This is an overview of the eclectic range of works sung by Vox Holloway since 2009. Concert titles shown as links will take you to more information about the works and performance.
RECENT WORKS
2024
Vox Salutes The Special AKA – In The Studio
Saturday 17th February – St. Luke’s Holloway – 19.30
This concert is a continuation of a Vox Holloway tradition – we have done many concerts where we highlight the work of the great songwriters and album makers. We have performed arrangements of entire albums The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper, The Kinks’ The Village Green Preservation Society and have performed albums by Clara Sanabras and Monica Vasconcelos with them as lead soloists and their musicians as our band.
Our salute this time is to The Special AKA – the Specials third album, a superb collection of sophisticated pop songs primarily written by Jerry Dammers, covering topics such as freedom – Free Nelson Mandela, conflict – War Crimes, racism – If you have a Racist Friend, loneliness and urban tension – The Bright Lights/The Lonely Crowd.
These serious themes are leavened by the upbeat nature of the music (with ska, reggae and lounge influences) and the humour of a song like What I like most about you is your girlfriend.
Our band and soloist include some of the UK’s finest jazz and reggae artists – Julian Siegel (sax), Harry Brown (trombone), Byron Wallen (trumpet) and Liam Dunachie (piano) with Wills Morgan (solo voice).
Harvey Brough (who was at school with Jerry Dammers and has worked with him over the years) is writing new arrangements for the mighty Vox Holloway and we promise an uplifting and uproarious evening.
Doors open at 6.45pm for a 7.30pm start. Bar open before the concert and at the interval.
The Sun Does Shine
Hackney Empire – 23rd March 19.30
In June 1988, Anthony Ray Hinton was convicted by an Alabama court of two murders he did not commit, in one of the most shockingly cynical miscarriages of justice in US history. He spent the next 28 years on Death Row, before all charges were dropped and he was released.
The Sun Does Shine is a powerful new musical work by Harvey Brough, with words by Justin Butcher, inspired by the autobiography Hinton wrote about his long fight to prove his innocence. It is both a journey into the heart of darkness and an astonishing story of friendship, resilience and hope. After two sold-out preview performances, it arrives at Hackney Empire with the approval of Hinton himself, who now campaigns for others betrayed by the criminal justice system.
This remarkable story has urgent relevance to us in the UK today. It confronts racism and the inbuilt injustices that keep prisoners locked up for years, while making a powerful case for compassion, a sense of humour, and the possibility of redemption.
Presented by Vox Holloway and Arts Council England.
Buy tickets for The Sun Does Shine
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2023
SPRING – SCREENING OF BETWEEN THE BARS
Between the Bars traces the journey of North London choir, Vox Holloway, as its members tackle a new oratorio, The Sun Does Shine, based on the true story of an innocent man who spent 30 years on Death Row in Alabama before his release in 2015. The film explores the challenges posed when art tackles complex social issues such as capital punishment, racial injustice and long term imprisonment. Over two years, as the project evolved, choir members wrote to prisoners in the UK, many of whom spoke about the role music plays in helping them cope with long and, in some case, indeterminate sentences. The film was made in collaboration with the UK Prison Reform Trust and Arts Council England.
Short Promo Film
Full Film
https://vimeo.com/811848963/5c805f5d6b
SPRING – LOST & FOUND
The Foundling Hospital, established in 1739, was based in Coram Fields until the 1920s and many thousands of ‘abandoned’ children grew up in its care. It attracted artists and musicians as patrons, including George Frideric Handel, who staged many benefit concerts there, one of which featured his Foundling Hospital Anthem.
Harvey Brough was inspired to write his own anthem, A Particulare Care, after visiting the Foundling Museum and reading a note left in 1758 by Florella Burney’s mother which read, ‘Pray let particulare care be taken of this child, as it will be called for again’. This work asks how there can be such poverty ‘in a rich and fruitful land’.
A Fairy Dream was composed in 2009. Harvey interspersed movements from Purcell’s 1692 masque, The Fairy Queen, with new compositions for children in a work that continues to explore the themes of loss and hope – with an added touch of fairy magic.
A Particulare Care was first performed by Vox Holloway in 2012. It is even more relevant today, with poverty and social inequality affecting so many children and families. Refugee families are amongst the most desperate. This concert will raise funds for the work of Safe Passage, an organisation that champions the rights of refugees and displaced people, including child refugees, who are particularly vulnerable.
Vox Holloway, under it’s Director, Harvey Brough, regularly commissions and performs new work, often with a social message. St James’ Church Piccadilly is renowned for its strong commitment both to the arts and to social justice. Soloists: Eloise Irving, Christina Gill, Wills Morgan and Maurice Wren with a Baroque orchestra led by Peter Hanson.
SUMMER – SUMMER SPECTACULAR
WE WANT YOU ALL TO SING ALONG (BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO)
If you’d like to work with Maestro Harvey Brough to sing as part of his arrangement of Sgt Pepper, you can come along early (5.30pm to 6pm) and join our Audience Singalong Rehearsal. Word sheets will be provided and there will be time for a drink before the show starts.
