Praised by The New York Times for its “incisive, agile strength,” Downtown Voices is a semiprofessional choir conducted by Stephen Sands. Downtown Voices has performed works by Reena Esmail, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Arvo Pärt, Anton Webern, Alberto Ginastera, Leoš Janáček, James MacMillan, and Philip Glass. The choir was recently featured in two world premieres: Luna Pearl Woolf’s Number Our Days at the Perelman Performing Arts Center and Benedict Sheehan’s oratorio Akathist, which was recorded alongside Trinity Choir, Artefact Ensemble, Trinity Youth Chorus, and NOVUS. Downtown Voices made its Carnegie Hall debut in 2022 with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta for the Lukas Foss Centennial Celebration.
Other recent performances include the New York premiere of Reena Esmail’s Malhaar: A Requiem for Water, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana at the Ross Farm, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at the Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew. At Trinity Church, the choir has performed at Compline by Candlelight and headlined numerous marquee concerts. Downtown Voices has been featured with Andrea Bocelli and can be heard on the epic recording Philip Glass: Symphony No. 5, released by Orange Mountain Music, as well as Benedict Sheehan’s Akathist on the Bright Shiny Things label.
