VOCES8 and Paul Smith – debut Australian tour

VOCES8’s long-awaited debut tour to Australia begins this week. Their first concert is a recital at the Sydney Opera House, after which they work with conductor Benjamin Bayl and the student instrumentalists of ANAM in a performance of Bach’s B Minor Mass at the Melbourne Recital Centre. To end the trip they perform twice at Ukaria in Adelaide.

Tickets for the Melbourne performance are still available, with all other concerts sold out.

Alongside this schedule Paul Smith will be giving workshops either with VOCES8 or by himself, in a mixture of sessions based on the VOCES8 Method, of which he is the author, and also working on pieces prepared by choirs. He will be leading a workshop at Sydney Opera House before travelling to Perth to work with Voyces Incorporated. He also gives sessions hosted by Firbank Grammar School, Melbourne and Immanuel College, Adelaide.

Read one of the articles about the trip here, this one from the Sydney Morning Herald.

VOCES8’s touring schedule can be seen here.

VOCES8 to make BBC Proms debut

VOCES8 will make its debut at the BBC Proms in a lunchtime concert Cadogan Hall on 22nd July. This year’s Monday-lunchtime “Proms at … Cadogan Hall” series takes listeners through over 800 years of musical history over the course of just eight concerts. The group’s programme ranges from the supple chant melodies of Hildegard of Bingen to the sophisticated choral polyphony of Palestrina and William Byrd. It will also include the wonderful “Vadam et circuibo civitatem” by current composer-in-residence Jonathan Dove, and a world premiere by Alexia Sloane called “Earthward”.

Click here to link to the Proms page.

VOCES8 new album “Enchanted Isle” released

VOCES8 has released its new album, “Enchanted Isle”. Casting a contemporary eye on the landscape they call home this mixed repertoire album contains music from composers including Sir John Tavener, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Thomas Adès, Samuel Barber, Jake Runestad, Toby Hession and Dan Forrest plus a selection of newly arranged folk songs from arrangers Jim Clements, Matt Sheeran, Geoff Lawson, Joshua Pacey and others. One featured soloist is the amazing voice of Sibéal singing Carrickfergus (video here).

Already at the top of classical charts on release day, Barney and Andrea appeared on the UK’s Sky News to talk about the release as well as the group’s ongoing education work based around the VOCES8 Method.

Further album videos are Enya’s “May it be” (filmed at the Gresham Centre) and Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song”

Buy from Amazon here or stream from Spotify here.

VOCES8 sing on Jacob Collier’s new album “Djesse”

Opening track features VOCES8 and Jacob

Jacob Collier‘s long-awaited album “Djesse” Vol. 1 is released today, which features VOCES8 on the opening track, “Home is”. VOCES8 said: “Collaborating with Jacob Collier gave us the opportunity to experience both his creative genius and collaborative spirit. Jacob pushes boundaries, and when we saw the score included chords tuned around different pitch centres, we were excited to broaden our horizons. We are so proud to be the opening track of his new album.”

Listen to the full track, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, here.

VOCES8 and Rachel Podger “Guardian Angel” Netherlands tour

Sell-out Netherlands tour and 5* review

VOCES8 has just returned from a 5-date concert tour in the Netherlands of their Guardian Angel programme with baroque violinist Rachel Podger which has already seen performances in the UK (Bristol, Kings Place London, Canterbury, Brecon, Milton Abbey) and Germany (Dresden and Rheingau Festival). The performances in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Tilburg, Breda and Den Haag drew sell out audiences and this great 5-star review from de Volkskrant newspaper.

VOCES8 USA tour, Fall 2018

Latest tour including delayed New York City debut

VOCES8 is in the USA for its latest tour, this time giving concerts in 16 cities and 9 states. The tour kicks off with the group’s long-awaited New York City debut at the Church of St Vincent Ferrer, a rescheduled concert following the weather affected cancelled debut last season.

Tickets for the debut are available here.

VOCES8 is part of the VCM Foundation, and is now proud to have a USA Foundation with VOCES8 USA Scholars.

Follow the group’s travels on this and every tour on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

The full tour calendar is always available at www.voces8.com/tour

VOCES8 debut in Vilnius

VOCES8 travelled to Vilnius, Lithuania, at the end of September for the first time as guests of the Bel Canto Choir to take part in the “Open to the World” series of concerts. The group gave a day of workshops followed by 2 concerts – the second concert added after the first sold out.

Videos of the group’s fabulous time there can be seen here.

See an interview with Barney with the local TV station here, to get a flavour of the collaboration.

This week VOCES8 is home in the UK working on education projects for the VCM Foundation.

VOCES8 give debut performances at Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival

The major German Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival hosts VOCES8 for the first time this week, where the group will give two performances, first in Eutin and then in Itzehoe. Included in the mixed-repertoire programme is The Sound of Silence, one of the group’s newer vocal arrangements.

The concert diary of the group can be seen at www.voces8.com/tour

New VOCES8 Songbook released

VOCES8 has released its second songbook anthology with partners Edition Peters. Featuring 8 songs for SATB choirs and vocal ensembles, this book contains some of the most often performed and most often requested titles by VOCES8.

The song arrangements are:
Atlantic Avenue arr. Dingle Yandell / Emily Dickens
Danny Boy, arr. Joshua Pacey
Edo Lullaby, arr. Paul Smith
My love is like a red, red rose arr. Jim Clements
Pie Jesu (from Fauré Requiem) arr. Barnaby Smith
Price Tag arr. Joshua Pacey
Strong arr. Dingle Yandell / Emily Dickens
Underneath the Stars arr. Jim Clements

The music is available via the VOCES8 website shop, or direct from the Edition Peters websites (London, Leipzig, New York), and of course at one of the group's concerts around the world.

See all of VOCES8's publications from Edition Peters here.

VOCES8 announces new baritone

Christopher Moore will take over from Robert Clark from September this year.

Christopher said “I’m absolutely delighted to be joining VOCES8 after three wonderful years singing with the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge. I’ve always admired the group’s incredible standards of music-making and commitment to engaging as wide an audience as possible; I feel honoured to be able to play a part in continuing this work. I can’t wait to start singing, learning, and meeting the group’s many fans around the world.”

Christopher’s first season with the ensemble 2018-2019 season will see him perform in the USA, Japan, China, Australia (the ensemble’s debut tour) as well as the UK and Ireland, and many other European countries. He will also be teaching back at Cambridge University as part of the M. Mus in choral studies.

www.voces8.com