Every track on Opus 8's upcoming album Firsts is a premiere recording. These debuts span half a millennium of choral history and are a testament to the ensemble's commitment to unearthing ancient musical gems and celebrating 21st Century composers. Brand new folksong arrangements by director, Robert Busiakiewicz, reimagine and invert old expectations of the genre, while cherishing familiar tunes. John Beckwith's touching setting of bpNichol's 'All At Once' displays an effortless technique through economy of means. This is contrasted with the chansons of Franco-Flemish composers Nicolas Gombert, Thomas Crecquillon, and Jean L'Héritier, who lived during the first half of the 16th Century. These mysterious works subvert our impressions of angelic purity which too often become attached to the works of renaissance polyphony. Through new transposed performing editions and scholarly ficta, these masters of harmony are given a fresh lease of life. Works by Cambridge professor, Robin Holloway and Jazz musician Richard Meehan inspire Opus 8 to virtuosic heights. Their settings of T.S. Eliot and Y.B. Yeats are truly a feast for the ears and the mind in eight-part counterpoint.

As always, entry is pay-what-you’re-able - whether that’s a ticket to the opera or an extra bus fair, all are welcome. CDs will be on sale for $15. As well, there’ll be a raffle - here’s what you’re in for if you win: a copy of Opus 8’s two recordings, Melancholy & Mirth and Firsts, as well as a behind-the-scenes invitation to sit in on an Opus 8 rehearsal.