St Petersburg, Concert Hall

The vocal ensemble VOCES8 a cappella

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A Christmas of All Ages

The programme includes:
William Byrd
Sing Joyfully

Hieronymus Praetorius
Magnificat quinti toni

Giovanni Gabrieli
Jubilate Deo

Sergei Rachmaninoff
Virgin Mother of God, Rejoice!

Alexander Levine
Songs Sancti Augustini (world premiere)

Steal Away to Jesus, traditional spiritual (arranged by Otis Blackwell)

Nat King Cole
Straighten Up and Fly Right (arranged by Jim Clements)

Otis Blackwell
Fever (arranged by Jim Clements)

Yazoo
Only You (arranged by Deke Sharon, adapted by VOCES8)

Thomas Morley
Fire! Fire My Heart!

Pierre Passereau
Il est bel et bon

Duke Ellington
It Don’t Mean a Thing (arranged by Ben Parry)

Freddie Mercury
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (arranged by Jim Clements)

Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager
Nobody Does it Better (arranged by Jim Clements)

George Gershwin
Slap that Bass (arranged by Jim Clements)


Voices 8

“Versatile is certainly the word for VOCES8. The award-winning a cappella octet has a repertoire that stretches from early English choral pieces to jazz standards and recent pop tunes. But above all, it is the youthful group’s on-stage presence, character and connection with the audience that have made it so successful.”
The Telegraph

“The slickest of the lot (...) fans of a cappella ought to hear this, not just for the singing but the production values and Jim Clements’ audacious arrangements.”
Andrew McGregor CD Review, BBC Radio 3

“A perfect blend of calm contentment and soaring spirit.”
The Independent

VOCES8 is one of the most exciting and versatile vocal groups in the world. The multi award-winning ensemble undertakes an annual international touring schedule throughout Europe, the USA, Asia and Africa. Performance venues include Wigmore Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, Tokyo Opera City, Tel Aviv Opera House, the National Concert Hall in Taipei, the Cité de la musique in Paris, the Opéra de Dijon, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and the Shanghai Concert Hall. Highlights of the 2013-2014 season include an extensive European concert schedule in addition to tours to the USA, Indonesia, South Korea, Dubai and Moscow as well as the Folle Journée festival in Nantes and Tokyo.
Specialising in classical choral music, the group performs repertoire ranging from Renaissance polyphony to unique jazz and pop arrangements. The ensemble regularly commissions music and collaborates with world-renowned contemporary composers including Ola Gjeilo, Roxanna Panufnik, Thomas Hewitt Jones, Alexander Levine and Ben Parry. VOCES8 is delighted to be in partnership with the acclaimed Jim Clements as Arranger in Residence.
With an ongoing programme of recordings and live broadcasts, VOCES8 can be heard regularly on international television and radio, including the broadcasters Deutschlandradio Kultur, ARTE TV, Radio France Musique, BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. VOCES8 has recorded a series of award-winning discs for Signum Classics that includes Choral Tapestry, Bach Motets, Aces High and Christmas. The group has major recording plans for future disc releases, to be announced in the coming season. VOCES8 is also an ambassador for Edition Peters with which it publishes arrangements and educational materials, to date including the VOCES8 Songbook and the VOCES8 Method.
Outreach and education are at the core of VOCES8’s work, and the group is delighted to be the flagship performance and education ensemble of the charitable music foundation Voces Cantabiles Music (VCM). The ensemble leads an innovative series of music education workshops reaching some twenty thousand people annually around the world with the aim of inspiring creativity and excellence through music. The innovative education work of VCM has been praised by UNESCO. In 2013 VCM established the Gresham Centre in partnership with the Diocese of London, a centre for vocal excellence at Sir Christopher Wren’s beautiful St Anne and St Agnes Church in the City of London. VOCES8 is also the resident ensemble at Bedford School, Ardingly College, the Grey Coat Hospital and Milton Abbey.
Artistic collaborations with orchestras have included the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and such period ensemble as Les Inventions. VOCES8 has received support from the Arts Council England, the Musicians Benevolent Fund and the Worshipful Company of Musicians. The group is particularly grateful for the support of its official sponsor, T. M. Lewin.

Age category 6+

George Gershwin
Slap that Bass (arranged by Jim Clements)
Performed byVOCES8
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