Events
Ensemble Bel Voce
Chicago, USAclassical · baroque · early-music · choral
Bella Voce is one of Chicago's most distinguished vocal ensembles, with a history dating back to 1982, when it was founded under the name His Majestie's Clerkes. Specialising in early and Baroque music, the ensemble presents its repertoire through historically informed performance practice rooted in the English Renaissance and European Baroque traditions, while also boldly incorporating contemporary works. Regular collaborations with Chicago's leading period-instrument ensembles – including the Newberry Consort, Orpheus Band, and Chicago Baroque Ensemble – define its artistic identity. Bella Voce has recorded for the prestigious Cedille Records label and has been broadcast multiple times on Chicago's classical radio station WFMT-FM and on NPR's Performance Today. Guest appearances at the American Musicological Society, the American Choral Directors Association, and the Stratford-upon-Avon Music Festival highlight its international standing. Renowned guest conductors including Sir David Willcocks and Simon Preston have worked with the ensemble. In April 2022, the Chicago Classical Review praised the ensemble's stylistically refined and historically grounded performance of Handel's Messiah.
Ensemble Bel Voce live in Mallorca
Friday, 30 October 2026
Frequently asked questions about Ensemble Bel Voce
What is Bella Voce's musical focus?
Bella Voce specialises in early and Baroque music performed using historically informed practices, covering repertoire from the English Renaissance and European Baroque through to contemporary works.
Where does Bella Voce come from and how long has it existed?
The ensemble was founded in Chicago in 1982, originally under the name His Majestie's Clerkes, and has been a fixture of Chicago's classical music scene for over four decades.
On which major stages and festivals has Bella Voce performed?
The ensemble has appeared at the Stratford-upon-Avon Music Festival, the American Choral Directors Association, and has been broadcast on WFMT-FM Chicago and NPR's Performance Today.