Lumen Chamber Choir: Lumen de Lumine

Choral music has been a passion of mine for many years and the experience of the Aurora reminded me of the overwhelming emotion I felt when I heard Howell’s Collegium Regale for the very first time. The complex range of emotions and images that can be invoked by something as simple as the human voice has always fascinated me. But while familiar pieces will always retain their beauty, there is something magical about discovering new music.

The experience got me to thinking about how Lumen, an amateur chamber choir, could help provide an opportunity for new and emerging composers to have their music discovered. By making it possible for them to have their work recorded and distributed by a commercial label, and not have to bear the full cost of a whole album themselves, we could provide a platform for their music be heard by a wider audience.

The idea represented an enormous leap of faith and I have been lucky to direct a wonderfully talented choir who were willing to join the adventure, and to have the support of Adrian Green and Convivium Records; who believed that a project of this kind could succeed.

I am incredibly proud of what the choir, the composers and the supporters have been able to achieve together. In Lumen de Lumine we have created an innovative new project, both lighting the way for the future of these composers and hopefully the future of choral music itself.

Benjamin Thiele-Long, Conductor of Lumen Chamber Choir, May 2018