The Voice Project presents Travels In Light

The concert (a loose term for this sort of evening) took place in three churches, all situated on and around Tombland. Over the course of just over an hour, the sold out audience and choir alike experienced firstly St George's Tombland, where we were served hot apple juice, the male members of the choir dressed in black coats with harmonies from heaven, and heartrending solos from five women and men. The red altar lamps flickered like souls, the history of this 15th centry place of worship surrounding us with its mismatch of decor from throughout the years, including two snapdragons. The atmosphere was intimate, yet grand, all created by humans in 2017. Quite incredible. The wonderful Adrian Lever accompanied at times through the night on piano, orgabn and hammered dulcimer, modest and gentle sounds that suited perfectly. After a while the choir processed out, creating ominous sillhouettes through the windows as they did so, and we all followed to St Peter Hungate. Fires were lit in the churchyard, and lanterns pointed the way - it felt strangely pagan and ancient, the fire, the people, the singing. We filed into what is pretty much an empty shell of a church, and the smell of ancient plaster, the sight of candlelit dust rising and the full chorus of hundreds of people singing songs about light, stars, sleep and travelling filled the room. What a special moment. The music, all written by choir leaders Sian Crosse and Jonathan Baker, was set to poems by the likes of Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson, George Herbert and R.S Thomas, and the modern-style music (not popular as such, and not avant garde, just clear, and true and unfussy) brought the words right up to date. Our third resting place was the United Reformed Church, a much more modern building with a gallery and actual seats. We were surrounded by sound, treated to a reading of Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti's The Changing Light by Simon Floyd, leader of local theatre group The Common Lot, and the soloists then sang it with a jazzy and hip attitude, quite different to the rest of the night. The evening finished with the soloists processing upstairs to join the choir on the gallery, singing as they went, so we could hear them on the stairs, and arriving upstairs - a wonderful moment. The United Reformed Church was my least favourite of the parts of the evening, as it didn't quite hold the mystical quuality of the other venues, and I enjoyed the music slightly less. Overall, it was yet another very special evening courtesy of The Voice Project - although the night did not seem quite as linear as the others, and the outline was not quite so clear, musically it was wonderful, and a rare chance to be in some of the ancient churches of our fine city. The amount of research, creative work and commitment from Sian, Adrian and Jonathan as well as from the choir, made up of all sorts of people, young and old, is what makes The Voice Project so exciting - we are so blessed to have them. I look forward greatly to their next creative endeavour for Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2018 in May.