a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
octet
Octet may refer to:
Music
* Octet (music), ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices, or composition written for such an ensemble
** String octet, a piece of music written for eight string instruments
*** Octet (Mendelssohn), 1825 compos ...
from England. They have appeared internationally and made recordings of classical music, jazz, pop, and their own arrangements. Recent recordings are for Decca Classics and under their own label, Voces8 Records. Educational efforts are run by the Voces8 Foundation.
History
VOCES8 is a British vocal ensemble originally founded in 2003, and regrouped in 2005, by brothers Paul and Barnaby Smith, both former choristers of
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
. For most of its history, the ensemble has contained two
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
s, two
countertenor
A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a s ...
s, two
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
s, a
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
and a bass. By 2018, one of the countertenors had been replaced by a female
alto
The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...
.
The ensemble has a diverse repertoire including early English and European
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is traditionally understood to cover European music of the 15th and 16th centuries, later than the Renaissance era as it is understood in other disciplines. Rather than starting from the early 14th-century '' ars nova'', the Tr ...
, traditional folk song, classic jazz, pop and their own arrangements. They have appeared internationally, touring especially in Europe, Asia and North America.
VOCES8 has commissioned new works from composers including
Ēriks Ešenvalds
Ēriks Ešenvalds (born January 26, 1977) is a Latvian composer. From 2011 to 2013 he was Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, University of Cambridge.
Biography
Ēriks Ešenvalds was born in Priekule, Latvia in 1977. He studie ...
,
Ola Gjeilo
Ola Gjeilo ( , ; born May 5, 1978) is a Norwegian composer and pianist, living in the United States.Jonathan Dove
Jonathan Dove (born 18 July 1959) is an English composer of opera, choral works, plays, films, and orchestral and chamber music. He has arranged a number of operas for English Touring Opera and the City of Birmingham Touring Opera (now Birmin ...
,
Jocelyn Hagen
Jocelyn Hagen is an American composer. She composes primarily for voice: solo, chamber and choral, but also has composed for chamber, wind, and orchestral ensembles. She has explored large-scale multimedia works, electro-acoustic music, dance, an ...
Roderick Williams
Roderick Gregory Coleman Williams OBE (born 1965) is a British baritone and composer.
Biography
Williams was born in North London to a Welsh father and a Jamaican mother. He attended Christ Church Cathedral School in Oxford and Haberdashers' ...
,
Alexander Levine
Alexander Levine (Russian: Александр Левин; born 17 November 1955), is a Russian-born British composer. He writes choral, chamber and orchestral music, publishing through Edition Peters.
Background
Alexander Levine was born in ...
,
Roxanna Panufnik
Roxanna Panufnik (born 24 April 1968) is a British composer of Polish heritage. She is the daughter of the composer and conductor Sir Andrzej Panufnik and his second wife Camilla, née Jessel.
Panufnik was born in London. She attended Bedales ...
Ben Parry
Ben Parry is a retired American soccer Defender (association football), defender who played professionally in the USISL.
Youth
In 1993, Parry graduated from North Stanly High School where he was an All State soccer player. He attended UNC Cha ...
. Jim Clements is their arranger-in-residence .
The octet won the Limelight International Artist of the Year: People's Choice award at the 2021
Limelight Awards
The Limelight Awards were an annual celebration of the performances, recordings and music personalities in Australian classical music. Sponsored by the monthly classical arts magazine '' Limelight'', they were the only publicly voted awards of thei ...
.
Their 2022 tour program was called Stardust, after a composition commissioned from Taylor Scott Davis.
* Rachel MajorFirst soprano (2005–2008)
* Catherine BackhouseSecond soprano (2005–2009)
* Emily DickensSecond soprano (2009–2017)
* Eleonore CockerhamSecond soprano (2017–2021)
* Daniel Keating-RobertsFirst countertenor (2005–2007)
* Chris WardleFirst countertenor (2007–2018)
* Charles MacDougallFirst tenor (2005–2012)
* Oliver VincentFirst tenor (2012–2016)
* Thomas ElwinSecond tenor (2005–2006)
* Robin BaileySecond tenor (2006–2009)
* Robert Mingay SmithSecond tenor (2009–2013)
* Sam DresselSecond tenor (2013–2019)
* Paul SmithBaritone & Founder (2005–2016)
* Rob ClarkBaritone (2016–2018)
* Simon WhiteleyBass (2005)
* Greg HallamBass (2006)
* Dingle YandellBass (2006–2015)
Timeline
Lineup
VOCES8 Foundation
The VOCES8 Foundation (formerly VCM Foundation) is a UK-registered charity, set up by VOCES8 founder members Paul and Barnaby Smith in 2006 to develop the ensemble's music education and outreach programmes. Awarded a
Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM (styled as CLASSIC M) is one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations and is owned and operated by Global. The station broadcasts classical music and was launched in 1992.
Classic FM was the first national c ...
''Public Choice Award'' at the 2020 Music & Drama Education Awards, the charity works across choral and small vocal ensemble performance and education and is based at the VOCES8 Centre at
St Anne and St Agnes
St Anne and St Agnes is a church located at Gresham Street in the City of London, near the Barbican. While St Anne's is an Anglican foundation, from 1966 to 2013 it was let to a congregation of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain.
History
The ...
Church in the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
.
Performance
Foundation artists perform around 200 concerts each year, including through online/livestreaming.
Education
Foundation artists reach up to 40,000 people a year in regular workshops and masterclasses with Music Hubs, schools and community groups.
In 2015 the ensemble launched the VOCES8 Scholars Programme which provides training in performing, recording and workshop leading for 20 young singers with an interest in choral singing in the UK and USA.
In 2020 during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
they launched the VOCES8 Digital Academy featuring tutorials, exercises, learning and performing tracks and videos.
Discography
The group has recorded with
Decca Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label
* Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
. They have also recorded with Signum, and their own Voces8 Records label. As part of their 15th anniversary celebrations in 2020, the group released their project ''After Silence'', composed of four digital EPs.
* ''A Capella Collection'' (2012, Signum) – with other groups, marking 15 years of Signum Records
* ''Choral Collection'' (2012, Signum) – same
* ''Early Music Collection'' (2012, Signum) – same
* ''A Purcell Collection'' (2014, Signum) – by Voces8 and Les Inventions
* ''Psalms'' (2015, Signum) – works by
Benedetto Marcello
Benedetto Giacomo Marcello (; 31 July or 1 August 1686 – 24 July 1739) was an Italian composer, writer, advocate, magistrate, and teacher.
Life
Born in Venice, Benedetto Marcello was a member of a noble family and in his compositions he is f ...
, Voces8 and Les Inventions
* ''Ola Gjeilo'' (2018, Decca) – works by
Ola Gjeilo
Ola Gjeilo ( , ; born May 5, 1978) is a Norwegian composer and pianist, living in the United States.
* ''Home Is'' (2018) – by
Jacob Collier
Jacob Collier (; né Moriarty; born 2 August 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His music incorporates a combination of jazz with elements from many other musical genres, and often features extensive use of reha ...
and Voces8
* ''Requiem Novum'' (2022) - by Martin Jansson, Voces 8, Apollo5, and the
Philharmonia Orchestra
The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, W ...
Christopher Tin
Christopher Chiyan Tin (born May 21, 1976) is an American composer of art music, often composed for film and video game soundtracks. His work is primarily orchestral and choral, often with a world music influence. He has won two Grammy Awar ...
, Voces8 and the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works.
The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...