VOX Philia

08/27/2026

✨Song Spotlight✨

"There's a Certain Slant of Light"
This piece features an SATB chorus and full orchestra, with music written alongside lyrics from a poem by Emily Dickenson. It is a very oppressive poem about the harsh light and feelings that one can experience in the dead of winter. This piece is the second in a group of three movements in a larger piece entitled "Winter's Passing" about the beginning of winter, the harsh middle of winter, and finally the spring renewal.

Listen here https://open.spotify.com/track/1FkZVtk0FFPCBkHraLrb2l

08/27/2026

As our music teachers are gearing up for back-to-school, we thought we'd take a moment to celebrate them! 🍎🎶

Is there a Berks County music teacher that you want to celebrate and thank? Nominate them in the comments!
🎵 Tell us your music teacher's name and what school they're from.
🗣️ Let us know why you are nominating them.
📚 They will then be entered into a drawing to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card!

One lucky winner will be randomly selected and announced on Monday, August 24th–so be sure to get your submissions in before the deadline!

08/25/2026

✨Song Spotlight✨

Maria Durch Ein Dornwald Ging

This piece is an arrangement of a traditional German Christmas carol. The text translates to "Maria walks amid the thorns." In the carol, the first verse is all about Maria walking amid the thorns while being pregnant with Jesus. The second highlights that Jesus is right under Maria's heart. Then finally, in the third verse, the thorns miraculously bloom and are covered with roses.

https://open.spotify.com/track/7AL9bzO7WfY1hsDSH6meDn listen now on Spotify 🎶

08/20/2026

✨Tickets on Sale Now ✨

Bach's Leipzig Reformation Celebration
📅Saturday, October 24, 2026
📍Atonement Lutheran Church
⏰7:30 pm

Johann Sebastian Bach wrote “Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild” (God the Lord is sun and shield) for Reformation Day 1725, his third year as Thomaskantor in Leipzig. The text begins with a quotation from Psalm 84 and includes two hymn stanzas, the first from Martin Rinckart's "Nun danket alle Gott" (a hymn always used on Reformation Day in Leipzig) as the third movement, and a stanza of Ludwig Helmbold's "Nun laßt uns Gott dem Herren" as the final movement. The cantata is scored for three vocal soloists, a four-part choir, and an orchestra consisting of two horns, timpani, and pairs of flutes and oboes, strings and continuo.

We pair this with Bach’s "Missa Brevis in G Major," a large portion of which is parodied (reworked music) from the cantata. (For example, the “Gloria in excelsis” uses music from the opening chorus of the cantata, while the “Domine Deus” adapts the cantata’s fifth movement. In this way the audience gets to learn and hear Bach’s parody techniques.

You don't want to miss this!

Get your tickets now https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/bachs-leipzig-reformation-celebration

08/18/2026

Today's featured piece is "Let the Stable Still Astonish."

This is a holiday piece for SATB and piano with text by Leslie Leyland Fields about the astonishing nature of the stable. The poetry makes a connection between our dark hearts and the crumbling stable only to conclude that "God of Heaven and Earth" was born here in this place with a purpose. The piece travels back and forth between astonishment and calm through to the end where the poet highlights the purpose of this birth.

Listen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMc3k2ZMGZM 🎶

08/13/2026

✨Song Spotlight ✨

"Old Dreams"
A piece for SATB and piano with text by William Butler Yeats. The text refers to a person "nodding by the fire" and getting down to their book of life and looking back on the life they lived. The poem has a very melancholy and reflective feel, as does the musical tone.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3t675M4Mv1WAZrKLQdDQqi🎶

08/13/2026

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/bachs-leipzig-reformation-celebration

Join Vox Philia for “Bach’s Leipzig Reformation Celebration. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote “Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild” (God the Lord is sun and shield)…

08/11/2026

Today we are highlighting our past performance of "Before the Sun Goes Down." 🌞

This piece was originally written for a wedding. The text is by Astrid Hjertenaes Andersen and speaks of wildflower hands and kisses living like birds on the lovers' shoulders. The music sets the text in a flowing and gentle way 🎶

Check out the link in https://open.spotify.com/track/3xV2r6SU5WodHb1XG3Qqzu to hear Vox perform "Before the Sun Goes Down" on Spotify 🔊

08/06/2026

Been missing the sounds of Vox Philia over summer break? 😔

You can listen to our past performances on Spotify 🎶

https://open.spotify.com/album/06gl65qBmSOMGdxN8FMIxQ?go=1&sp_cid=d24aaafa776eaaafdb9c7d14003b8b69&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&nd=1&dlsi=1af218bbf09c452f

David Himes · album · 2025 · 8 songs