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VOCES8

A CHORAL CHRISTMAS

Decca Classics
Release Date: November 3, 2023

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Handel: Joy to the World (Arr. Taylor Scott Davis))
Kirkpatrick: Away in a Manger (Arr. Taylor Scott Davis)
The Sleeping Child (Bob Chilcott)
'In Dulci Jubilo' arr. Robert Pearsall
Voces8 - The Interview
Singing Brussels - VOCES8 at BOZAR 2018
Worthy is the Lamb and Amen Chorus from 'Messiah' by G.F. Handel
1 Joy to the World  
2 Away in a Manger  
3 Chilcott: The Sleeping Child  
4 O Come, All Ye Faithful  
5 Davis: Magnificat: I. Magnificat anima mea  
6 II. Shall I Rejoice  
7 III. Et misericordia  
8 IV. Deposuit  
9 V. Gloria Patri  
10 O Come, O Come Emmanuel  
11 Silent Night  
12 In Dulci Jubilo  
13 Gabriel's Message `  
14 Hewitt Jones: A Christmas Cracker  
15 Anderson: Sleigh Ride  
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Joined by the VOCES8 Foundation Choir and Orchestra conducted by Barnaby Smith, internationally acclaimed, Grammy-nominated ensemble VOCES8 is pleased to announce the release of its new album 'A Choral Christmas' on Decca Classics on 3 November. Capturing the essence of Christmas, the album is packed full of choral/orchestral world premieres and fresh arrangements of favourite carols, breathing new life into Holiday classics, and lending a luxurious, and contemporary cinematic sparkle to this year’s festive season. 

The tracklist features eight world premiere recordings: the album’s substantial five-movement centrepiece, ‘Magnificat’, by rising American composer Taylor Scott Davis, which will be premiered at Carnegie Hall, New York in May 2024; an intimate and serene new a cappella carol, ‘The Sleeping Child’, written especially for VOCES8 by British composer Bob Chilcott; six sparkling new carol arrangements for choir and orchestra including ‘Joy to the World’, ‘Silent Night’, ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ – five penned by Taylor Scott Davis and ‘Gabriel’s Message’ by Jim Clements.

The album ends with two fun-filled instrumental encores including Leroy Anderson’s Holiday favourite ‘Sleigh Ride’ and Thomas Hewitt-Jones’ medley ‘A Christmas Cracker’. The album features a solo from violinist Thomas Gould and solos from renowned British/German violinist Jack Liebeck who also guest leads the VOCES8 Foundation Orchestra.
Conducted by Co-founder, Artistic Director and Countertenor of VOCES8, Barnaby Smith, these ravishing performances were recorded in 2021, originally for the widely acclaimed LIVE from London festival, an online series described as "One of the brightest deeds of the lockdown” by the Financial Times. Barnaby explains: “This music filled my life with the joy I needed in 2021, and I sincerely hope it brings you fun and festive cheer. I’m thrilled it has found a life beyond its original conception and proud to set it free into the world, where I hope it will reach as many households as Santa himself.”

