Category: Recording Projects - LUX

Lux to Record New All-Mealor Album

5/14/2022

After a year of discussions and planning, Lux is thrilled to announce that we will be recording a brand new album of new works from renowned composer Paul Mealor! Mealor will be joining us for the recording, which will be in late July 2022. Entitled Lead, Kindly Light, the album will include many unrecorded works, including some world premieres, next to a few of his most celebrated pieces.

On the project, director Robby Napoli said, "It's really a surreal feeling getting to be a part of this project. So many of us who started Lux together grew up listening to [Tenebrae's Mealor album] A Tender Light, and that played such a large part in inspiring us to take that next step with our love of choral music. To have the opportunity to record this new music for the next generation of choral musicians to enjoy is an absolute privilege."

Lux's collaborations with Mealor began during our virtual season, Songs From Home, during which we had the pleasure of recording his well-loved piece, She Walks in Beauty. Aside from just the virtual recording, Mealor and Napoli sat down to discuss the piece, the beginnings of Paul's career, and some of the projects he has been a part of recently. Afterwards, the two got to talking and decided that they wanted to collaborate further, this time with a much bigger project: a full-length album of Mealor's music.

"I have had the great pleasure of working with this brilliant group of young singers a number of times and have really enjoyed and been musically and artistically enriched every time," said Mealor, "This is certainly a CD/Download you'll want to get."

The track list will feature the title track, Lead, Kindly Light, O Beata Trinitas, i carry your heart with me, Lead Me, Lord, and the aforementioned She Walks in Beauty, among others. For more information on the release of the album, be sure to follow Lux (@choirlux) and Paul Mealor (Facebook) on social media.

Paul Mealor meets Lux members for the first time in 2017.
(Left to right: Robby Napoli, John-Paul Teti, Thomas Rust, Paul Mealor, Bernadette Tirador, Anya Trudeau)

Cole Reyes Named Composition Contest Winner

12/14/2020

After reviewing 44 submissions from 11 countries, totaling over 3 hours of music, Lux's panel of judges for their first-ever composition contest has named a winner: Cole Reyes. The winning piece, Alleluia (The Rose), is a fresh and evocative setting of the famous text There is No Rose.

Lux Manager Emily Shallbetter, a judge of the contest, was "so impressed by so many of the submissions [Lux] received," and hopes that "all of our applicants enjoyed writing their pieces as much as I enjoyed listening to them."

On his winning piece, Reyes said, "I decided to use a classic Christmas text, There Is No Rose mostly because of its juxtaposition of English and Latin. We have, standing side-by-side, the old and the new." This contrast of old and new seems wholly fitting as the final part of Lux's Christmas From Home program, made up of both ancient chant and a newly-composed chant from local composer Christen Holmes, commissioned by Lux.

"This piece seeks to symbolize the current state of the winter season," Reyes says, "The month of December is a time full of holidays, religious and secular — a time filled with loved ones and gifts. We create traditions that we stand by year after year. This piece is a tribute to the evolution of traditions."

Cole Reyes's Alleluia (The Rose) will be premiered virtually as part of Lux's audience-interactive Winter Season, Christmas From Home.

We're Streaming!

8/5/2020

Our latest release, My Lord Has Come, is now available on Spotify and Apple Music! Blending the popular and the lesser known pieces that we've come to love into one release; My Lord Has Come includes simple arrangements of classic hymns next to more lush arrangements of classic melodies like Rathbone's Silent Night, and finally including other Christmas & Advent anthems like Howells's Sing Lullaby or Pärt's O Weisheit.

Listen now on your favorite streaming platform and continue supporting our music by making a donation or buying your copy of My Lord Has Come today!

Lux Virtual Choir

6/5/2020

Earlier this week, in conjunction with our Education Initiative, we released our first-ever Virtual Choir! In the midst of the COVID-19 Crisis this year, we wanted to create a performance opportunity for some of our local high school choirs, so we teamed up with three amazing HS choirs in the state of Maryland to sing one more song before the end of their school year. Over the course of three weeks, students used Lux practice tracks, and participated in recorded mini-masterclasses to describe how our singers would prepare a piece like this for rehearsals, performances, and recording projects.

