Friends of the Vox

26/06/2026

🎶 Friends of the Vox aims to promote, nurture and encourage community through the power of choral music - this includes providing affordable opportunities for students and young musicians to take part in our events! 🎶

✨ We are delighted to offer £5 student tickets for our Come and Sing: Vivaldi Gloria event on Saturday 12 September, which takes place at West Malling Primary School, Kent. Music will be provided, as well as a warm welcome from members of our local SATB choir, Vox Populi, and a friendly community of singers from across Kent and beyond.

✨ Our Artistic Director James Meaders will lead the afternoon's rehearsals, accompanied by our wonderful pianist Richard Hammond-Hall. You will celebrate the afternoon's work with a vibrant performance of the full work, featuring soloists from our auditioned upper-voice choir, Vox Anima Chamber Choir.

🎫 Booking is now open!

Scan the QR code, or click on the link below:
https://www.friendsofthevox.org/our-upcoming-events/come-and-sing-vivaldis-gloria

Students: £5
General participants: £20
Carers of participants can attend for free

(Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. 16-18 year olds can attend in groups of up to 8 per accompanying adult.)

22/06/2026

👏🎉 Congratulations to our wonderful Artistic Director, James Meaders! 🎉👏

🎶 James directed a choir of 150 singers from across the globe, along with a 40 piece orchestra, for a breath-taking performance of Dan Forrest's beloved 'CREATION', as part of Vox Anima London's concert residency. The choir rehearsed in London for two days before travelling to Rochester Cathedral in Kent for its final rehearsal and concert on Saturday 13 June, with a large and appreciative audience in attendance! The performance featured soloists Nikki Fox Eoute and James Newby.

✨ At Friends of the Vox we are incredibly grateful to Vox Anima London for the exciting and enriching choral opportunities it has offered many of our choir members over the past 8 years, and it was lovely to see Vox Anima Chamber Choir members Laura F and Ruth in the choir for this very special performance!

🎶 The concert also featured wonderful performances by choirs Lucis and Noctis, who sang 'Vidi Aquam' by Fancis Faux, and Matthew Coleridge's 'The Breath of Life', both conducted by Francis Faux.

11/06/2026

✨ Vox Anima London presents Dan Forrest's CREATION at Rochester Cathedral this Saturday at 5pm! ✨

🎶 Friends of the Vox's beloved Artistic Director James Meaders will be conducting a choir of 150 singers, and a full 40 piece orchestra, bringing this most beautiful work to Kent - and celebrating the wonder, beauty, and power of our world! 🌍

Vox Anima Chamber Choir will be represented, with two of its members in the choir. We wish them and our wonderful Maestro a fabulous few days as they prepare and perform this magnificent piece!

Some tickets are still available to book - see post below for details.

05/06/2026

✨🎶 New event - Come & Sing: Vivaldi Gloria! 🎶✨

Join Friends of the Vox and a wonderful community of singers in West Malling this September for an afternoon of joyful music-making!

📅 Saturday 12 September
⏰ 1pm
📍 West Malling Primary School, Kent.

Hosted by our non-auditioned SATB choir Vox Populi, and led by Artistic Director James Meaders, this special 'come and sing' event will explore Vivaldi’s exuberant 'Gloria', accompanied by Richard Hammond-Hall.

Throughout the afternoon, singers will rehearse together in a friendly and supportive atmosphere, developing choral skills and enjoying the thrill of creating something truly special as a community!

Whether you are an experienced musician or simply love to sing, you will be warmly welcomed! There will also be time during the breaks to meet fellow singers, make new connections, enjoy a cuppa, and chat with members of West Malling-based Vox Populi about our unique choral community.

🎶 The day will culminate in an informal performance of the 'Gloria' with accompaniment and soloists — a joyful celebration of all the afternoon’s work!

🎫 Book your place now!
https://www.friendsofthevox.org/our-upcoming-events/come-and-sing-vivaldis-gloria

30/05/2026

✨ A week ago today, our final concert of the season took place at St Lawrence’s Church, Mereworth, Kent, and featured performances by Vox Anima Chamber Choir and Vox Populi. ✨

🎶 The Chamber Choir performed a varied programme combining movements from Cecilia McDowall's 'Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo', and pieces reflecting the cantata’s themes of unrest, uncertainty, hope, and defiance.

