“Full of charm and shapely allure” (Opera News) and “a tapestry of immense grace” (Textura) are some of the praises Christopher J. Hoh has received for his music. He grew up in Reading PA and was influenced as a young singer and accompanist by great works under conductors in Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington. He has been in Alice Parker’s composer seminar as well as workshops with Jean Berger, Daniel Moe, Robert Page, and Craig Jessop. 

Notable commissions include:  

• Stuttgart German-American Chorus — Ero Cras: The O Antiphons, Advent concert piece for SATB & organ. 

• Alexandria VA Choral Society and Kinderchoir — Away We Go, sailing triptych for trebles, SATB & piano. 

• GenOUT Youth Chorus (DC) — I Still Am Free, pride song for SAB & piano. 

• Cathy Collinge Herrera, flutist — Suite for Flute & Guitar. 

• Carnuntum Archaeological Park (Austria) — Ecumenical Meditation for SATB, flute, clarinet, cello, and piano. 

• Meistersingers of Orange County (CA) — My Mistress’ Eyes, Shakespeare poem for SATB; Ein Kind Geborn in Bethlehem, Christmas motet for SSATBB. 

• King’s Chapel, Boston — Aromimcha Adonai, Psalm 30 for solo tenor & SSAATTBB. 

The Washington DC based professional ensemble The Thirteen premiered Hoh’s Musica Dei Donum for 12 voices. Meanwhile, the first performances of his Mass on When Jesus Wept took place with King’s Chapel Choir in Boston and of the art song A Little More Peace with mezzo soprano Solmaaz Adeli on a bi-coastal tour. He has presented organ pieces at workshops of the American Guild of Organists in the Washington DC area. 

In the U.S. mid-Atlantic region, his work has enhanced concerts and worship services while across Europe and audiences of the Americas have also enjoyed his compositions. Ensembles have included his work on eight recorded albums so far, including two works by the Grammy-winning group The Crossing. The whimsical For the Children or the Grown-Ups was a hit when released with Vox Futura on the holiday album DASHING VOL. 3 from Navona Records in 2022. 11 of his works have been awarded a place in the Project:Encore catalog for new music of exceptional quality. 

While best known as a choral composer, Hoh pivoted during the pandemic to the pipe organ — the ultimate safe-distance instrument. The Lorenz Corporation published some of his organ pieces in 2022, while his own publishing house, HohMade Music, has issued additional works for recital and worship. Concertino Corona for organ and chamber orchestra won plaudits at its commercial album release in 2023. 

Hoh’s formal education was in international affairs and he had a three-decade career in the U.S. Foreign Service. He is a member of American Composers Forum, American Choral Directors Association, and ASCAP as both publisher and composer. Most of Hoh’s work is available at www.hohmademusic.com. He maintains active pages on YouTube and Facebook.

Albums

Quadrants Vol. 5

Release Date: March 15, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6602
21st Century
Chamber
String Quartet
The award-winning Benda Quartet assembles on QUADRANTS VOL. 5 to deliver a stunning, razor-sharp collection of contemporary string works. Composers Christopher J. Hoh, Ferdinando DeSena, Christopher Brakel, Michael Murray, and Paul Halley offer a wide range of sounds and emotions in this body of work, ranging from warm, elegant expressions to high-octane passages and more. This Navona Records release is also available as a visual album, filmed at the historic Dul Michal mine in Ostrava, CZ. Eloquent, precise, and hypnotic, QUADRANTS VOL. 5 is a crystal-clear reflection of the musical and technical heights of the string quartet genre.

Celestial Voices

Release Date: March 1, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6600
21st Century
Liturgical
Vocal Music
Voice
Ethereal, uplifting, and deeply impactful throughout. The works on CELESTIAL VOICES check these boxes and more. Featuring sacred choral works from several contemporary composers, this offering from Navona Records is a musical exploration into the divine that’s ready to be experienced in both stereo and Dolby Atmos immersive audio formats. Modern harmonies and rhythmic freedom, new settings of famous hymns, fragments of plainchant that highlight contemporary topics, and more are expressed with clarity and spirit by The Kühn Choir of Prague in this release, who are joined by supportive instrumentalists at various points in the program.

Heavy Pedal Vol. 2

Release Date: June 9, 2023
Catalog Number: NV6529
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Oboe
Orchestra
Organ
The aptly-titled HEAVY PEDAL VOL. 2 from Navona Records is the second installment of an organ-centric series of albums. Featuring the music of composers Christopher Hoh, Deon Price, Richard E Brown, and John Rommereim, the collection lives up to its name; these organ works are some of the most powerful that classical music has to offer. From Hoh’s Concertino Corona, inspired by the hardships and seeds of hope from COVID-19, to Brown’s Six Chorale Preludes on Favorite Hymn Tunes, which were composed using Brown’s encyclopedic understanding of historical hymns, HEAVY PEDAL VOL. 2 brings the organ down from the choir loft to allow all listeners a greater appreciation of this incredibly dynamic instrument.
NV6472 DASHING VOL. 3

Dashing Vol. 3

Release Date: November 4, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6472
21st Century
Folk Music
Holiday
Orchestral
Vocal Music
Choir
Orchestra
Voice
Navona Records presents DASHING VOL. 3, a festive assortment of new works inspired by the signature sounds and staples of the holiday season. Comprising stories, nods to classic holiday tunes, and an underlying current of wistful nostalgia, this installment of the DASHING series keeps the spirit of holiday music alive with new compositions and arrangements of well-known favorites. Brought to life by a number of orchestras, chamber ensembles, and choirs, the works of new and returning composers to the series are sure to ignite the charm and congeniality of the holiday season, highlighting the many facets that the bright break of winter can bring.

Voices of Earth and Air Vol III

Release Date: October 9, 2020
Catalog Number: NV6299
21st Century
Vocal Music
Choir
Organ
Judging by Navona's VOICES OF EARTH AND AIR VOL III, this century is facing a significant paradigm shift in contemporary composition. The third installment of the trailblazing series again showcases contemporary choral music, and once more, it is mesmerizing – mesmerizingly tonal and aesthetic.

Evolutionary Spirits

Release Date: June 28, 2019
Catalog Number: NV6218
21st Century
Vocal Music
Choir
EVOLUTIONARY SPIRITS brings together the artistry of Grammy Award-winning chamber choir The Crossing with innovative works of six contemporary composers. Ranging from songs of praise from the Biblical era to present day, and from contemporary poetry to the reimagining of a Shakespearean sonnet, EVOLUTIONARY SPIRITS explores humanity in all its facets.

Cadence

Release Date: October 14, 2016
Catalog Number: NV6061
21st Century
Chamber
Liturgical
Vocal Music
Piano
Voice
CADENCE, the new vocal music compilation from Navona Records, offers a set of inspired, emotive premiere recordings by composers Christopher J. Hoh, David Kirtley, Joanne D. Carey, and Timothy Kramer in works juxtaposing the ethereal and the earthy, the diaphanous and the muscular, and the serene and the agile.

Dashing

Release Date: September 9, 2016
Catalog Number: NV6055
21st Century
Holiday
Orchestra
Navona Records is delighted to present DASHING, a festive album for the holiday season featuring brand new works and arrangements of holiday favorites by several outstanding composers, with performances by The Stanbery Singers, the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra.