Year-long Voices Unwrapped series continues at Kings Place, celebrating the power of the voice and the joy of singing together
- Choral performances from The Sixteen, BBC Singers, VOCES8, London Bulgarian Choir, Anna Lapwood and the Pembroke College Choir, amongst others
- Voices Unwrapped Artist-in-Focus Julie Fowlis performs with renowned Irish singer Iarla Ó Lionáird
- Kings Place Resident Ensemble Aurora Orchestra are joined by soloists Nicholas Mulroy, Elizabeth Atherton and Peter Rose
- Premiere performances of new works by Naomi Pinnock, Alastair Putt, Shruthi Rajasekar and Angharad Davies
- Performances by folk groups The Rheingans Sisters, The Unthanks and Staran
Kings Place continues its year-long Voices Unwrapped series, celebrating the power and the joy of singing following a year when choirs fell silent. Featuring everything from solo voices to vocal ensembles and large choruses, the Kings Place halls have been filled with Renaissance masterworks, close harmony a cappella, folk song, jazz vocalisation, lied, throat singing, gospel, electronically-enhanced contemporary voices and Baroque passions throughout the year – and this continues until the end of the year with a varied programme of events with some of the finest choirs and voices in the country.
The London Bulgarian Choir present a spine-tingling selection of folk songs in traditional and contemporary arrangements [23 Sep] and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment perform Nelson Mass, one of Haydn’s greatest works, under the baton of John Butt [30 Sept]. The concert is prefaced by a free gallery performance from Pegasus Choir, one of the many local amateur choirs singing in Kings Place this year as part of its ‘Singing Together’ initiative [30 Sep]. VOCES8 celebrate the 150th anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams with violinist Jack Liebeck in a concert themed on birds and landscape, featuring new arrangements of The Lark Ascending and 3 Shakespeare Songs [9 Nov]. The Carice Singers and conductor George Parris also mark the Vaughan Williams anniversary with a performance of his iconic choral work, the Mass in G minor, alongside music by his pupils and friends including female composers such as Ina Boyle, Elizabeth Maconchy and Imogen Holst, all of whom he was known to support during his lifetime [12 Oct]. The Tallis Scholars bring their ‘Light of the Heavenly Spheres’ Renaissance programme spanning centuries of music from Allegri’s Miserere and Tallis’ O nata lux through to Nico Muhly’s Rough Notes, written for the Tallis Scholars in 2018 [17 Nov], and The Sixteen present music influenced by The Song of Songs including works by Victoria, Palestrina & Rafaella Alleotti [24 Nov]. The BBC Singers accompany South African cellist Abel Selaocoe in Sofia Gubaidulina’s magnificent Canticle of the Sun, followed by Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil [3 Dec].
Voices Unwrapped Artist-in-Focus Julie Fowlis, a Gaelic singer and musician raised in the Hebrides, joins renowned Irish singer from The Gloaming Iarla Ó Lionáird as part of his Kings Place debut [24 Sept] and Scottish singer Siobhan Miller makes her much-anticipated Hall One debut [29 Sept]. Kings Place resident ensemble Aurora Orchestra contribute to the series with a fascinating exploration of 20th century Latin American song and JS Bach with tenor Nicholas Mulroy [26 Oct], as well as a rare performance of Shostakovich’sSymphony No. 14 featuring soprano Elizabeth Atherton and bass Peter Rose [11 Dec].
New writing for voices can be found in Riot Ensemble’s From Dusk till Dawn, featuring a UK premiere from Naomi Pinnock and a posthumous world premiere from Alastair Putt [14 Oct], and soprano Juliet Fraser performs the world premiere of a new work by Angharad Davies with Explore Ensemble [2 Nov]. Gesualdo Six explore Josquin’s legacy alongside the world premiere of Shruthi Rajasekar’s Da pacem Domine [20 Oct]. EXAUDI, the world-leading contemporary vocal ensemble, celebrate their 20th anniversary with a concert weaving in new arrangements of Hildegard von Bingen with works by Arvo Pärt, Catherine Lamb, Gloria Coates, Alvin Lucier, John Cage and Brendan Champeaux [4 Dec].
Voices of another kind are heard in Finding My Voicefrom NWLive Arts when instrumentalists Laura van der Heijden, Alice Zawadzki, Kuljit Bhamra and Sidiki Dembele join former victims of torture currently on the Write to Life programme, responding musically to their lived experience in a unique creative dialogue [30 Sep].
Folk artists performing in the Voices Unwrapped series include The Rheingans Sisters [8 Oct], The Unthanks – a Mercury Music Prize nominated English folk group – who will make their Kings Place debut to mark the release of their new album Sorrows Away [15 Oct] – and Staran, a Scottish folk group who will perform a specially curated programme of new and old Gaelic songs. Staran have been chosen by Artist-in-Focus Julie Fowlis as part of her curations for Voices Unwrapped, and the group will be joined by acclaimed vocalist Kim Carnie [28 Oct]. Legendary singer songwriter Thea Gilmore makes her Kings Place debut to perform her 18th album Afterlight, described by writer Neil Gaiman as an ‘emotional rollercoaster in a musical wrapper’ [23 Nov].
Voices Unwrapped comes to a close in December with some suitably festive concerts, including the Pembroke College Chapel Choir, Cambridge, and their conductor Anna Lapwood’s debut at Kings Place, performing Britten’s iconic Ceremony of Carols [9 Dec]. The Hanover Band and Choir return for their ever-fresh rendition of Handel’s Messiah [19 Dec], and Echo Vocal Ensemble follow the winter solstice as it unfolds across the Northern hemisphere with a selection of midwinter songs from across five continents [15 Dec].
Gareth Malone joins a panel of leading singing coaches for a special Choir Leaders Workshop, part of Voices Unwrapped, aimed at supporting choir leaders of community choirs to take their work to the next level [2 Oct].
Year-long Voices Unwrapped series continues at Kings Place, celebrating the power of the voice and the joy of singing together
- Choral performances from The Sixteen, BBC Singers, VOCES8, London Bulgarian Choir, Anna Lapwood and the Pembroke College Choir, amongst others
- Voices Unwrapped Artist-in-Focus Julie Fowlis performs with renowned Irish singer Iarla Ó Lionáird
- Kings Place Resident Ensemble Aurora Orchestra are joined by soloists Nicholas Mulroy, Elizabeth Atherton and Peter Rose
- Premiere performances of new works by Naomi Pinnock, Alastair Putt, Shruthi Rajasekar and Angharad Davies
- Performances by folk groups The Rheingans Sisters, The Unthanks and Staran
Kings Place continues its year-long Voices Unwrapped series, celebrating the power and the joy of singing following a year when choirs fell silent. Featuring everything from solo voices to vocal ensembles and large choruses, the Kings Place halls have been filled with Renaissance masterworks, close harmony a cappella, folk song, jazz vocalisation, lied, throat singing, gospel, electronically-enhanced contemporary voices and Baroque passions throughout the year – and this continues until the end of the year with a varied programme of events with some of the finest choirs and voices in the country.
The London Bulgarian Choir present a spine-tingling selection of folk songs in traditional and contemporary arrangements [23 Sep] and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment perform Nelson Mass, one of Haydn’s greatest works, under the baton of John Butt [30 Sept]. The concert is prefaced by a free gallery performance from Pegasus Choir, one of the many local amateur choirs singing in Kings Place this year as part of its ‘Singing Together’ initiative [30 Sep]. VOCES8 celebrate the 150th anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams with violinist Jack Liebeck in a concert themed on birds and landscape, featuring new arrangements of The Lark Ascending and 3 Shakespeare Songs [9 Nov]. The Carice Singers and conductor George Parris also mark the Vaughan Williams anniversary with a performance of his iconic choral work, the Mass in G minor, alongside music by his pupils and friends including female composers such as Ina Boyle, Elizabeth Maconchy and Imogen Holst, all of whom he was known to support during his lifetime [12 Oct]. The Tallis Scholars bring their ‘Light of the Heavenly Spheres’ Renaissance programme spanning centuries of music from Allegri’s Miserere and Tallis’ O nata lux through to Nico Muhly’s Rough Notes, written for the Tallis Scholars in 2018 [17 Nov], and The Sixteen present music influenced by The Song of Songs including works by Victoria, Palestrina & Rafaella Alleotti [24 Nov]. The BBC Singers accompany South African cellist Abel Selaocoe in Sofia Gubaidulina’s magnificent Canticle of the Sun, followed by Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil [3 Dec].
Voices Unwrapped Artist-in-Focus Julie Fowlis, a Gaelic singer and musician raised in the Hebrides, joins renowned Irish singer from The Gloaming Iarla Ó Lionáird as part of his Kings Place debut [24 Sept] and Scottish singer Siobhan Miller makes her much-anticipated Hall One debut [29 Sept]. Kings Place resident ensemble Aurora Orchestra contribute to the series with a fascinating exploration of 20th century Latin American song and JS Bach with tenor Nicholas Mulroy [26 Oct], as well as a rare performance of Shostakovich’sSymphony No. 14 featuring soprano Elizabeth Atherton and bass Peter Rose [11 Dec].
New writing for voices can be found in Riot Ensemble’s From Dusk till Dawn, featuring a UK premiere from Naomi Pinnock and a posthumous world premiere from Alastair Putt [14 Oct], and soprano Juliet Fraser performs the world premiere of a new work by Angharad Davies with Explore Ensemble [2 Nov]. Gesualdo Six explore Josquin’s legacy alongside the world premiere of Shruthi Rajasekar’s Da pacem Domine [20 Oct]. EXAUDI, the world-leading contemporary vocal ensemble, celebrate their 20th anniversary with a concert weaving in new arrangements of Hildegard von Bingen with works by Arvo Pärt, Catherine Lamb, Gloria Coates, Alvin Lucier, John Cage and Brendan Champeaux [4 Dec].
Voices of another kind are heard in Finding My Voicefrom NWLive Arts when instrumentalists Laura van der Heijden, Alice Zawadzki, Kuljit Bhamra and Sidiki Dembele join former victims of torture currently on the Write to Life programme, responding musically to their lived experience in a unique creative dialogue [30 Sep].
Folk artists performing in the Voices Unwrapped series include The Rheingans Sisters [8 Oct], The Unthanks – a Mercury Music Prize nominated English folk group – who will make their Kings Place debut to mark the release of their new album Sorrows Away [15 Oct] – and Staran, a Scottish folk group who will perform a specially curated programme of new and old Gaelic songs. Staran have been chosen by Artist-in-Focus Julie Fowlis as part of her curations for Voices Unwrapped, and the group will be joined by acclaimed vocalist Kim Carnie [28 Oct]. Legendary singer songwriter Thea Gilmore makes her Kings Place debut to perform her 18th album Afterlight, described by writer Neil Gaiman as an ‘emotional rollercoaster in a musical wrapper’ [23 Nov].
Voices Unwrapped comes to a close in December with some suitably festive concerts, including the Pembroke College Chapel Choir, Cambridge, and their conductor Anna Lapwood’s debut at Kings Place, performing Britten’s iconic Ceremony of Carols [9 Dec]. The Hanover Band and Choir return for their ever-fresh rendition of Handel’s Messiah [19 Dec], and Echo Vocal Ensemble follow the winter solstice as it unfolds across the Northern hemisphere with a selection of midwinter songs from across five continents [15 Dec].
Gareth Malone joins a panel of leading singing coaches for a special Choir Leaders Workshop, part of Voices Unwrapped, aimed at supporting choir leaders of community choirs to take their work to the next level [2 Oct].