Many thanks to all those who helped us celebrate these amazing choirs and their hard work this year both in person and online as we premiered our first collaboration with these schools! A special thanks, of course, goes to directors Mrs. Kelly Butler (Walter Johnson HS, Montgomery County), Mr. Robby Napoli (Chesapeake HS, Anne Arundel County), and Ms. Amy Vanek (Clarksburg HS), as well as all of their singers for collaborating with us on this project.

See the video right here on this post to hear the final product and continue supporting Maryland's young choral artists!

That's a Wrap!

1/7/2019

Just a few days ago, we gave our final performance of our Winter season, and we couldn't have been more excited to share so many wonderful moments with our audiences! We were absolutely overwhelmed by your support, and had so much fun sharing our music with everyone. Special thanks to Quorus, who joined forces with us to create an exhilarating concert between two of the best young choral groups in Maryland. But of course, our biggest thank you goes to you! Our fans and supporters. Without you, we simply couldn't have done what we were able to do this season, or any season!

This Winter, we performed three different programs in two states and for three distinct audiences - more than ever before in our four-year history! This was also our first season as a non-profit business, and we are excited to announce that we are beginning the planning stages to release two new albums in 2019!

Weren't able to make it to our performances, but still want to support our work? Never fear! Visit our Donate and Shop pages, and follow with our social media for more pictures and videos of this weekends' performances.

In the meantime, enjoy some pictures below from our Baltimore concert with Quorus:

New "Listen" Page

8/14/2018

We're very excited to announce that, as of Saturday, August 11, we have added a new "Listen" page to our website! Previously, under our "Media" heading, we had a page full of our YouTube videos for you to enjoy some of our video footage from concerts past. Now you can enjoy some samples of our studio recordings as well! Use the buttons below to visit our newly minted "Listen" & "Watch" pages.

Featured Choral Album!

7/6/2018

We're incredibly proud and excited to announce that we will be featured as Classical MPR's Featured Choral Album of the Week! Lux now stands alongside other winners such as Voces8, Tenebrae, The Sixteen, Blue Heron, The Crossing, and more. Tune in at 12 pm EST (using the "Read More" button below) to listen to selections from our newest release Now Ye Heavenly Powers.

Exciting News!

6/21/2018

The night of our St. Jerome's concert, we released our second album, Now Ye Heavenly Powers. Featuring over an hour of stunning music, Lux's talent and passion are on full display in this album. With works spanning from Anton Bruckner and Antonio Lotti, to Eric Whitacre and John Tavener, to Dave Matthews and Kurt Bestor, you're sure to find something you'll love on this album. Buy Now Ye Heavenly Powers now by clicking the button below!

Big News!

6/13/2018

A few days ago, we posted on our social media that big news was coming soon, and now it's here! On June 17 (the day of our concert!), we'll be releasing our second album, Now Ye Heavenly Powers. Including some of our favorite recordings from the last two seasons, you'll be getting twice the music as our last release (and twice the rumbly notes, too!). First dibs go to our audience this Sunday, so be sure to mark your calendars and be there for the release, which feature some of this generation's most talented composers, and some classics from the choral repertoire you're sure to enjoy. See you Sunday!

Today's the Day!

1/6/2018

It's recording day! Another exciting day was filled with Tavener, Whitacre, Barber, and more at Georgetown Preparatory School's beautiful Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes. We also had a new and exciting addition in our session today: To bolster our low basses this time around, we invited a mentor of many of our founding members, Mr. James L. Turk (lovingly known as "Coach"), who was the high school director of many of our tenors and basses at DeMatha High School. He was such a treat to sing with, and provided much inspiration for us all in speaking with us throughout the day.

Keep an eye out for new releases from both this session and our last session. Recording projects are piling up and we're so excited to release them to you! While you wait for that, enjoy some scenes (and Snapchats) from the day...