Choir to capture songs of the past

A LOCAL choir is aiming to transport listeners backwards in time into a golden age of English choral music with a selection of iconic English pieces from previous centuries.

This Saturday at Housey Housey, members of vocal ensemble VOX will put on their Springtime of the Year concert.

Thomas Bubner will be one of the eight performers taking part in the concert and said it’ll offer a full program of classic works.

“This will focus on music from the late 19th and early 20th century,” he said. “At the time there was a collection of pieces coming out from inspired musicians.

“They took a bit of British pride in their music and were stepping away from the romantic period as well as going more central based around Britain.

“The big one is Hymn to Saint Cecilia by Benjamin Britten. We’ve also got pieces by [Percy] Grainger born in Melbourne, as well as Ralph Vaughan Williams and pieces by [Edward William] Elgar, Holst, and others.”

VOX was established in 2005, and generally performs about four concerts a year.

The upcoming show will be the group’s third for 2023 following their Quarters performance in June, and will feature 17 pieces.

Bubner said the Springtime of the Year will showcase a different era of music than what’s typically sung in Ballarat.

“Some of this music isn’t heard very often, especially around Ballarat, so it’s nice to be able to bring this to the community,” he said.

“A lot of this music really captures moments and tells stories. In a way this us reflecting on where we are now as a society.”

Springtime of the Year will run from 7.30pm with tickets ranging from free for children under 16 to $35 adult and able to be booked at bit.ly/3KNBjE4.