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Voces8 from Finchampstead

As far as charity singles go, Evensong has to rank as one of the most interesting you'll probably ever come across.

And it all started when an award-winning a cappella group based in Finchampstead called Voces8 performed a concert in London.

The eight piece (as their name, Italian for Eight Voices, suggests) were approached by two audience members afterwards with an offer of an exciting project.

The two men just so happened to be Ken Howard and Alan Blakely, who are the first British songwriters to have written a song for Elvis Presley.

The duo wrote I've Lost You for the King, and are responsible for 40 top 20 hits, including the Miss Marple theme tune.

Barnaby Smith - counter tenor and conductor

Voces8 co-founder Barnaby Smith remembers "They came up to us afterwards and said 'we'd really love to help you".

"Ken was looking to do something again with his Miss Marple theme tune, which had been a top 20 hit in the past had sold in 60 countries around the world."

The counter tenor and conductor adds: "They decided that they wanted to write some text for the Miss Marple theme tune and present it as an a cappella eight-part arrangement for us to record."

The result is Evensong, a remarkable and stunningly beautiful a cappella allegory.

Barnaby explains: "The song tells the tale of a sophisticated teenage girl who is attempting to lure a younger chorister away from his choral duties, take him down to the city and show him what she considers to be real fun.

"It tries to dramatise contemporary conflicts between traditional values and the permissive 21st century, so it's a real morality tale."

He goes on to explain that the young chorister stands up for what he believes in and successfully resists the lure of the bright lights in favour of church.

Voces8 release Evensong on 1 Dec 2008

"We all have these dilemmas in life where we don't necessarily get to do what we want to do," says Barnaby, "but we have to do what we said we're going to do - so it opens up that angle using the traditional evensong and church theme."

And the Miss Marple theme tune ensures that the melody sticks in your head.

"We've had so many comments from people saying 'we've heard the track on YouTube and we can't get it out of our heads'" the singer laughs.

All proceeds to Evensong are ploughed into an educational project called Hatch My Ideas - a Government scheme run by Voces8 to encourage music and singing in 200 schools across the UK - and also towards the restoration of St James's Church in Finchampstead.

The charity single can be found on Voces8's album, also called Evensong, which covers a wide spectrum of musical styles from pop to jazz to liturgy.

St James church in Finchampstead

The album launch is on Monday 1 December 2008 with a launch concert taking place on Tuesday 2 December at St James Church, Church Lane in Finchampstead.

At the concert Voces8 will present an evening of Christmas favourites along with their debut single Evensong.

The single was recorded and filmed in and around St James' Church and the concert is in aid of St James' Church Conservation.

Voces8 have won many awards across Europe, most recently picking up first prize in both the sacred and secular categories in the European Choral Grand Prix.

"We feel it's our mission in life to take choral music, especially English choral music, around the globe with us," says Barnaby.

It certainly sounds like they're succeeding.

Find out more about Voces8 here: