VOCES8 Scholars Ensemble and Wishful Singing sing Gregorian Treasures in London
Experience the meditative beauty of gregorian chant!
Discover the timeless beauty of Gregorian music with a repertoire spanning nearly a thousand years: from the ancient works of Hildegard von Bingen, Perotinus, and Taverner to contemporary star composer Ola Gjeilo, who draws inspiration from Gregorian chant.
The unique interplay between the clear voices of Wishful Singing and the deep tones of the VOCES8 Scholars Ensemble promises a mystical experience for music enthusiasts.
Wishful Singing is a leading all-female vocal ensemble from the Netherlands, with a strong reputation for performing a broad repertoire ranging from early music, folk, close harmony, and contemporary music.
The VOCES8 Scholars Ensemble programme is an initiative established by the ensemble VOCES8 in 2015. It serves as a training opportunity for talented young singers in the UK and the US who have a specific interest in choral and small ensemble singing.
Gregorian chant
The program is a journey through the rich history of Gregorian chant, featuring both well-known classics and forgotten masterpieces, performed according to original medieval manuscripts. In addition, Wishful Singing and the VOCES8 Scholars Ensemble will perform contemporary compositions inspired by the Gregorian heritage, including works such as Ubi Caritas by Maurice Duruflé and Ave Generosa by Ola Gjeilo. Highlights of the program include Viderunt omnes by the 12th-century composer Perotinus and Dum transisset Sabbatum by John Taverner, where polyphonic singing and Gregorian psalmody come together.
The unique interplay between the clear voices of Wishful Singing and the deep tones of the VOCES8 Scholars Ensemble promises a mystical experience for music enthusiasts.
Wishful Singing is a leading all-female vocal ensemble from the Netherlands, with a strong reputation for performing a broad repertoire ranging from early music, folk, close harmony, and contemporary music. The ensemble regularly performs at Dutch concert halls like the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, but they’ve also performed in Japan, the United States and many European countries. The group, consisting of five female vocalists, has generated a new buzz around Gregorian chant in the Netherlands. Since 2016, Wishful Singing’s performances of Gregorian repertoire have attracted over 15,000 attendees, while their online courses engaged more than 6,500 participants.
“The five singers of Wishful Singing sing so beautifully that heaven and earth seem to exchange places” – Stijn Fens, Trouw
The VOCES8 Scholars Ensemble programme is an initiative established by the ensemble VOCES8 in 2015. It serves as a training opportunity for talented young singers in the UK and the US who have a specific interest in choral and small ensemble singing. The aim of the Scholars Programme is to develop versatile, accomplished young artists, equipped with the skills they need to succeed at the beginning of their professional careers.
Upcoming Events
Dame Sarah Connolly & Damon Nestor Ploumis – Charity Concert – 7pm
A sublime evening of music, bringing together two international star soloists, mezzo soprano Dame Sarah Connolly and New York-born bass-baritone Damon Nestor, as well as the excellent Choir of Holy Trinity Church. The evening will include beautiful arias by Bach and Handel, sung by Dame Sarah, Mozart’s joyful Missa Brevis in D, accompanied by strings, and popular operatic arias from Don Giovanni, Cavalleria Rusticate, and L’Elisir D’Amore
The concert is in aid of the Royal Marsden Charity and the Brain Tumour Charity.
The London Chorus and Petroc Trelawny for a VE Day 80th Anniversary concert – 7:30pm
On the 8th May The London Chorus is joining people up and down the country to mark the historic 80th anniversary of VE Day and celebrate 80 years of peace since the end of the Second World War in Europe with a performance of Arthur Bliss’ Morning Heroes. The work is a choral symphony in five sections and scored for narrator, chorus and large orchestra. The poems Bliss chose are wide ranging – Homer, Whitman, Owen, Li Tai Po and Roger Nichols. Morning Heroes was composed for the Norwich Festival in 1930. The score is powerful and dramatic. Performances are rare and here is a chance to experience a masterpiece.
The London Chorus and New London Orchestra, under the baton of Adrian Brown, are thrilled to have as our orator Petroc Trelawny. A giant in the world of radio and television broadcasting, Petroc is one of the best-known voices across the BBC’s classical music programming having presented the BBC Proms on radio and television for 25 years.