Soprano Paula Sides and pianist Sergey Rybin launch their vibrant new recording of works by the French 20th Century composer Francis Poulenc. The centrepiece of the album is Poulenc’s short solo opera La voix humaine (“The human voice”), based on the play of the same name by his friend Jean Cocteau. The one-act piece involves a solo singer in a single room with a telephone. The anonymous individual has been abandoned by her lover and reveals that she has attempted to commit suicide. The drama consists of her last conversation with her lover – an intense and sometimes disturbing monologue. Accompanying La voix humaine on the album is Poulenc’s song cycle Fiançailles pour rire (“Betrothals for laughs”), his 1939 setting of six poems from the collection of the same name by Louise de Vilmorin.

Born in the Deep South, Paula Sides grew up in the vibrant sound world of Gospel and Jazz. As a teenager, she was fatefully told by a teacher that she had 'classical chords' and was introduced to, and fell in love with, the world of Classical Music: developing a passion for opera and the stage, as well as for French Song; Poulenc and Faure, with its familiar jazz harmonies. She went on to be awarded the Gold Medal at the Royal College of Music, where she also performed Fiançailles pour rire by Poulenc for the first time at Cadogan Hall. Her operatic repertoire includes Cunegonde/Candide, Tsaritsa of Shemakha/Golden Cockerel, Thais/Thaïs, Mimi & Musetta/La Boheme, Lucrezia/Lucrezia Borgia, Giulietta/Un giorno di regno, Elettra/Idomeneo, Donna Anna/Don Giovanni. Off stage, Paula, will be found in the greenhouse in all weathers enjoying growing things.

Since completing his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London under the tutelage of Malcolm Martineau, Sergey Rybin has worked extensively for City of Birmingham Opera, English Touring Opera, Garsington Opera, Opera Holland Park and Grange Park Opera. He has been elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, London and joined the coaching staff of the Jette Parker Artists' Programme at the Royal Opera House. After working as chief repetiteur on the ROH production of Eugene Onegin, he joined the music staff team for Lucia di Lammermoor, Nabucco, The Nose, Les Contes d'Hoffmann and Der Rosenkavalier. Maintaining various coaching commitments throughout the year, Sergey has returned to Glyndebourne for Nozze di Figaro and travelled to La Monnaie in Brussels for Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades. Most recently he worked as the assistant conductor for Evelino Pidó on La Boheme at the ROH, conducted a nationwide tour of Giulio Cesare for English Touring Opera and assisted Paul Daniel on The Queen of Spades at Grange Festival later in the season.

Tonight's concert will feature a full recital of the two works, and will be filmed for future broadcast as part of the VOCES8 Foundation's 'LIVE From London' online concert series.

Tickets via link below £15.00 each

Courtesy of the wonderful Friends of City Churches our home, the VOCES8 Centre, will be open to the public from 11:45 - 2:45 on Wednesday 6th March 2024

We look forward to your visit.

The VOCES8 Foundation and Wishful Singing uncover the hidden beauty of Gregorian music for a global audience.

In March 2024, Wishful Singing and The VOCES8 Foundation will launch the online course Gregorian Treasures. Together with the young, talented professional singers who are part of The VOCES8 Scholars programme, the vocalists will embark on a corresponding Gregorian Treasures tour in April and June 2024, featuring concerts in the Netherlands, England, and France. Through this collaboration, the two organisations are reaching a worldwide audience for this unique ancient repertoire.

Join us on February 8th at The VOCES8 Centre for a pre-release presentation of some of the music from Gregorian Treasures. Alongside the original chant, the programme will also feature modern compositions inspired by the Gregorian heritage, including works such as Maurice Duruflé's 'Ubi Caritas' and Ola Gjeilo's 'Ave Generosa.' The unique interplay between the clear voices of Wishful Singing and the deep tones of The VOCES8 Scholars promises a mystical experience for music enthusiasts.

