NORTH TEXAS COMPOSER TAYLOR SCOTT DAVIS CELEBRATES MAJOR DECCA CLASSICS ALBUM RELEASE WITH PALM SUNDAY SCREENING AT ST. ANDREW METHODIST CHURCH

Free community event marks international album debut

St. Andrew Methodist Church in Plano invites the community to a special afternoon celebrating the international Decca Classics album release of i carry your heart, a collection of works by acclaimed North Texas composer Taylor Scott Davis – creative director of music and worship at St. Andrew and composer-in-residence for VOCES8, a GRAMMY®- nominated British vocal ensemble.

The free event will take place Sunday, March 29, from 3 – 4 p.m. in the sanctuary and will feature a screening of the London-filmed performance of Davis’ new six-movement Requiem – the centerpiece of the album – recorded by the internationally renowned VOCES8 Foundation Choir and Orchestra. Filmed last June, this performance recording is part of VOCES8’s Easter 2026 LIVE from London series. The event will also feature live musical participation from St. Andrew choral leaders as well as brief remarks from Davis about his inspiration and creative process.

“This is a Requiem for our time,” said Taylor Davis. “It’s about sitting with one another in grief and in hope without needing all of the answers.”

Davis’ six-movement Requiem was commissioned for VOCES8’s 20th anniversary and conducted by Barnaby Smith, co-founder and artistic director of VOCES8. Rooted in the traditional Latin Requiem text and written for modern audiences, the work acknowledges loss while offering a message of hope and shared humanity for listeners of all faith backgrounds or none.

“At the emotional center of the Requiem is Idyll, a poem by English poet Siegfried Sassoon, whose words speak to finding light ‘where gloom and brightness meet,’ giving the work a sense of transition from mourning to hope,” added Davis. “In this 250th anniversary year of American independence, this poem carries special resonance – an English war poet’s words set by an American composer and performed by an ensemble with deep ties to the United States.”

Hailed by The Wall Street Journal for writing “dreamy vocal lines” that “overlap and intensify to stunning effect,” Davis continues a growing international career, with performances in major venues across the United States and abroad. This marks his third album collaboration with VOCES8 and their foundation choir and orchestra.

“The event falls on Palm Sunday and connects with the longstanding Christian tradition of presenting a requiem during Holy Week as a contemplative entry into the sacred season,” added Davis. “Community members as well as area churches are warmly invited to attend this modern requiem experience.”

“St. Andrew has long been committed to excellence in sacred music, and Taylor’s leadership continues to elevate our music ministry to an international level,” said Rev. Arthur Jones, senior pastor, St. Andrew. “We invite the entire community to experience this beautiful and moving work together on Palm Sunday.”

Signed CDs will be available for purchase at a reception following the event. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit standrewmethodist.org/events.

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St. Andrew Methodist Church, founded in 1986, is an independent Methodist congregation in Plano, Texas, with more than 8,000 members. St. Andrew is committed to faith that is real, practical, and life-changing, while offering opportunities for traditional and contemporary worship, discipleship, and service locally, regionally, and globally. The church is home to Invite Ministries, its publishing house, and Beacon of Light, a mental health ministry. St. Andrew is a community of people seeking to live more like Jesus every day and to learn in deeper ways what it means to follow His teachings, live in community, and serve the world. 5801 W. Plano Parkway, Plano, TX 75093, www.standrewmethodist.org, (972) 380-8001

VOCES8, the Grammy-nominated British vocal ensemble, is proud to inspire people through music and share the joy of singing. Touring globally, the group performs an extensive repertoire both in its a cappella concerts and in collaborations with leading orchestras, conductors and soloists. Versatility and celebration of diverse musical expression are central to the ensemble's performance and education ethos which is shared both online and in person. Read the VOCES8 full biography here. VOCES8 is the flagship ensemble of its music education charity, the VOCES8 Foundation.