Vox Mago concert choir performs qualitative and original repertoire. The choice for a careful selection of committed singers ensures a constant qualitative growth of this vocal ensemble led by Patrick Debrabandere.
Small-scale concerts quickly gave way to larger projects with soloists and orchestra. Vox Mago initially performs work by various well-known baroque composers such as G. F. Handel (2009), Henry Purcell (2010), Dietrich Buxtehude (2012 & 2013) and J.S. Bach (2013). Increasingly, Vox Mago explores works by rather unknown composers and their creations, with the aim of revaluing these lost musical gems. This resulted in programmes involving Jan Dismas Zelenka (2012), Johann Adolf Hasse (2013), J.D. Heinichen (2014) bValentin Rathgeber (2014), performances that always manage to touch the hearts of the audience.
On December 22 and 23, 2016 we presented works by Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Dietrich Buxtehude under the title Das Neugeborne Kindelein. This gave rise to the Advent cycle “Tempus Adventus”, in which three baroque gems were dusted in a first programme, namely the Magnificat by Heinichen, that by Graupner and the baroque cantata Ich danke dem Herrn von ganzem Herzen by Telemann. In the second edition we performed music by Zelenka, Telemann and Bach. These productions are discussed in detail on our past productions page. In addition to our baroque interpretations, we perform music from other periods and from closer to home. For example, in March 2011 we performed a particularly appreciated concert in the Sint-Anna Church in Ghent with music by romantic and contemporary composers such as Jules Van Nuffel, John Rutter and Arvo Pärt.
In 2015 we created the oratorio by the German composer Carl Gottlieb Reißiger (1798-1859), entitled David. Performers and listeners alike were amazed by the exceptionally beautiful form and harmonizations of this beautiful romantic music, never before performed in Belgium. For the first time, our performance was also immortalized in a professional audio and video recording, which you can purchase through our shop and which could also be admired in full on the television channel Stingray Brava-TV.
On 29 and 30 April 2016, we performed Great Cathedral Composers, a project around the imposing cathedral music of Stanford, Elgar and Parry, grand masters of British music, in the beautiful setting of the Saint Jacob Church ('Sint-Jacobskerk') in Ghent. In May 2017, we performed Mozart's monumental Requiem, combined with his Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, which generated great public interest and enthusiasm. On the 10th anniversary in 2018, an anniversary concert was dedicated to the unknown Spanish composer Francisco Valls and his Missa Scala Aretina, never before performed in Belgium, combined with Handel's rarely performed Dettingen Te Deum. In March 2019, Rheinberger's Stabat Mater was performed in combination with D. Buxtehude's powerful yet intimate Membra Jesu Nostri.
After a forced pause, we were finally able to perform Arthur Somervell's creation The Passion of Christ, newly orchestrated for Vox Mago, in March 2022!
Last December it was time for the fourth edition of Tempus Adventus, with works by Zeiler, Homilius, Zelenka and Telemann. And for our 15th anniversary, we naturally opted for jubilant choirs, joyous trumpet blasts and festive timpani rolls in rarely performed baroque gems by Bach, Telemann and Zelenka.
