Vajra Voices—the Bay Area’s soul-stirring women’s vocal ensemble—bridges 11th-century polyphony with American traditions of devotional singing in Aquitania to Appalachia: Our Ancient Belonging.
Joined by the inventive multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Shira Kammen, the ensemble will explore the powerful synergy of singing and prayer in “rich, electric, full-blooded” ensemble. As the Irish spiritual teacher John O’Donahue (1956–2008) writes: “Prayer is the voice of longing that reaches outward and inwards to unearth our ancient belonging.”
Allison Zelles Lloyd; Amy Stuart Hunn; Caroline Jou Armitage; Celeste D. Winant; Phoebe Jevtovic Rosquist, singers; Karen R. Clark, director joined by special guest Shira Kammen, vielle and medieval harp
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 7:30 PM
First Presbyterian Church
1140 Cowper Street at Lincoln, Palo Alto
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 7:30 PM
First Church Berkeley UCC (First Congregational)
2345 Channing Way
SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 4:00 PM
St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church
500 De Haro St, San Francisco
About Vajra Voices
In 2010, director Karen R. Clark (contralto) founded Vajra Voices to develop a deeply embodied approach to ensemble singing, with a particular focus on the works of Hildegard von Bingen. Since then Vajra Voices has had the honor to work with Garret-Moulton Dance Company's productions Speak, Angels and The Luminous Edge; the conception and premiere of composer and Guggenheim recipient, Theresa Wong's To Burst To Bloom, the Oakland Ballet, and for the 40th Anniversary Celebration of Women's Ministry in the Episcopal Church. Vajra Voices recordings of music of Hildegard von Bingen have been featured on Reverend Matthew Fox's Shift Network classes; and for the movie soundtrack for Vajra Films new release, OUTERLANDS which premieres in the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2025.
The ensemble's 2016 recording with multi-instrumentalist Shira Kammen, O ETERNE DEUS: Music of Hildegard von Bingen (Music & Arts) is acclaimed worldwide. The U.K.’s Choir & Organ hailed the CD as "the most convincing Hildegard disc yet from the USA.” A concert review in 2018, hailed an ensemble that "moves, breathes and sings as one, with a striking level of vocal artistry, unbelievable accuracy and precision, and… obvious delight" (San Francisco Classical Voice). Vajra Voices expanded its ambit into new music in 2018 with the development and premiere of Theresa Wong’s improvisatory composition To Burst To Bloom, a collection of six songs setting the poems on inner alchemy of the 12th Century Chinese Taoist Immortal, Sun Bu’er. The full work was premiered in January, 2019 at "The Eve of the March," a Vajra Voices-produced concert at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, held the night before the 2019 national Women's March.
Each member of Vajra Voices contributes an extraordinary level of vocal artistry as well as individual areas of expertise in conducting, education, comparative literature, vocal pedagogy, physics, and historically informed performance practice. Together, these musicians form a “robust, heartfelt and elegant ensemble” (San Francisco Chronicle). The ensemble's repertoire continues to expand since its first performance at the Berkeley Festival & Exhibition in 2010. Its early music repertory now includes the florid chant of Hildegard von Bingen, early polyphony from the St. Martial de Limoges, and Las Huelgas manuscripts; songs of the troubadours and trouvères; and motets, formes fixes, and lais of Guillaume de Machaut.
