Louisville’s own Voces Novae (VN) is a unique, semi-professional choral ensemble conducted by our Artistic Director, Angela Vaughn Hampton.  The ensemble was founded in 1993 by Frank A. Heller, III, and is composed of selectively-auditioned singers from the Louisville and Southern Indiana metropolitan area.  The Latin phrase voces novae (“new voices”) reflects its mission and vision:

A community uplifting the human spirit by performing the finest in choral literature.  We are dedicated to awakening the highest musical artistry, providing a camaraderie that nurtures our members’ musical and personal development, and delivering a gift to our audience that evokes the spirit with which we embrace our music.

In June 2023, Voces Novae traveled to London to join with Vox Anima and choral groups from around the world for the UK premiere of Elaine Hagenberg’s Illuminare. VN members joined the Eagles onstage as part of their “Hotel California” tour stop at the KFC Yum! Center in 2022.  The Louisville Orchestra (LO), under the direction of Teddy Abrams, performed Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in 2019, inviting Voces Novae to perform with them onstage in collaboration with U of L’s Collegiate Chorale, the Louisville Chamber Choir, and several local-area high school and church choirs.  In years prior, VN performed Carmina Burana with the LO, as well as another iteration of Beethoven’s Ninth, directed by Jorge Mester.

Voces Novae’s repertoire includes a particular focus on a cappella and contemporary American music; however, the ensemble consistently performs an eclectic array of works ranging from early chant to European classical to living modern composers.

As Marty Rosen wrote in The Courier-Journal, “Though Frank Heller III and company are masterful interpreters of established repertoire, hardly a concert goes by that they don’t also find at least one brilliant contemporary work that seems to transcend the limits of choral performance.”  Mr. Rosen praised Voces Novae as “one of Louisville’s most treasured musical institutions” (The Courier-Journal) and later wrote, “Of all of Louisville’s musical ensembles—including the orchestra and the opera—none more consistently creates heart-wrenching, jaw-dropping, emotional moments than Voces Novae.”  (LEO)

“Heller knows how to coax a sound from his colleagues that is blended elegantly from top to bottom without ever sounding homogenized. … I wanted more, more and more.” (Andrew Adler, The Courier-Journal)

VN continues to grow into our new era under the direction of Angela Vaughn Hampton, and we are glad you are with us on this journey.

 A classic of the season, Handel’s Messiah has inspired music lovers around the world. This beautiful oratorio never loses its luster despite being an all-time favorite piece of music. Enjoy an exceptional performance as singers from the Louisville Chamber Choir join the LO in the beautiful acoustics of the Cathedral of the Assumption.

Scripture and Song herald the coming Nativity Season. Come celebrate Advent with the Cathedral Choir, Cathedral Singers, the Bell Choir of Louisville Classical Academy, and the Choir of St. Agnes.

 Founded in 1939 by Father Joseph Emrich as the Holy Name Choral Club, the Louisville Chorus has grown into the longest-thriving, most frequently performing choral arts organization in Kentuckiana. Over 80 years later, the Chorus has continued its mission to bring powerful and diverse musical performances to the region, encompassing everything from classical choral masterworks to Broadway hits, Christmas traditions, and patriotic celebrations.

Dr. Philip Brisson is Director of Music and Organist at the Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption in downtown Louisville, the third oldest Catholic Cathedral in the country. In addition to leading the Cathedral’s worship program, he also manages the Cathedral’s Concert Series, which includes the Kelty Endowed Organ Recitals which have further recognized the Cathedral for not only musical excellence in liturgy but also for outstanding concerts in the Louisville community. Philip has led the Cathedral Choir on concert tours to England, Ireland, Germany, Austria, and Washington DC for performances in the Arlington area and at the National Shrine. Locally, the Cathedral Choirs have performed with the Louisville Orchestra, have been featured on television, and have appeared with other prominent local churches for combined Christmas and other choral festivals. Past solo performing experiences have included being “Organist in Residence” at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, England; appearing on the L’Organo Recital Series at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC; and concertizing in Spain, Hungary, Belgium, and Italy.

