On Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m., Voces XII, a new, elite vocal ensemble from Rowan University will perform at Grace Church in Haddonfield. The concert, “Songs of Love and Tragedy,” will feature dramatic Renaissance and Early Baroque-era music presented in an intimate, informal setting. Refreshments, tea, and desserts will be served. Admission is $15 each, children under 12 are free, and can be purchased from the Haddonfield Center for the Performing Arts at www.haddonarts.org, by calling the box office at (856) 685–9226, or at the door.
Founded earlier this year and comprised of twelve voices, Voces XII often collaborates with professional musicians playing period instruments to recreate seventeenth and eighteenth century masterworks. According to the ensemble’s director, Dr. Christopher Thomas, Voces XII specializes in music that remains amazingly relevant across centuries.
“Our performance will surprise listeners because of how alive this music remains today,” he says. The Italian madrigals of Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) serve as an example. Writing at the very end of the Renaissance, Monteverdi was an innovator, pushing the boundaries of what a madrigal could be. “In the context of our expectations of Renaissance music, the Monteverdi sounds radical,” Thomas said. “It’s stunningly dramatic.”
Additional details and tickets for all events can be found on the Center’s website, www.haddonarts.org (click on “Concerts”), or by calling the box office at (856) 685–9226. Online orders are subject to a 10 percent discount when patrons order tickets to two or more different shows in one transaction. The discount increases to 15 percent on four or more different shows ordered online.
The Haddonfield Center and School for the Performing Arts (HCSPA) is located at Grace Episcopal Church in downtown Haddonfield on Kings Highway, next to the Haddonfield PATCO train station. Its offices and the Grace Performance Hall are located to the rear of Grace Church in the Parish Hall building. Parking for HCSPA is available along Kings Highway, in the Tanner Street municipal lot, located behind Grace Church, and in the PATCO station lot. Evening and weekend parking is free in Haddonfield and at the train station.
The Haddonfield Center and School for the Performing Arts is a 501(3)© non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality instruction and a vibrant center for the performing arts in the South Jersey community. HCSPA presents a variety of arts-related educational programming and an acclaimed concert series that features artists and organizations from a variety of backgrounds.
