“Close harmony singing doesn’t get much more flawless than this” - The Times (London)
The 2023 Grammy-nominated British vocal ensemble VOCES8 presents Lead Me Home, a program that journeys through the rich and varied landscape of American choral music, tracing a path through faith, folk tradition, poetry and popular song.
Rooted in the spiritual and pastoral traditions that have shaped America’s musical voice, the program moves from the timeless devotion of Virgil Thomson’s "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" and the spirituals "My Lord What a Morning" and "Steal Away" to the visionary sound-worlds of Caroline Shaw, Morten Lauridsen and Eric Whitacre
Alongside these sacred and contemplative works sit songs of beauty, longing and place: Samuel Barber’s shimmering "To Be Sung on the Water," the timeless folk melody "Shenandoah," and the wistful nostalgia of "Vincent". The program closes in sparkling style with affectionate musical portraits of two iconic cities in "April in Paris" and "I Get a Kick Out of New York".
Celebrating the warmth, openness and emotional directness of America’s musical language, Lead Me Home is a journey through music of landscape, memory and belonging.
William Byrd | Praise Our Lord, All Ye Gentiles
Virgil Thomson | My Shepherd Will Supply My Need
Caroline Shaw | and the swallow
Morten Lauridsen | O nata lux
Traditional, arr. Harry T. Burleigh | My Lord What a Morning
Traditional, arr. David Blackwell | Steal Away
William Billings | David’s Lamentation
Bobby McFerrin | The 23rd Psalm
Eric Whitacre | Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
INTERMISSION
Taylor Scott Davis | Effortlessly
Jonathan Dove | In Beauty May I Walk
The Beatles, arr. Jim Clements | Free as a Bird
Samuel Barber | To Be Sung on the Water
Traditional, arr. Thomas Hewitt Jones | Shenandoah
Don McLean, arr. Jim Clements | Vincent
Vernon Duke & Yip Harburg, arr. Jim Clements | April in Paris
Cole Porter, arr. Alexander L’Estrange | I Get a Kick Out of New York
*** Program is subject to change.
The 2023 Grammy-nominated British vocal ensemble VOCES8 is the world’s top-streaming classical vocal group and proud to inspire people through music and share the joy of singing. Touring globally, the group performs an extensive repertory both in its a cappella concerts and in collaborations with leading musicians, orchestras, conductors and soloists. Versatility and a celebration of diverse musical expression are central to the ensemble’s performance and education ethos which is shared both online and in person.
VOCES8 has performed at many notable venues since its inception in 2005 including Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Berlin Philharmonie, Cité de la Musique Paris, Vienna Konzerthaus, Tokyo Opera City, NCPA Beijing, Sydney Opera House, Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall, Victoria Concert Hall Singapore, and Palacio de Bellas Artes Mexico City amongst many others. This season they perform over 120 concerts in 20 countries.
They have collaborated in concert and in the recording studio with musicians including Paul Simon, Jacob Collier, Eric Whitacre, Christopher Tin, Olafur Arnalds, Cody Fry, Rachel Podger, Jack Liebeck, Bomsori Kim, Jonathan Dove, Chanticleer, The King’s Singers, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra and others.
VOCES8 is heard regularly on albums, international television and radio. The ensemble is a Decca Classics artist, also releasing on its own label, VOCES8 Records. The Decca Classics recording of Christopher Tin’s “The Lost Birds” featuring VOCES8 and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was nominated for a Grammy-Award in 2023. Their new album is “TWENTY”, a celebration of the group’s first two decades of performing. Recent releases are “Nightfall”; “A Choral Christmas”; “Home” conducted by Eric Whitacre, featuring his extraordinary work “The Sacred Veil”; and “Seven Psalms” by Paul Simon in which VOCES8 was thrilled to participate.
VOCES8 is proud to be working with Taylor Scott Davis as the group’s Composer-in-Residence and Jim Clements as Arranger-in-Residence. The ensemble has premiered commissions from Jonathan Dove, Roxanna Panufnik, Roderick Williams, Paul Smith, Jason Max Ferdinand, Jocelyn Hagen, Melissa Dunphy, Lucy Walker, Ken Burton, Taylor Scott Davis, Alec Roth, Ben Parry, Ola Gjeilo, Mårten Jansson, Philip Stopford, Owain Park and many others.