Dr. Brisson was instrumental in the founding of the Louisville Master Chorale, a premier chorale ensemble which performs the great chorale literature with orchestra in local churches throughout the Louisville area, where he was Organist and Associate Director for its first five years. Prior to his work with the LMC, he was Chorus Master for the Kentucky Opera and prepared choruses for performances which included Puccini’s Turandot and Madame Butterfly, Verdi’s La Traviata, Il Trovatore and Otello, Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites, Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila, Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, Massenet’s Werther, Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta, and Donizetti’s L’elisir d’Amore.

As an organ soloist, he has given recitals in all 50 states. He has appeared with the Lexington Philharmonic, the Oratorio Society of Queens, and with the Louisville Orchestra as guest soloist performing the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony with Raymond Leppard conducting. In the summer of 2011, Philip was also a featured performer for the Region V AGO Convention in Lexington, KY and the NPM National Convention in Louisville, KY.

As a teacher, Dr. Brisson served on the faculty of Bellarmine University where he taught organ performance and a Church Music Internship at the Cathedral. Until taking over the Kentucky Opera Chorus, he oversaw the choral program at Indiana University Southeast, where he conducted the Concert Choir, the Community Chorus, and taught choral conducting. He has also presented workshops to the American Guild of Organists and to the National Association of Pastoral Musicians at both the regional and national level.

Originally from New York City, Philip received his BM in Organ Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, CUNY. While at Queens, he studied organ and conducting with Paul Maynard, the former director of the New York Pro Musica. After being accepted into graduate organ performance programs at Juilliard, Indiana, and Michigan, Philip decided to attend Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he earned a Masters in Sacred Music. While at Westminster, he studied organ with Robert Carwithen and choral conducting with Allen Crowell. He was also fortunate to regularly sing under Joseph Flummerfelt in the Westminster Symphonic Choir which performed Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Hindemith’s Requiem with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch. In 2005, Philip earned a Doctorate in Organ Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he studied organ with David Higgs and received a choral conducting minor while studying conducting with William Weinert.

Philip Brisson is active in the American Guild of Organists, has served on the Louisville Chapter’s Executive Committee and has held both the Sub-Dean and Dean positions for the Guild. He is also the National Association of Pastoral Musicians Organist Liaison for the Louisville Archdiocese, has served as Membership Chairman of the Roman Catholic Conference of Cathedral Musicians, and is a member of The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Dr. Brisson also founded the concert artist cooperative EastWestOrganists.com, which represents several prominent young American organists in the United States. Philip, his wife, and their daughter reside in Old Louisville, the nation’s largest Victorian Historic District.

Join the Cathedral Choir as we prepare for Easter with solemn vespers honoring St Jospeh, patron of the archdiocese of Louisville, on his feast day.

 Emmanuel Hocdé was born in 1970 in Château-Gontier in Mayenne. After studying the organ at the Conservatoire National de Région of Saint Maur des Fossés with Gaston Litaize, obtaining a gold medal in 1990, he joined the class of Olivier Latry. He then continued advanced studies with Louis Robilliard at the Conservatoire National de Région in Lyon where he obtained a premier Prix, at the same time attending classes at the Sorbonne (Université-Paris-IV), from where he graduated with a bachelor of Musicology.

In 1992, Emmanuel Hocdé was accepted into the Conservatoire supérieur de Musique in Paris to study with Michel Chapuis and Olivier Latry, graduating with a Premier Prix in organ and a Premier Prix in bass continuo.

In 2001, he obtained a diploma in organ improvisation from the Conservatoire national supérieur de Musique in Lyon (studying with Loïc Mallié). In the same year, he won the “André Marchal Prize” (special mention from the jury), the “Audience Favourite” Prize and the “J. Englert Marchal Prize” (special prize for playing baroc music) at the international Organ Competition in Biarritz.

In 2002, Emmanuel Hocdé won the international Organ Competition in Chartres where he was awarded the Grand Prix for interpretation, the “Audience Favourite” Prize and the Jean-Sebastian Bach Prize. He has performed in France, Europe and the USA at the invitation of the most prestigious organ festivals. Several of his concerts have been broadcast, on notably Radio Classica (Spain), Radio Slovenia and Slovakia, and France Musique. Critics have hailed him as one of the most promising organiste of his generation : “capable of restituting and communicating ail the different facets of compositions with style and sensitivity…, his light intelligent articulation made the most difficult music seem simple and radiant”. ‘Greenwich Citizen-Connecticut’ U.S.A.)

Emmanuel Hocdé is resident organist at the church of Saint Éloi in Paris (12th district) and organ professor in several music schools.