Path of Miracles from June 20-24, 2023

Voces Boreales is proud to present a state-of-the-art immersive installation—sound, image and light—an initiation to an ‘urban pilgrimage’ in the magnificent St. James United Church, supported solely through technology. The ‘pilgrim’ discovers Joby Talbot’s choral masterpiece, Path of Miracles (2005), while walking along a colourful Camino de Compostela. The multisensory journey—walking, listening, seeing and thinking—invites you to reflect, and to get a sense of the work, the context of the pilgrimage, and the legend of Saint James.

It was inspired by Compostela’s Camino francés—the ancient pilgrim route to Santiago in Northern Spain—Joby Talbot’s emotionally-charged four movements offer their own musical pilgrimage, starting at ‘Roncesvalles’ in the Pyrenees, moving through austere ‘Burgos’ and sunny ‘León,’ and finishing at lush ‘Santiago’ itself. Each movement is characterized in vivid musical brush-strokes, drawing on plainchant, Taiwanese Pasiputput (whose unearthly vocalizations are used to startling effect in the opening section) and minimalism’s obsessive repetitions and slow-phase shifts. Beyond the manifest complexity of its 17 independent vocal lines, this score is musical mysticism at its richest and most greedy—grasping from all traditions and sources, and treasuring each element in this musical collage without losing its sense of transparency. An array of speakers carefully positioned throughout the church gives birth to the epic soundtrack of this musical journey, supported by a breathtaking visual presentation.

Path of Miracles is an encounter with something out of the ordinary—an enveloping sensorial journey. It has also enabled me to discover the lavish architecture of Quebec’s heritage.
- Andrew Gray, Artistic Director

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions: 

Tickets:

• Can be purchased at the door
• Once you have purchased your ticket, you cannot transfer it to someone else, but you can return it anytime during the opening hours.

Format:

• The presentation will be continuous (loop), meaning it will run continuously. You might come in mid-presentation. Don't worry; you are welcome to stay and view the complete presentation up to where it was when you came in. Or, you can come back later. Your ticket allows for multiple access to the event during opening hours.
• We suggest allowing for about one and one-half hours for the entire "Path of Miracles."

Viewing Times:

• As this is a continuous "loop", feel free to drop in any time during our opening hours.

Tuesday, June 20, 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, June 21, 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, June 22, 12:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Friday, June 23, 12:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 24, 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

St. James United Church

We look forward to welcoming you!

To our generous donors:  THANK YOU!