TIcketss : £10 buy on link below

This is an unrivalled and exciting opportunity to perform an eclectic repertoire spanning more than 400 years – from renaissance polyphony to jazz and pop standards – to audiences around the world, and to be part of our close-knit family in the studio and on the road. For more information, please download the job pack and have a look at the job specification. We look forward to hearing from you!

We are seeking a tenor to join our ensemble from August 2024.

Deadline: 12pm GMT, 22nd March 2024

Directed by Founder and Artistic Director Dr. Darius Lim, perform at The VOCES8 Centre

Formally founded in 2014 as VOCO Singapore Ladies Choir by Artistic Director Darius Lim, the choir is the first independent all-female choral ensemble in Singapore. Consisting of semi-professional singers, musicians, educators and passionate amateurs, the choir joined VOS Choral Society at its inception in 2019 and was since renamed VOS Ladies Choir (VSL). Their primary goal is to empower women in Singapore, with a mission to present a diverse range of choral music to a worldwide audience.

In June 2016, the choir embarked on their inaugural international European tour and was awarded the 2nd Prize in the Chamber Choir category of the 2016 Cracovia Cantans International Choir Competition in Krakow, Poland. More recently, the choir received the Gold award at the 2021 World Choir Festival.

This fall, VSL is set to return to Europe, commencing their tour in London and concluding in Bratislava for the International Festival of Advent and Christmas Music, where they will compete in two categories. In London, their concert performance will feature a diverse repertoire, including compositions by Artistic Director Darius Lim alongside international classics such as Cesar Carrillo's 'Ave Maria,' and Jose Elberdin's 'Cantate Domino'.

Free tickets must be reserved - click link below

Courtesy of the wonderful Friends of City Churches our home, the VOCES8 Centre, will be open to the public from 11:45 - 2:45 on Wednesday 6th December 2023.

We look forward to your visit.

Harnessing the beautiful textures and timbres of low flutes, Daniela Mars's new album 'Reverence for the Moment' is a contemporary book of hours to reflect and connect through moments of pain, joy, grief and rebirth.

In tonight's concert, Daniela will perform some of the key tracks from the album, which will be released on the following Friday 17 November.

The performance will be filmed for future broadcast.

Daniela Mars, a Trevor James Flutes Artist, is a Brazilian flautist raised in Japan, South Korea, Brazil and England. She is an inspiring soloist, composer, educator, and social media persona, enjoying a rich artistic life driven by a love of nature and travel. From the deepest caves of Vietnam to the mountains and waterfalls of her homeland in Brazil, Daniela loves to make music with her flutes and be immersed and connected with the natural world.

Daniela has a particular interest in extended flute techniques and specialises in performances with the low flutes. As such, she is passionate about working with living composers to create and bring to life new repertoire for these beautiful instruments.

Pianist Ralf Schnell performs Morton Feldman's 1985 work 'For Bunita Marcus', previewing the release of his recording of the piece on the VOCES8 Records label on 24 November.

The concert will be filmed and recorded for future broadcast.

Ralf Schnell is a classical pianist and composer. He studied the piano, chamber music and contemporary music with Manfred Reichert (Ensemble Modern, Mannheim), Burkhard Schaeffer (Mainz) and Darryl Rosenberg (Boston).

Ralf Schnell’s favorite repertoire includes the works of Rachmaninov, Chopin and Brahms, and he is continuously searching to discover new modern or contemporary works. His recitals are always built around a theme that connects the entire program, rather than following the all-too-common recital scheme from Baroque to Classic to Romantic to Modern.

Besides performing his solo recital programs, Ralf focuses on his love for chamber music and especially the ‘Lied’ repertoire of Schubert, Brahms, and Strauss.

Ralf lives with his wife, the musicologist Dr. Dagmar Schnell, near Munich, Germany.

Courtesy of the wonderful Friends of City Churches our home, the VOCES8 Centre, will be open to the public from 11:45 - 2:45 on Wednesday 1st November.

We look forward to your visit.