  • 'A Choral Christmas' by VOCES8 / WQXR: Have You Heard
    Posted At: December 18, 2023 12:00 AM
    Joined by the VOCES8 Foundation Choir and Orchestra conducted by Barnaby Smith, internationally acclaimed, Grammy-nominated ensemble VOCES8 has released its new album 'A Choral Christmas' on Decca Classics. Capturing the essence of Christmas, the album is packed full of choral/orchestral world premieres and fresh arrangements of favourite carols, breathing new life into Holiday classics, and lending a luxur...
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  • VOCES8 Foundation Choir and Orchestra with joyous Christmas music by Bach / theartsdesk
    Posted At: December 5, 2023 12:00 AM
    Seasonal greatest hits selection with a spotlight on spectacular trumpetingtheartsdesk - Bernard Hughes writes….There’s a game called Whamageddon, where people see how deep into December they can go without hearing “Last Christmas”. I’m like that, but with the Bach Christmas Oratorio, and this year I made it four days. And who would want to wait any longer? Last night I was at the Voces8 Centre in London as...
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  • VOCES8 sets the bar high again with 'A Choral Christmas' / Classical Explorer
    Posted At: December 1, 2023 12:00 AM
    Classical Explorer - Colin Clarke writes…We have met VOCES8 before - one of the first choirs around the UK, headed by Barnaby and Paul Smith in 2005. Barnaby it is who conducts this new album when expanded (orchestral) forces are involved (provided by VOCES8 Foundation Choir and Orchestra). Regular readers of Classical Explorer might remember a post on their release, After Silence.With the added musicians a...
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  • Paul Simon on VOCES8 and on making the dream-inspired new album: Seven Psalms / GRAMOPHONE
    Posted At: May 10, 2023 12:00 AM
    ‘The analysis is unimportant – if the song is beautiful then it lasts’  Paul Simon GRAMOPHONE's Martin Cullingford Interviewed Paul Simon…..My father was a trained musician, a bassist, and he listened to classical music. His favourite piece was Mahler’s Fifth, and periodically he would play it for me, and what I remember was the power of the full orchestra – it’s almost bombastic, the way the bras...
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  • VOCES8 countertenor Barnaby Smith and artistic director/soprano Andrea Haines meet with qobuz for some Q&A
    Posted At: April 28, 2023 12:00 AM
    Two branches of choral royalty entwine with majestic harmony on the latest Decca release from Grammy-winning composer Eric Whitacre and the acclaimed vocal ensemble VOCES8. The album includes a world premiere, All Seems Beautiful To Me, and a new recording of Whitacre’s deeply moving 2019 cantata The Sacred Veil.The five-minute work All Seems Beautiful To Me, released on Friday 10th February, is based on a ...
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  • Watch/Listen to VOCES8 perform 'Sanctus' and 'Osanna' from Bach's Mass in B minor on GRAMOPHONE's Video of the Day
    Posted At: April 4, 2023 12:00 AM
    The British vocal ensemble VOCES8 is proud to inspire people through music and share the joy of singing. Touring globally, the group performs an extensive repertoire both in its a cappella concerts and in collaborations with leading orchestras, conductors and soloists. Versatility and a celebration of diverse musical expression are central to the ensemble’s performance and education ethos.VOCES8 has perform...
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  • VOCES8 dazzles Vassar College with 'Underneath the Stars' / The Misellany News
    Posted At: October 26, 2022 12:00 AM
    The Misellany News - MADI DONAT writes….On Oct. 9 at 8 p.m., over 300 guests—students, faculty and community members alike—had the immense privilege of experiencing a performance by what is no doubt one of the finest chamber vocal ensembles of the 21st century, and dare I say one of the best vocal groups of all time. VOCES8, a British ensemble consisting of eight members, performed the first concert of its ...
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  • VOCES8 on performance beyond the pandemic / Classical-Music.uk
    Posted At: October 17, 2022 12:00 AM
    Classical-Music.uk explores how the indefinable vocal ensemble have carved their own niche in an online environment flooded with contentDale Wills writes…..VOCES8 is a group which defies classification. A foundation, education hub, record label, production house, promotor, accelerator and more; it might be easier to define VOCES8 by what they don’t do. The centrepiece of this model of a twenty-first century...
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  • VOCES8 close to perfection In Toronto debut / ludwig van
    Posted At: October 12, 2022 12:00 AM
    The British vocal ensemble VOCES8 is proud to inspire people through music and share the joy of singing. Touring globally, the group performs an extensive repertoire both in its a cappella concerts and in collaborations with leading orchestras, conductors and soloists. Versatility and a celebration of diverse musical expression are central to the ensemble’s performance and education ethos.VOCES8 has perform...
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  • VOCES8 makes Toronto debut with Lux Aeterna / Toronto Star
    Posted At: September 29, 2022 12:00 AM
    VOCES8 began informally in 2003 as a group of young choristers who loved singing together.Toronto Star's Michael Crabb ….For lovers of choral music it’s been a long wait but finally Britain’s much-recorded, multi award-winning and globe-trotting VOCES8 is set to make its Toronto debut, thanks to the determination of Canada’s Daniel Taylor, widely regarded as one of the finest counter-tenors at work today an...
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  • VOCES8 - Infinity makes capradio's 'The classical music we loved in 2021'
    Posted At: January 21, 2022 12:00 AM
    As you wrap up your year, here are some of CapRadio Music's classical music hosts' favorite pieces from 2021. Victor Forman, Jennifer Reason and Mike Nelson write…..Classical music can be both timeless and intimately connected to the times we are living through today. As new music is written and old favorites reinterpreted, the music can connect the past to the present and the future. Included on capradio's...
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  • VOCES8's Barnaby Smith and Katie Jeffries-Harris chat with FM91: Classical Conversations
    Posted At: September 27, 2021 12:00 AM

