Early Music Vancouver: VOCES8: Draw on Sweet Night

A place inhabited by the moon and stars, by solitude and dreams, the night has given us centuries of exquisite poetry and music. The repertoire for this nocturnal programme stretches from the Venetian Renaissance to the contemporary cross-genre American Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw, and includes arrangements of pop, jazz, and swing tunes.

“VOCES8’s gorgeous sound, impeccable ensemble and intense responsiveness to text, harmony and melodic shape is all of the highest quality. Hearing them sing is a joy.” — BBC Music Magazine

VOCES8 is represented by Scott Mello, Opus 3 Artists, LLC for exclusive North American booking in collaboration with Robin Tyson, Edition Peters Artist Management as General Manager.

PROGRAMME

GIOVANNI CROCE (1557-1609)
Buccinate in neomenia tuba

THOMAS TALLIS (1505–1585)
Te lucis ante terminum (Ferial)

MAX REGER (1873-1916)
Nachtlied

ARVO PÄRT (b. 1935)
Morning star

JOSQUIN DES PREZ (c. 1450-1521)
Ave Maria, Virgo Serena

JEAN MOUTON (c. 1459-1522)
Nesciens Mater

JOHN SHEPPARD (1515-1558)
Libera nos I + II

GUSTAV HOLST (1874-1934)
Nunc dimittis

Interval

ORLANDO GIBBONS (1583-1625)
O Clap Your Hands

CAROLINE SHAW (b. 1982)
and the swallow

THOMAS TALLIS
Tu lucis ante terminum (Festal)

KERENSA BRIGGS (b. 1991)
Media Vita

ARTHUR SULLIVAN (1842-1900)
The long day closes

JOHN WILBYE (1574-1638)
Draw on sweet night

IRVING BERLIN, arr. Jim Clements (1888–1989)
Cheek to Cheek

HERB MAGIDSON & ALLIE WRUBEL, arr. BLAKE MORGAN (1906-1986; 1905-1973)
The Masquerade Is Over

BART HOWARD, JIMMY VAN HEUSEN, & SAMMY CAHN, arr. Alexander L’Estrange
(1915–2004; 1913–1990; 1913–1993)
Come Fly with Me (to the Moon)

VOCES8
The 2023 Grammy-nominated British vocal ensemble VOCES8 is 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 and conductors. 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 is passionate about music education and is the flagship ensemble of the VOCES8 Foundation which actively promotes ‘Music Education For All’, reaching up to 40,000 people annually.

VOCES8 has performed at many notable venues since its inception in 2005 including Wigmore Hall, 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, Palacio de Bellas Artes Mexico City amongst many others. This season they perform over 100 concerts in the UK, across Europe, the USA, Australia and Asia.

The pandemic provided the impetus for 2 continuing initiatives: the VOCES8 Digital Academy, an online choral programme and the LIVE From London digital festival which has broadcast over 100 concerts with 250,000 tickets sold.

VOCES8 is a Decca Classics artist, also releasing on the VOCES8 Records label. The recording of Christopher Tin’s “The Lost Birds” was nominated for a Grammy-Award in 2023. The newest albums are “A Choral Christmas” in which VOCES8 joins its own Foundation Choir and Orchestra in a joyful selection of carol arrangements and featuring the premiere recording of Taylor Scott Davis’s “Magnificat”; “Home” conducted by Eric Whitacre, featuring his work “The Sacred Veil”; and “Seven Psalms” by Paul Simon.

VOCES8 is proud to be working with Ken Burton as Composer-in-Residence and Jim Clements as Arranger-in-Residence. The ensemble publishes arrangements, original compositions and educational material with the new VOCES8 Publishing house and with Edition Peters, including The VOCES8 Method written by Paul Smith.
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