Bi-centennial Concert features Vox Lumine:
Friday, April 24th at 7pm a bi-centennial concert by Vox Lumine, (Voices of Light) at St. James Episcopal Church, Batavia. This will be the second event of the celebration of St. James bi-centennial.
Vox Limine was founded by conductor Brandon Johnson and is an emerging professional choral ensemble, which began performing in Western New York in 2011. The ensemble is comprised of members from all over New York State including Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo and the southern tier.
The ensemble includes professional musicians, music teachers, students and musicians who work in other fields, all of whom are dedicated to vocal ensemble performances of the highest calibre. Performances have taken place in culturally rich cities including Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo and Toronto. Despite their limited time rehearsing together, owing to their talent, commitment, and preparation, Vox Lumine sings with one beautiful voice. Vox Lumine is also committed to commissioning new choral music to increase the choral repertoire. www.voxlunine.org
Other bi-centennial events can be found at the St. James wed site, www.stjamesbatavia.org
Vox Lumine, Voices of Light, to perform at St. James, Batavia
The second event of St. James 200th anniversary celebration will be held on Friday, April 24th, at 7pm in St. James Episcopal Church, Batavia. A choral concert by Western New York’s Vox Lumine will be presented by this acclaimed musical group. There will be a “free will” offering and a reception will follow the concert in the church parish hall. The concert is open to all, who’ll enjoy an evening of choral music.
Vox Lumine translates to Voices of Light, but the two names are used interchangeably. The hope of the group is that their music can be a source of clarity and refreshment into the listeners’ daily life.
As an emerging professional vocal ensemble and the newest member of the arts community in Western New York, Vox Lumine marked its first full season in 2011-2012. With the intention of centering in four cities with active musical cultures: Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Toronto, Vox Lumine draws on professional musicians throughout the region.
The group is conducted by Brandon Johnson of Filmore, NY. Mr. Johnson is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and has received graduate instruction from the Eastman School of Music, Westminster Choir College, and the University of Arizona, where he received Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Choral Conducting.. He served as interim director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and was selected to conduct the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra as a member of the Eastman conducting institute. Most recently Johnson studied with German conductor Helmuth Rilling and was selected to conduct the Grammy winning Oregon Bach Festival Chorus and Orchestra.
In addition, Johnson is the Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Conducting and Voice at the Greatbatch School of Music, Houghton College. He heads the Houghton College choral program, and administers the masters of music degree in choral conducting. In 2009 Johnson was the recipient of the Houghton College Award for Teaching Excellence.
The Voices of Light engage audiences in transformative musical experiences through, world-class choral performances and recordings. They are committed to the development of tomorrow's musicians and the commissioning of new vocal music.
The group believes that extraordinary music can be a unifying force to bring diverse people together. Music can be an incredible agent for peace and reconciliation, and that can be a positive force in musical communities.
They also strive to help young professionals develop after their academic studies are complete. The goal is to bridge the gap between graduate studies and the fully professional singer, composer, and conductor.
They also seek to increase the genre of choral art music. This, it is hoped, can be accomplished through commissions and choral composition competitions, to the creation of new choral music.
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Vox Lumine envisions a world less focused on division, disconnect and discord and more focused on engagement, connection and reconciliation, witnessed to these by the following audience comments:
Thoughtful, artistic compositional choices introduced with ease, interest and in a conversational way ...
The richness in sound of a Stradivarius...
Beautifully choreographed technique from the director...
Excellent balance from bottom to top...
Group consciousness of sound evidenced in texture, choral movement, harmonic information ...
Deeply relaxed... therapeutic value ...