    Following a string of globally successful virtual festivals, revered vocal group VOCES8 brand new album Infinity, released on 27th August on Decca Classics is a collection of meditative and otherworldly choral recordings transcends genres and features six brand-new compositions interspersed with eight newly arranged covers from renowned composers.  In this space-inspired concept album, VOCES8 le...
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  • VOCES8 release new album; 'Infinity.' Barnaby Smith and Katie Jeffries-Harris chat with Winnipeg's CLASSIC 107
    Posted At: August 27, 2021 12:00 AM

    VOCES8 is sure to wow fans again with their latest album. (Facebook) Winnipeg's CLASSIC 107 - Chris Wolf writes.....The English eight-part acapella choir VOCES8 has been amazing audiences around the world with the sheer beauty that the ensemble creates. Picture a choir that has flawless intonation, perfect vocal balance, and where each one of the individual singers is a supreme musician… t...
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  • Voces8 'Live from London Summer online festival' is choral excellence and more besides / theartsdesk
    Posted At: August 17, 2021 12:00 AM

    theartsdesk - Bernard Hughes writes.....There is much to love about the latest Voces8 Live from London online festival. It goes beyond having a purely choral line-up, embracing instrumental music for the first time, while maintaining its focus on vocal performances of the highest standard. In addition, the production values remain unimpeachable and the group has shown that there is a market across th...
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  • VOCES8 incredible vocal blend highlights a lesser-known 'Ave Maria' / Aleteia
    Posted At: August 25, 2020 12:00 AM

    "Ave Maria," a gem of sacred music is one of the most frequently composed and recorded works of sacred music in the Catholic songbook. Even though there is no shortage of versions, set to a wide range of styles, most people are only really familiar with Schubert's popular arrangement. Of course, Schubert's solid hold on the prime spot is well deserved, as his music was designed to draw reverent emotions ...
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  • VOCES8' Barnaby Smith discusses 'Enchanted Isle' with 89.7WCPE: Wake Forest
    Posted At: June 19, 2019 12:00 AM

    VOCES8 - Enchanted Isle is an album of music reminiscent of rolling hills, green valleys, rugged mountainsides, and sleepy villages. It features reimagined pieces originally written for film or television (such as Lord of the Ringsand Game of Thrones), new arrangements of Scottish and Irish melodies, and compositions set to texts by great English poets. The ensemble's fourth album looks inward to the...
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  • VOCES8 'Enchanted Isle' is the WCLV 'Recording of the Week'
    Posted At: June 10, 2019 12:00 AM

    Voces8 is the a cappella octet from the United Kingdom that has been wowing audiences since 2005.  The music on Enchanted Isle is reminiscent of rolling hills, green valleys, rugged mountainsides, and sleepy villages, a landscape on which the composers, arrangers and artists on this CD cast a contemporary eye.  The program features reimagined pieces originally written for film or television (li...
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  • VOCES8 - Barnaby Smith chats with Spokane Public Radio
    Posted At: May 6, 2019 12:00 AM

    VOCES8 - Enchanted Isle is an album of music reminiscent of rolling hills, green valleys, rugged mountainsides, and sleepy villages. It features reimagined pieces originally written for film or television (such as Lord of the Ringsand Game of Thrones), new arrangements of Scottish and Irish melodies, and compositions set to texts by great English poets. The ensemble's fourth album looks inward to the...
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  • VOCES8 paints a musical portrait on 'Enchanted Isle' / New Classical Tracks
    Posted At: April 3, 2019 12:00 AM

