has deep roots in Katy. Brian is a former choir educator, as is Melanie. They met while both were teaching at Cinco Ranch High School. She is now at Jordan High School in KISD, working as a testing coordinator. They live in “Old Katy” or “The Real Katy,” as Brian calls it.

“Katy has a special place in my and Melanie’s life,” Brian Miller said. “We met here, work here, got married here, and still live here. While working at Katy High School, I remember the pride of being surrounded by Katy tradition. Big community moments like singing in City Hall for the mayor with my choir kids at Christmas and big impact moments like the year we graduated a fifth generation Katy High School student! Katy has a small-town feel, while still being part of the metropolis of Greater Houston. Mel and I live in old Katy - you can catch us at No Label on the weekends or walking our dog at Mary Jo Peckham Park.”

“I was born in Houston, Texas, and aside from my four years in college, I’ve called Katy home my entire life,” said Melanie Piche Miller. “I grew up in Green Trails and attended Nottingham Country Elementary, Memorial Parkway Junior High, and James E. Taylor High School.” During her time at James E. Taylor High School, she portrayed Cinderella in “Into the Woods” and the mother in “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” earned second and later first chair in the TMEA All-State Mixed Choir her junior and senior years, and regularly performed solos with the Expressions Show Choir.

“My parents were very intentional about providing my siblings and me with a strong sense of community and stability,” Melanie Piche Miller said. “We lived in the same home throughout my childhood, surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Those experiences gave me a deep sense of belonging and connection to Katy, which is why I chose to return after college. I knew I wanted to teach choir in Katy ISD, inspired by the incredible teachers who shaped my own musical journey, including Kevin Riehle and Kristin Likos at THS.” She graduated from The University of Tulsa in 2016 with a bachelor of music and a minor in education. That same year, she pursued alternative certification and began teaching choir at Cinco Ranch High School, where she spent six wonderful years.

“I was heavily supported by fine arts programs during my school years. I moved a lot while growing up and always found command ground as the ‘new kid’ in ensembles and the arts,” said Brian Miller. “Taking a music theory class in high school and seeing the ‘puzzle’ behind music solidified that I wanted to pursue a career in the field. I also wanted to give back to students in a way that my teachers had done for me. After an undergraduate degree in music education and a master’s degree in choral conducting, I began a successful career in 6A public high school choir programs. While teaching I worked with choirs who performed at the state and national level, earned many performance awards, but most importantly, I got to teach and mentor a ton of amazing kids! My transition to arts leadership came after feeling like I wanted to find the next level of professional music. Right after teaching, I spent some time with the Houston Symphony as their Chorus Manager which bridged the gap into the non-profit sector and large, complex organizations. This job [as Executive Director of the Houston Chamber Choir] is a great intersection of my choral background, love of education, and my administrative skills.”

Their journeys from careers in education to careers as performers have not been without challenges.

“The greatest obstacle in my singing career came during my freshman year at The University of Tulsa, when I developed vocal nodules,” said Melanie Piche Miller. “A few months into college, I began to lose my ability to sing in the upper part of my range. It wasn’t painful, but I found that I simply couldn’t produce sound in my higher register. After undergoing a laryngoscopy, I learned that I had developed nodules (small, callus-like bumps) on my vocal folds. To allow them to heal, I observed complete vocal rest for the entire month of February in 2013. It was an incredibly challenging period of silence, but it taught me patience and the importance of caring for my instrument. Later that summer, my wonderful voice teacher, Judith Pannill Raiford, attended my sessions with a speech pathologist to better understand how to rebuild my voice safely and sustainably. Together, they guided me toward singing with proper breath support and freedom, rather than the tension and strain I had relied on before.”

For Brian Miller, the largest growth opportunities came as he started at the Chamber Choir three years ago, guiding the impending transition from its founder to the next leader – plus the challenges of

funding a nonprofit. “One of my largest strengths is that I know I don’t know everything and to tackle these I relied on a vast network of friends, mentors, and colleagues to solicit advice and guidance from,” he said.

The duo believes that their work in the Houston Chamber Choir is important.

“According to a recent study done by Chorus America, more than 54 million Americans are singing in a choir once a week,” said Brian Miller. “More than one in six Americans over the age of eight sings in a chorus! Singing is accessible with no additional instrument needed. Most of us sing in the shower, on Sunday morning, or (the most local bonding experience) during a long Houston commute. To sing is to be human and the Chamber Choir represents the pinnacle of that art form. We pride ourselves on being a resource for public concerts, educational outreach, professional recordings, commission projects with composers, and world premieres all right here in Houston’s backyard. We are in our 31st year, and we provide a full season of concerts to a swath of loyal subscribers and single ticket buyers. We are proud to represent the choral art form at the highest level in a sea of local, world-class arts organizations.”

This December, the Houston Chamber Choir returns to the stunning Villa de Matel at 6510 Lawndale in Houston with “Tapestry: Christmas at the Villa,” one of its most beloved traditions. Guests include the Treble Choir of Houston and the Houston Bronze Ensemble. See it on Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7, at 2:30 and 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.houstonchamberchoir.org and range from $10 - $50.00.