VOCES8 - Twenty [Double CD]

Format: Double CD Album
Catalogue No.: VCM174
Barcode: 5060140212867
Release Date: 06 Jun 2025
Genre: Modern Classical

Grammy-nominated ensemble VOCES8 is pleased to announce the release of its new enchanting two-part album ‘TWENTY’, set for release on 6 June, 2025. 

As VOCES8 marks its twentieth anniversary, this album stands as a celebration of two remarkable decades of music-making, as well as their global impact. It reflects a recording legacy that has been lovingly built and shaped by the dedication, artistry, and passion of every individual who has been part of the group’s journey.

This album is designed to capture the ensemble's evolution with recordings that span an entire decade, from 2016 to their new line-up for 2026, offering listeners a unique glimpse into the variations of the group over that time.

Each performance is a testament to the development of VOCES8’s sound and musicianship, both of which continue to evolve. At the heart of this album is the hallmark of VOCES8’S performances: a diverse and eclectic repertoire. From the earliest days of the ensemble, the group’s joy has been in exploring the full breadth of vocal music, blending styles, genres, and traditions to create a tapestry that resonates with audiences around the world.

Track Listing:

Disc 1
1. Let My Love Be Heard (Jake Runesstad)
2. Nesciens Mater (Jean Mouton)
3. Ubi Caritas (Ola Gjeilo)
4. Ave Maria, Virgo Serena (Josquin des Prez)
5. O Clap Your Hands (Orlando Gibbons)
6. Give Me Your Stars (Lucy Walker)
7. Lux Aeterna (Sir Edward Elgar)
8. Agnus Dei (Samuel Barber)
9. Ave Maris Stella (Edvard Grieg)
10. The Blue Bird (Charles Villiers Stanford) 
11. Bogoroditse Devo (Sergei Rachmaninoff)

12. A Boy and a Girl (Eric Whitacre)
13. Timshel (Mumford & Sons [arr. Jim Clements])
14. Underneath the Stars (Kate Rusby [arr. Jim Clements])
15. Danny Boy (Traditional [arr. Joshua Pacey])
16. Vincent (Don McLean [arr. Jim Clements])
17. Caledonia (Dougie MacLean [arr. Blake Morgan])

Disc 2
1. Buccinate in Neomenia Tuba (Giovanni Croce)
2. Kyrie (Josef Rheinberger)
3. Miserere Mei, Deus (Gregorio Allegri)
4. Northern Lights (Ola Gjeilo)
5. Locus Iste (Anton Bruckner)
6. Ave Verum Corpus (William Byrd)
7. Nunc Dimittis (Gustav Holst)
8. O Salutaris Hostia (William Byrd)
9. Libera Nos I & II (John Sheppard)
10. O Magnum Mysterium (Morten Lauridsen)
11. Abendlied (Josef Rheinberger)
12. For Your Eyes Only / You Only Live Twice (Bill Conti, Leslie Bricusse & John Barry [arr. Jim Clements])
13. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (Manning Sherwin [arr. Jim Clements])
14. Come Fly with Me (to the Moon) (Bart Howard, Jimmy Van Heusen & Sammy Cahn [arr. Alexander L’Estrange])
15. Straighten Up & Fly Right (Nat ‘King’ Cole [arr. Jim Clements])

About VOCES8

Touring globally, the group performs an extensive repertory both in it’s 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, 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 around the world, their 20th Anniversary season, including a birthday celebration concert at the Barbican, London.

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 passionate about music education and is the flagship ensemble of music charity the VOCES8 Foundation which actively promotes ‘Music Education For All’. Engaging in a broad range of in-person outreach work that reaches up to 40,000 people a year, the Foundation runs an annual programme of workshops and masterclasses at the VOCES8 Centre at St Anne & St Agnes Church, London. Dedicated to supporting promising young singers, VOCES8 awards eight annual choral scholarships through the VOCES8 Scholars initiative. These scholarships are linked to the annual Milton Abbey Summer School at which amateur singers of all ages learn and perform with VOCES8. Through the separate VOCES8 USA Foundation there is another set of twelve talented Scholars.

VOCES8’s entrepreneurial and community spirit is fostered by Co-Founders Paul and Barnaby Smith. The Covid-19 pandemic gave the impetus for VOCES8 to transform its already exceptional offerings, nurturing a new online audience community providing a chance to engage with classical music in new ways. Pioneering initiatives include the LIVE From London online festival and the VOCES8 Digital Academy.
LIVE From London was created as a specific response to the pandemic. Winning praise for its collaborative approach with artists, press and audiences around the world the team has delivered ten digital festivals to date, broadcasting over 150 concerts and selling over 250,000 tickets around the world. 

Twenty at the Barbican
 
The ensemble will play over 100 concerts during a bumper 20th Anniversary season, which will showcase its commitment to diverse musical expression. This includes its original programme Twenty at London’s iconic Barbican Centre on 8 June 2025.

The evening concert, which sold out on Boxing Day 2024, marks VOCES8’s debut at the Barbican Centre. To celebrate two decades of music-making, the group will be joined on stage in the second half by the VOCES8 Scholars, former members of the ensemble and special guests, the BBC Singers and violinist Jack Liebeck, with Barnaby Smith, founder and Artistic Director of VOCES8 and the VOCES8 Foundation, conducting.

The programme includes works by their acclaimed former and current composers-in-residence Ola Gjeilo, Jonathan Dove, Roxanna Panufnik and Ken Burton, regular collaborator, composer Taylor Scott Davis, as well as arranger-in-residence Jim Clements. The full day festival will feature performances from the VOCES8 Foundation family and collaborators in different spaces around the Barbican estate.

Since VOCES8 began in 2005, bringing voices together in communities, schools and all imaginable social settings worldwide has been a central part of the mission of the group.  VOCES8 Foundation’s CEO and co-founder Paul Smith will lead the VOCES8 Big Sing event: an hour of uplifting, energising and fun music making as part of a global set of 20th anniversary events. With songs and music inspired by everything from the English renaissance to the circle songs of Bobby McFerrin and dashes of music from numerous different cultures, this event is open to all ages and all ability levels. More info on this here.