🎶 Vox Populi performed Matthew Coleridge’s uplifting new work, 'The Breath of Life', developing the theme from hope, via nature’s unwavering trust in renewal, to one of celebration for our shared living world, and our connection to one another through music!

🥰 We were joined by a full and supportive audience, with many new faces showing their appreciation and praising both choirs for their impressive performances. Thank you to all who came to support us! 🙏

💖 Our heartfelt thanks also goes to Hilary Dilnot for her wonderful accompaniment of Vox Populi in rehearsals this year, to James Meaders for continuing to inspire and lead our choirs with encouragement and passion, and to Richard Hammond-Hall for his sensitive and intuitive collaboration. 🙏

📣 Head to our website to read more and hear about our upcoming events!
https://www.friendsofthevox.org/news/the-breath-of-life

22/05/2026

🎶 Our wonderful SATB choir, Vox Populi, is based in West Malling, Kent. 🎶

✨ Do come along to our concert TOMORROW to get a taste of what our choirs are all about!

✨ Vox Populi and Vox Anima Chamber Choir will be performing a range of stunning works by contemporary composers, including Matthew Coleridge's new cantata 'The Breath of Life'.

🎶 Come to St Lawrence's Church in Mereworth for a 7pm start - entrance is free with donations on the door!

To find out more about our choirs, head to our website or get in touch!
https://www.friendsofthevox.org/our-choirs

20/05/2026

We can't wait to hear this beautiful piece performed by Vox Anima Chamber Choir on Saturday! ❤️🎶

19/05/2026

✨ Four days to go until our final concert of the season! ✨

🎶 'The Breath of Life', Matthew Coleridge 's new radiant work, draws on sacred texts, hymns, and poetry to explore themes of Christianity, spirituality and humanism. The final movement draws text from five different authors, full of wonder at how we are connected in life, both spiritually, and through nature. It celebrates the wondrous beauty of life and love, and how music connects us all!

🌞 viii. The Breath of Life is in the Sunlight:

The breath of life is in the sunlight,
and the hand of life is in the wind. (Kahlil Gibran)

And our bodies are the instruments
through which our souls play the music. (Albert Einstein)

Echoing with the stars,
singing and shining together as one. (John Muir)

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heav'nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. (Bishop Thomas Ken)

Beauty beyond thought everywhere;
beneath, above; made, and being made forever. (John Muir)

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear. (William H. Draper)

And shining with the stars above
We swim through seas of ceaseless love.
Amen.

🎶Vox Populi will be performing this stunning new work at this Saturday's concert.
Vox Anima Chamber Choir will be performing a beautifully curated programme of its previous repertoire, and a reflection of the world we find ourselves in today.
Both choirs will be conducted by James Meaders, and accompanied by pianist Richard Hammond-Hall.

📅 Saturday 23 May
⏰ 7pm
📍 St Lawrence's Church, Mereworth, Kent
🎫 Entrance free, donations on the door

We hope to see you there!

16/05/2026

CONCERT DAY - ONE WEEK TODAY 🎶✨

Our 2025/26 season draws to a close on Saturday 23 May with a joint concert featuring Vox Anima Chamber Choir and Vox Populi.

The chamber choir's programme highlights stories of strong, resilient women and features music by composers including Cecilia McDowall, Joan Szymko, Zanaida Robles, and Eleanor Daley.

Vox Populi presents Matthew Coleridge's beautiful canata, The Breath of Life.

Join us from 7pm at St Lawrence's Church in Mereworth. Entrance is free with a suggested donation of £15.

St Lawrence's Church, Mereworth

13/05/2026

🌟 Take a look at our news blog! 🌟

Read about the fantastic day had by all at Vox Anima Chamber Choir's celebratory concert last Saturday, where they joined London Oriana Choir, Addison Singers Chamber Choir, and City Chamber Choir at Holy Trinity Sloane Square.

🎶 The concert showcased the depth and breadth of Cecilia McDowall's work with stunning performances by all choirs, accompanied by pianists Richard Hammond-Hall and Matthew Hough, and violinist Fenella Humphreys Violin.

📸 With thanks to Andrew Keeping at Keeping Media for his wonderful photography, which captured the joy of this memorable event! 💖

Vox Anima Chamber Choir spent an incredible day at Holy Trinity Sloane Square in London on Saturday 9 May, performing as part of a special gala concert to celebrate the music of its patron Cecilia McDowall.