    New Classical Tracks with Julie Amacher is a Syndicated Feature airing nationally on Classical 24 and Statewide via Minnesota Public Radio. For Apr 3, 2019, the segment focuses on the new album by Voces8. Barnaby Smith is the artistic director, conductor, and a countertenor for the British vocal ensemble Voces8. On their latest recording, Enchanted Isle, we're introduced to two new members, barit...
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  • VOCES8 - Enchanted Isle is the 905WUOL: Featured Album
    Posted At: March 29, 2019 12:00 AM

    The British vocal ensemble VOCES8 releases Enchanted Isle, a new album of music reminiscent of rolling hills, green valleys, rugged mountainsides, and sleepy villages. Enchanted Isle features reimagined pieces originally written for film or television (such as Lord of the Ringsand Game of Thrones), new arrangements of Scottish and Irish melodies, and compositions set to texts by great...
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  • VOCES8 - Enchanted Isle is the KDFC: Album of the Week
    Posted At: March 25, 2019 12:00 AM

    The human voice is front and center this week on KDFC: San Francisco as we feature the latest from Voces8 as our Album of the Week. The U.K.'s star a cappella octet has a new album entitled Enchanted Isle. It contains re-imagined pieces originally written for film or television (such as Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones), new arrangements of Scottish and Irish melodies, and compositions set to t...
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  • The human voice is front and center with VOCES8 - Enchanted Isle / KUSC: Album of the Week
    Posted At: March 25, 2019 12:00 AM

    The human voice is front and center this week on KUSC: Los Angeles as we feature the latest from Voces8 as our Album of the Week. The U.K.'s star a cappella octet has a new album entitled Enchanted Isle. It contains re-imagined pieces originally written for film or television (such as Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones), new arrangements of Scottish and Irish melodies, and compositions set to texts by...
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  • VOCES8 artistic director; Barnaby Smith talks with classical radio about 'Enchanted Isle'
    Posted At: March 11, 2019 12:00 AM

    The 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 orchestras, conductors and soloists. Versatility and a celebration of diverse musical expression are central to the ensemble's performance and education ethos. Thier latest De...
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  • VOCES8 - Enchanted Isle is Winnipeg's CLASSIC107 'February Classical Recording Of The Month'
    Posted At: February 4, 2019 12:00 AM

    Celebrated vocal group VOCES8 take listeners on a glorious journey through the musical landscape of Britain with their brand new album ‘Enchanted Isle', released on Decca Classics. The recording features a broad range of music from John Tavener and Thomas Adès to Radiohead and Enya, interspersed with folk tunes, world premiere recordings and music from hit TV shows Game of Thrones and Harry'...
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  • VOCES8 'Enchanted Isle' debuts on CLASSIC fM top 10
    Posted At: January 28, 2019 12:00 AM

    For 27 January 2019, three new entries make it on to The Classic FM Chart this week. Voces8's new album Enchanted Isle goes straight in at No. 5, closely followed by Dragon by Two Steps From Hell at No. 8. The new film Mary Queen of Scots soundtrack by Max Richter also jumps in at No. 13, overtaking other film and TV soundtracks Game of Thrones, Gladiator and The Lord of the Rings. It's another w...
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  • Quincy University choir, excited beyond words to sing with Voces8 / Herald-Whig
    Posted At: February 19, 2018 12:00 AM

    Racin Coelho, a member of Quincy University's men's ensemble choir, said he was excited beyond words Saturday to get a chance to sing with members of the British a capella group Voces8. "I was just flabbergasted," the senior student said. Voces8 was in Quincy to perform a Quincy Civic Music Association concert Saturday night at Salem Evangelical United Church of Christ. While in town, the ei...
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  • VOCES8 - Equinox, on New Classical Tracks
    Posted At: December 13, 2017 12:00 AM

    New Classical Tracks is a syndicated feature heard nationally on C24 and statewide on Minnesota PR. LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT READ THE TRANSCRIPT - "We've been having a great time touring all around. We've got a wonderful new soprano as well, Eleanor, and perhaps most excitingly of all, we have a very brand-new composer-in-residence, called Jonathan Dove." That's what the British vocal en...
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  • Spend New Year's Eve with Voces8, Celebrity Series of Boston, & WCRB: In Concert
    Posted At: December 12, 2017 12:00 AM