THE BAND
Mr David le Page, with his ladies and gentlemen will be playing Mr D le P’s celebrated new arrangements of the Beatles’ classic albums.
THE SOLOISTS
Mr Rick Leigh and Mr Mike Outram
THE SCHEDULE
5.30pm to 6pm: The Audience Rehearsal before the Concert
With Maestro Harvey Brough for those who wish to join in with the concert singalong.
Word sheets will be provided!!
6 30 pm The Concert
Part one: The first ever performance of Maestro Harvey Brough’s Marvellous Arrangement of Beatles’ album, Revolver, from Vox Holloway.
Interval: Refreshments served in the grounds – Sweet and Savoury delights for all included in the ticket price, and a pay bar.
Part two: A complete performance of the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Album with Spectacular Audience Singalong
AUTUMN – Faure Requiem and the Prophet
Again we have lent an ear to those in the choir who have asked to do some classical choral repertoire. So we are performing the wonderful, timeless Fauré Requiem – a piece many of you know well. If you don’t know it, you have an absolute treat in store. We will also sing his beautiful Cantique de Jean Racine.
A Vox concert wouldn’t be Vox without something new and different however, so we will juxtapose the Fauré with a piece of mine that very few of you will know – The Prophet. We did it 10 years ago, it’s a thrilling text from the well known book by Khalil Gibran and some of the most appealing music I’ve written – spiritual, uplifting and insightful, with wonderful soloists and an excellent band.
The venue will be St James’s Piccadilly, following our EXCELLENT concert there last Easter. A wonderful acoustic and a magnificent setting for this programme. As last time, we need to work very hard to get a good audience, it’s a very special place to perform and we should be proud to return with another very Vox Holloway mix of old and new.
We will be without Christina this term, she is busy with other projects (see her message below). We will miss her, but look forward to seeing her and working with her in the future. I’m happy to say that Rick will be with us to play and to take sectionals – I’m planning to do sectionals every week at the start of term.
We will be working hard this term on choral sound and projection of the words – the Fauré is not difficult in terms of notes, but partly because it’s so well known, it’s important that we really work on blend within each part and as a choir. Many performances of the piece are a little humdrum, we need to find the magic anew in this wonderful music. Last term, we were a little light on sopranos – do ask your soprano friends if they would like to join us for this programme. They can write to me on my personal email (harveybrough@mac.com) for more information so I can make sure we get a good balance.
We are unlikely to be able to fit any more altos in for reasons of space.
Tenors and basses have become really strong over the last year (I think of this as being our tacit tribute to Matt Evan Smith, who is much missed but still inspires us). We can consider taking a few more – again, ask friends who you think would love what we do, to write to me.
Term starts on Tuesday September 5th, the committee and I look forward to seeing you there – do come early so we can do all the admin before a 7 30 start.
We will also start the Chamber Choir again on Tuesday September 12th. We will do a separate programme and concert this term, do write to me if you would like to be part of it. It’s open to all members of Vox, we rehearse from 6.30 – 7.15pm before the main Vox rehearsal. There will be a seperate sub for this.
Vox Holloway Autumn Programme
Sunday November 26th
St James’s Piccadilly
Vox Holloway
Vox Holloway Players
Directed by Harvey Brough
Gabriel Fauré – Requiem in D minor
Cantique de Jean Racine
Harvey Brough – The Prophet
Incantation of Eden
Vox Holloway return to St James’s Piccadilly after their highly successful Easter 2023 appearance. They perform a programme which again mixes old and new – the Fauré Requiem, perhaps the most beloved choral piece ever, juxtaposed with Harvey Brough’s setting of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.
