Vox Anima Chamber Choir at the VOCES8 Centre

On Saturday 3rd May Vox Anima Chamber Choir enjoyed an exquisite day of recording at the VOCES8 Centre, located at St Anne and St Agnes Church in the heart of London.

Choir members made their way into the City in the early morning sunshine for a 9am start, accompanied by Maestro James Meaders and pianist Richard Hammond-Hall. Alexander Van Ingen, the Choir’s recording engineer for the day, had set up the space in advance - everyone felt at ease and in expert hands! As the choir warmed up, smiles spread and excitement grew. It was clear they were in a truly special venue. The beautifully arched, open space of the church created an intimate setting, yet still allowed the tones to soar — a seemingly perfect match for the Chamber Choir’s unique sound.

Cecilia McDowall’s uplifting piece Meet-Cute, newly commissioned by the Choir, was first to be recorded. It didn’t take long for the Choir to get used to the space, and some fine-tuning and carefully nuanced phrasing later, was announced ‘a wrap’ within an hour!

As lunch time arrived, three pieces had been recorded and the Choir was able to take a moment to reflect on the morning’s work. The resounding themes were clear: everyone was having a brilliant time, there was a shared sense of exhilaration at the ‘pinch-yourself’ moments, Alexander’s guidance was fantastic and encouraging, and all were excited to dive into the afternoon’s work. The piano was re-tuned and all was ready.

The afternoon brought another wonderful collaborator into the Centre - Flo Peycelon! Having worked with Flo on several projects in the past, the Choir celebrated her arrival and were quick to get back into the pieces. Although energy was depleted for many, the joy of singing the last three pieces together - and the exquisite lines from Richard on piano and Flo on violin - were plenty to carry the Choir through to 5 o’clock. More smiles, hugs, and applause ensued, with a slight sense of disbelief of all that had been achieved!

All that was left was for Vox Anima Chamber Choir to say a huge THANK YOU to all who had supported us in our fundraising to make this day possible.

A few words from members of the Choir:

“I could have just kept going, I loved it so much!”

“That was honestly the least stressful recording day I have ever had with a choir!”

“Can we do it all again tomorrow?”

“Having so many people supporting us through our crowd funding appeal has made this possible, and that is such a precious thing. I am nothing but grateful!”

“It was the most amazing experience for me, we are so lucky!”