    Spend New Year's Eve "Under the Stars" with Voces8 on this week's WCRB: In Concert with the Celebrity Series of Boston! In Concert captures the wealth of incredible music being performed in and around the Boston area. The series takes advantage of Boston's rich performing arts scene, from the Handel and Haydn Society to A Far Cry, from the Gardner Museum to Rockport Music, and beyond. Se...
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  • VOCES8 - Winter / New Classical Tracks
    Posted At: January 10, 2017 12:00 AM

    New Classical Tracks is a Syndicated Feature airing Nationally on Classical 24 & Statewide on Minnesota Public Radio. Listen to Julie Amacher's Feature with Barnaby Smith from Voces8. READ THE TRANSCRIPT  - "I always think it's interesting when you ask people what their favorite season is," says Barnaby Smith, one of the founding members of British vocal ensemble Voces8. "S...
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  • New Classical Tracks: Lux, The radiant music of - Voces 8
    Posted At: April 16, 2015 12:00 AM

    Listen to Julie Amacher's New Classical Tracks interview. New Classical Tracks is a Syndicated feature airing Nationally on PRI: Classical 24 & Statewide on Minnesota Public Radio. READ THE TRANSCRIPT - "We like to open doors," explains Paul Smith of the British vocal ensemble Voces 8. "This idea that we might find someone who loves Tallis but hasn't heard of Massive Attack, or loves Mass...
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  • Voces8 - Lux / WQXR: Album Of the Week
    Posted At: February 15, 2015 12:00 AM

    Voces8, a young, British vocal octet led by Barnaby Smith, has released "Lux: Music by Tallis, Elgar, Tavener, Allegri, Rachmaninoff and others." It's the "others" which makes this album particularly unique. Along with radiant vocal classics like Rachmaninoff's all-night Vespers and Elgar's Lux Aeterna, there are a couple of pop arrangements: "Teardrop" by the band Massive Attack and "The Luckies...
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  • VOCES8 - Lux is Classic 107 - Winnipeg / February: Recording of the Month
    Posted At: February 2, 2015 12:00 AM

    British a cappella octet VOCES 8 - Lux on Decca/Universal Music Classics features a selection of pieces spanning over 400 years: from Thomas Tallis and Gregorio Allegri to Massive Attack (Teardrop) and Ben Folds (The Luckiest - which appeared on the soundtrack for Richard Curtis's film About Time). The album title refers to the Latin word ‘light,' which has inspired...
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  • Voces 8: Lux / WFMT New Release Of the Week
    Posted At: February 1, 2015 12:00 AM

    British a cappella ensemble Voces 8 performs a selection of pieces spanning over 400 years: from Thomas Tallis and Gregorio Allegri to Massive Attack and Ben Folds. The album title ‘Lux' refers to the Latin word ‘light,' which has inspired composers throughout history with the meaning of hope, banishing darkness, and nurturing both the body and the spirit. Voces 8 'Lux' on...
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  • VOCES8 interview feature on Syndicated 'New Classical Tracks'
    Posted At: August 13, 2014 12:00 AM

    Paul Smith and his younger brother Barnaby, the founding members of the vocal ensemble Voces8, fell into choral music by chance. Says Paul, "We were moving from the Lake District in the north of England down to London in the early '90s. Our parents were meeting at Westminster Abbey to go house hunting, and they saw a poster on the wall saying, 'Could this be your son?' and a picture of the ch...
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  • Voces8 - Eventide / WCRB 'CD Of the Week'
    Posted At: August 4, 2014 12:00 AM

    Eventide: the slow transition from day to night. Seasoned British choral outfit VOCES8 is known for their ability to transition artfully from Renaissance music to jazz and pop arrangements, but for their debut album on the Decca label, they honed their sound to capture the coming of evening.  Eventide features classical works by Tallis, Bruckner, Britten, as well as modern composers. Their reper...
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