About Us
HORIZON VOICES
WE ARE
Horizon Voices is a professional vocal ensemble and registered charity seeking to broaden musical horizons through a programme of interactive performances, education workshops and community outreach projects. Founded through a shared passion for performance, education and outreach, the ensemble aims to deliver innovative music-making events and projects for diverse audiences including families, young people and the wider community. Curating projects around particular themes encourages audiences to explore, interact with and appreciate a wide range of classical and contemporary choral and vocal repertoire. The ensemble focuses on developing a musical culture which is accessible, engaging and innovative, exploring different approaches to presenting choral music in both conventional and new contexts.
Horizon Voices participated in the 2022-23 Brighton Early Music Festival Emerging Artists Scheme and are now in demand for ensemble recitals, oratorio performances, workshops and multi-disciplinary projects across the country. They have also performed as part of The Sixteen’s Sounds Sublime Festival and participated in masterclasses with La Fonte Musica.
In 2023, Horizon Voices were awarded funding from Arts Council England to develop and deliver a hybrid performance, education and wellbeing project for the 400th anniversary of composer William Byrd, entitled Byrd: Reasons to Sing. They have recently received funding from the Simon Gibson Charitable Trust to developa new project, Elemental – a curated series of short interactive performances focusing on the elements and including commissioned arrangements of folk songs for community engagement.
Our Team
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James Rhodes
James is a tenor, conductor and music education specialist based in Hertfordshire. He graduated from the University of Sheffield with a First Class degree in Music and works as a Director of Music at an independent school, alongside a portfolio of freelance choral, oratorio and conducting work.
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Lindsey James
Sheffield-born soprano Lindsay James gained her First-Class degree in Music at King’s College London, with singing tuition from the Royal Academy of Music. She is an alumna of the Genesis Sixteen and VOCES8 Scholar programmes, and performs with ensembles including Kantos Chamber Choir, London Choral Sinfonia and Philharmonia Voices. Lindsey is also a Teacher of Music and Choral Lead at North London Collegiate School.
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Natalie Houlston
Graduating from Durham University with First Class Honours, Natalie Houlston moved to London to pursue her career in singing, with work from Ora Singers, St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. She now sings regularly with these groups, and has formed close-knit relationships with the BBC Singers, Tenebrae and The Sixteen, alongside her work as a step-out soloist.
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Sophie Timms
Sophie is a British mezzo-soprano from Hertfordshire. An alumnus of The Sixteen’s Genesis Sixteen programme and VOCES8 scholarship, Sophie graduated with a MMus Master’s in Vocal Studies with Distinction from Trinity Laban Conservatoire and performs in professional choral, oratorio, recording and opera work across the UK and abroad. Sophie regularly works with ensembles including The Sixteen, Gabrieli Consort, OAE Choir of the Enlightenment, Ora Singers and London Voices.
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Alex Pratley
Hailing from Guildford, Alex Pratley is a freelance baritone based in London. He received his MMus in Vocal Performance from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with distinction in 2022. An experienced ensemble singer, Alex is further training as an opera singer, and he has recently performed the role of Zuniga (Carmen) for Arcadian Opera.
Check out our bespoke performance programmes where we list our piece selections for each concert programme.