Experience the crystal-clear tones of acclaimed Belgian early music vocal and instrumental ensemble Vox Luminis. The eight vocalists and eight instrumentalists perform an evening of J.S. Bach’s sacred, brilliant, and dazzling early cantatas at the Moss Arts Center on Thursday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m.

Vox Luminis is defined by its opulent sound, appealing as much through the personality of each timbre as it does through the resonance and the uniformity of its voices. Joined by instrumentalists that include two viola da gamba players, the ensemble’s singers intensify and expand the bold and bright colors of Bach’s early cantatas.

Over the course of his creative life, Bach composed approximately 200 cantatas. Passionate and vivid, these sacred compositions — multimovement works created for church services and special events — are some of his most celebrated and significant works. This program of early Bach cantatas will include

  • “Actus tragicus — Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste,” BWV 106
  • “Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir,” BWV 131
  • “Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich,” BWV 150
  • “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen,” BWV 12

About the ensemble

Created in 2004 by Artistic Director Lionel Meunier, Vox Luminis performs over 60 concerts a year, appearing on stages around the world. The size and composition of the group depends on the repertoire, which is essentially Italian, English, and German and spans from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

The ensemble has released 19 albums that have won numerous prizes, including the prestigious Gramophone Recording of the Year in 2012 and the 2018 Choral Award from BBC Music Magazine. In 2018 Alpha Classics released two albums: a collaboration with the Franco-Canadian ensemble Masques in Abendmusiken by Dietrich Buxtehude, which was awarded a 2019 Gramophone Music Award in the choral category, and a recording of Purcell’s “King Arthur.”

Recent highlights include Vox Luminis' Lincoln Center debut with a residency at the Juilliard School in New York, along with debuts at the Arsenal in Metz and at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, National Concert Hall in Dublin, and Our Lady of Ambronay abbey.

Related engagement events

  • Workshop: Vox Luminis
    • Thursday, Oct. 19, 1-2:30 p.m.
    • Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre
    • The public is invited to observe a workshop in early music vocal performance led by Meunier, founder and artistic director of Vox Luminis, for members of the Virginia Tech Chamber Singers.
  • Members of the ensemble will also speak with Virginia Tech students in a School of Performing Arts music course about the historical context of their repertoire.

Tickets

Tickets for the performance are $25-$65 for general audience and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours. 

Venue and parking information

The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall. Convenient parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street and in downtown Blacksburg. Find more parking details online.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours. 

Support for the performance

This performance is supported in part by gifts from Mr. Bruce Prichard and Mrs. Nancy Beville Prichard and Ms. Susan M. Hansen. Additional funding is provided by the G. Davis Saunders Jr. Fund for Excellence.

Contact:

Tags

Share this story