Houston Ensemble shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Houston Ensemble, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
In our time performing and working in Houston, we are most proud of the community we have built. Through music, we’ve formed lifelong friendships, created business partnerships, and taken part in outreach programs that bring musicians and friends closer together. We have also developed a podcast that has connected us with remarkable people around the world.
Over the past five years, we’ve worked every day to grow the Houston Ensemble into a platform founded on musical talent and collaboration providing the best entertainment for all of our clients. We are grateful for the opportunity to keep learning and to share the joy of our work with others.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Houston Ensemble is a musical group and renaissance project founded in 2020 by Chad Wesselkamper and Armen Movsesyan. Driven by a passion for both music and knowledge, we combined the two by creating not only an official musical group but also a podcast.
Our band members perform across Texas, throughout the United States, and internationally. The Houston Ensemble podcast has featured some of today’s greatest musical talents as well as remarkable experts from a variety of fields. Some of these guests include Kurt Rosenwinkel, Randall Carlson, David Leebron (former president of Rice University), Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, Peter Bernstein, and many more.
In Houston, our band has become a premier choice for live entertainment—whether at private parties, corporate events, or venue showcases. We perform a wide range of styles and specialize in classics, pop, R&B, Motown, and more. Our lead singer, Vincent Powell, an alum of American Idol, brings unmatched energy and charisma to every performance.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
We have always been, and will always be, our true selves. Too often, the world pressures people to become an untrue version of who they are. One of the core values of the Houston Ensemble is to remain authentic and veracious in everything we do. This commitment to honesty fuels our creativity, love, and sense of community.
It is this natural way of being that makes our musical performances captivating and gives us the drive and perspective to engage in deep, thoughtful conversations with the guests on our podcast.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
This is a question that comes up often in Houston Ensemble discussions. Rather than pointing to a single moment when we’ve changed our minds, we’d say there have been many. On our podcast, we strive to feature a diverse range of guests from all walks of life. When you engage in thoughtful discourse with a variety of people, your perspective naturally expands.
We make it a priority to keep an open mind whenever learning something new. As modern philosopher Terence McKenna once said, “My technique is: don’t believe anything. If you believe in something, you are automatically precluded from believing its opposite.” When presented with new ideas or information, we return to this insight as a reminder to let our perspective grow rather than be limited by preconceived ideologies.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
We can unapologetically say yes to this question. The Houston Ensemble was founded with public transparency at its core. In our musical performances, we always infuse the music with our own unique sound. Because our musicians come from diverse backgrounds—whether jazz, classical, or the church—our performances carry an unparalleled organic quality that audiences consistently recognize and celebrate.
For example, co-founder Chad Wesselkamper studied double bass at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, one of the world’s premier institutions for orchestral studies. Co-founder Armen Movsesyan earned degrees from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree from the University of North Texas, two of the most highly regarded schools for jazz studies. This breadth of musical training gives the Houston Ensemble a nuanced, versatile, and elite ability to perform in any setting.
In our podcast, we don’t put on masks. Listeners get to experience the real “us” as we explore some of life’s most important questions with the goal of broadening consciousness and bringing people together.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
Hard work and a good attitude always pay off—both literally and karmically. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was the Houston Ensemble. Over the past five years, we have dedicated ourselves daily to building this project. Along the way, we’ve learned time and again that true rewards come from putting in consistent effort. Whether it’s writing music, developing our website, or meeting with clients, we know that achieving meaningful goals requires time and persistence.
Equally important is maintaining a good attitude. We follow the golden rule—treating others as we wish to be treated—and have found that when you approach people this way, the results are always harmonious.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://houstonensemble.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houstonensemble/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/houstonensemble
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houstonensemble/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/houston-ensemble-houston?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HoustonEnsemble