This remarkable book is one of the best selling books of all time, translated into over 100 languages. The Prophet is in the city of Orphalese, awaiting a ship to take him home. As he waits he is asked a series of questions by the inhabitants – on Love, on Marriage, on Children, on Death. His replies form a series of 9 movements or counsels, before he vanishes into the mist.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Harvey
ARCHIVE
2022
Spring
February THE SUN DOES SHINE
Harvey Brough , Libretto Justin Butcher WORLD PREMIERE
April EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE – SONGS OF LIBERATION AND TRANSFORMATION
Classics from Kurt Weill, Nina Simone, Sheryl Crow, in new settings by Harvey Brough – LIVE PREMIERE
Summer – BRAZILIAN PROMISE
Songs by Monica Vasconcelos – Arranged by Harvey Brough
Autumn – THE SUN DOES SHINE
Harvey Brough , Libretto Justin Butcher
Christmas – A CEREMONY OF CAROLS, REJOICE IN THE LAMB, NOW WE ARE () SIX
Benjamin Britten and Harvey Brough WORLD PREMIERE
2021
Spring – VIRTUAL VOX – EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE
Songs of liberation and transformation, arranged by Harvey Brough WORLD PREMIERE
Summer – VIRTUAL VOX/VOX HOLLOWAY – REQUIEM IN BLUE
Harvey Brough
Autumn – FREEDOM SONG
Music by Harvey Brough, lyrics by Justin Butcher – Hackney Empire
Christmas – SING CHRISTMAS WITH VOX
2020
Spring
February – THE VILLAGE GREEN APPRECIATION SOCIETY
Kinks – arranged by Harvey Brough – Shoreditch Town Hall
March – VIRTUAL VOX- FREEDOM SONG
Music by Harvey Brough, lyrics by Justin Butcher
Summer – VIRTUAL VOX – SPRING INTO SUMMER
Songs by Liane Carroll arranged by Harvey Brough
Autumn – VIRTUAL VOX – SGT. PEPPER
Arranged by Harvey Brough
2019
Spring
February – SGT. PEPPER SINGALONG
arranged by Harvey Brough
March – FREEDOM SONG
Harvey Brough – Hackney Empire
March – A CONCERT OF TUDOR MUSIC
Byrd, Tallis, Richard Farrant – Vox Chamber Choir
Harvey Brough – Hackney Empire
Summer – THE SAO PAULO TAPES
Monica Vaconcelos
Autumn – MUSIC ON THE MIND
Harvey Brough
Christmas – SING CHRISTMAS WITH VOX
2018
Spring – THE STONY FIELD – performances at various locations
Harvey Brough WORLD PREMIERE
Harvey Brough – A live recording
Summer – SAO PAULO TAPES AND BOSSA NOVA
Monica Vasconcelos
Autumn VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY
The Kinks album in new choral arrangement by Harvey Brough WORLD PREMIERE
Winter – FAURÉ REQUIEM, INCANTATION OF EDEN
Gabriel Fauré, Harvey Brough
2017
Spring – LOST AND FOUND
Handel’s Foundling Hospital Anthem, Vivaldi’s Gloria and A Particulare Care by Harvey Brough
Summer SUMER IS ICUMEN IN
A sparkling selection of music from Medieval to Gothic to Jazz.
Autumn – SGT. PEPPER
Christmas – BELLS OF PARADISE
2016
Spring – A HUM ABOUT MINE EARS – at the Barbican Centre
Clara Sanabras; A Hum about Mine Ears, 2016
Summer – THE YEAR OF JUBILEE
Harvey Brough; The Year of Jubilee, 2016
Winter – VOX HOLLOWAY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Christmas Music through the ages and from around the world, 2016
2015
Spring – ONA’S FLOOD
Harvey Brough; Ona’s Flood 2ND PERFORMANCE, The City in the Sea PREMIERE
Summer – A TIME TO DANCE AND A TIME TO MOURN
Purcell; Funeral Sentences, My Beloved Spake, Jehovah quam multi sunt, Sound the Trumpet.
Harvey Brough; A Fairy Dream, A Particulare Care
Winter – MUSIC ON THE MIND
Harvey Brough; Music on the Mind PREMIERE
2014
February – Valentine’s Concert
Easter – THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT
Fauré – Requiem NEW ARRANGEMENT, Cantique de Jean Racine. Britten; Rejoice in the Lamb, Harvey Brough – Incantation of Eden PREMIERE
Summer – FROM HARMONY
Handel – Ode for St Cecilia’s Day,Haydn Missa Sancti Nicolai,Vaughan Williams – Serenade to Music
Winter – FIVE LOVE – 5th Anniversary Concert
Ben Okafor – Songs in the theme of love PREMIERE, Harvey Brough – Requiem in Blue
2013
Spring – YEAR OF JUBILEE
Harvey Brough; The Year of Jubilee PREMIERE
Summer – THE PROPHET
Harvey Brough; The Prophet 2nd PERFORMANCE; Adolesce PREMIERE
Winter – SONGS OF EXILE
Clara Sanabras ; Songs Of Exile 2nd PERFORMANCE, Keland, Butcher, Brough; Cry Palestine PREMIERE
2012
Spring – LOST AND FOUND
Handel; Foundling Anthem, Harvey Brough; A Particulare Care PREMIERE; Vivaldi; Gloria.
Sir Richard Cloudesley Memorial Concert,St Mary’s Upper Street Islington July 2012; Handel; Foundling Anthem, Harvey Brough; A Particulare Care
Summer – THECLA
Harvey Brough; Thecla 2nd PERFORMANCE, Linguis PREMIERE
Winter – AT THE TURNING OF THE YEAR
Folk Concert PREMIERE
2011
Spring – VESPERS
Rachmaninov; Vespers
Winter – LAND OF DREAMS
Songs of the Americas, North and South PREMIERE, Ramirez; Misa Criolla NEW ARRANGEMENT
2010
Easter – REQUIEM IN BLUE
Harvey Brough; Requiem in Blue
Summer- 150 YEARS of SONG
English Choral Music
Winter – CHORUS OF LIGHT
Tavener; ExMaria Virgine , Heat and Light Arrangements PREMIERE
2009
Winter – THE MESSIAH
Handel; The Messiah
Vox Holloway 