Choral music is currently going through a renaissance with hundreds of professional and amateur choirs singing all across the world. But what makes the sound, and in particular the sound of a professional group, so appealing? In this essay, I look at the ...  moreChoral music is currently going through a renaissance with hundreds of professional and amateur choirs singing all across the world. But what makes the sound, and in particular the sound of a professional group, so appealing? In this essay, I look at the science behind the notes to find out why Choral music sounds so good. ▶ Support my channel: https://www.patreon.com/listeningin ▶ Subscribe: https://bit.ly/2PlVaMS ____________________ ▶ Website: http://www.barnabymartin.com ▶ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarnabyMartin FURTHER READING Choral Phonetics - when vowels control the intonation [Wolfgang Saus]: https://www.oberton.org/wp-content/uploads/ws-Choral-Phonetics-vh-2.pdf CHOIRS FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO Tenebrae Choir: https://www.tenebrae-choir.com/ Voces8: https://voces8.com/ Illuminare Choir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnDCENlgvXo The Choir of Westminster Abbey: https://www.westminster-abbey.org/worship-music/music/the-abbey-choir-and-musicians/the-choir The Kingdom Choir: https://ki...    less

'Raise the Roof' Concert in Horniman Gardens December 2014

The international award-winning octet VOCES8 has established itself as the foremost young British a cappella group. Performing a repertoire ranging from Renaissance polyphony to unique jazz and pop arrangements, the group has been praised for stunning per...  moreThe international award-winning octet VOCES8 has established itself as the foremost young British a cappella group. Performing a repertoire ranging from Renaissance polyphony to unique jazz and pop arrangements, the group has been praised for stunning performance, exquisite singing and creating a sound that spans the entire range of vocal colour. Founded in 2003 by ex-choristers of Westminster Abbey, VOCES8 first achieved success in 2005, winning first prize at the International Choral Grand Prix in Gorizia, Italy. Subsequently the group has performed widely in the UK, Europe, the USA, Africa and Asia. VOCES8’s career has developed both in the classical Choral scene and the world of a cappella. In 2009, the group’s first commercial album, EVENSONG, was nominated for a CARA. The group’s most recent release, ACES HIGH, is a scintillating collection of VOCES8’s unique interpretations of jazz and pop favourites and theme tunes from the legendary James Bond movies and is on general release on the Signum Classics ...    less

"evening morning day" by David Lang. Text from the Book of Genesis 1. Recorded live on March 16, 2015, at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Performed by the Radcliffe Choral Society of Harvard University. Director: Beth Willer. ...  more"evening morning day" by David Lang. Text from the Book of Genesis 1. Recorded live on March 16, 2015, at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Performed by the Radcliffe Choral Society of Harvard University. Director: Beth Willer. The composer writes: "I wanted to make a piece about the creation story but I didn't want to highlight one religion's or culture's narrative over another." "It was important for me to try to find something universal, something present in all stories, or common to all cultures. I hit upon the idea of making a kind of checklist of everything that needed to be created to get the world to this point, without each individual culture's stories or myths or exoticisms. I went back to the first chapter of Genesis, to see what I could get out of my own culture's story, and I stripped away all the descriptions, adjectives, connectors and motivators. All that is left of Genesis in my text are the nouns, leaving a dispassionate list of everything created, in the order in ...    less

Kantorei Choral Ensemble in rehearsal. Tristis Est Anima Mea by Juan Gutierrez de Padilla. www.kantoreikc.org

Just a a few snippets from the chorister point of view.

In Fall 2018, New York's Choral Chameleon Chorus collaborated with jazz pianist and composer Eri Yamamoto, to bring to life 'Goshu Ondo Suite', her new, hour-length piece for choir and jazz trio. Listen to Eri Yamamoto and Choral Chameleon's Artistic D...  moreIn Fall 2018, New York's Choral Chameleon Chorus collaborated with jazz pianist and composer Eri Yamamoto, to bring to life 'Goshu Ondo Suite', her new, hour-length piece for choir and jazz trio. Listen to Eri Yamamoto and Choral Chameleon's Artistic Director Vince Peterson discussing the project, with footage from the November 2018 premiere at the Paul Taylor Dance Company Studios. The event culminated in a dance party encore with audience and choir dancing together! After a simple lesson in the Obon dance from Shiga prefecture in Japan, the audience danced to a reprise of the final movement by the choir and trio. The live performance recording of Goshu Ondo Suite will be released by Aum Fidelity label. Pre-Order from October 1st 2019, release date November 15th 2019.  less

Recorded at the church of St Vedast Alias Foster, City of London, 25th April 2015. Directed by James Davey.

Recorded at the church of St Vedast Alias Foster, City of London, 25th April 2015. Directed by James Davey.

An internationally recognized, Kodály-certified Choral director, Henry Leck is a professor emeritus and recently retired director of Choral activities at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.  He is Founder and Artistic Director of the I...