Christopher J. Hoh

“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.