VOX Femina marks 30th season with an Andrea Ramsey world premiere

By Tom Whitfield

VOX Femina Los Angeles will mark 30 seasons on Saturday, November 14, at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles with Andrea Ramsey’s world premiere and a collaboration with Lumina Treble Chorus.

The concert, “In Her Element,” centers on Mother Earth. According to VOX Femina Los Angeles’s season announcement, the program features works inspired by the elements that “shape her,” the new Ramsey commission and a collaboration with Lumina Treble Chorus. The announcement does not state the year, title Ramsey’s new work or list the full repertory, so the premiere’s scale remains unstated.

Ramsey previously wrote “Suffrage Cantata,” which VOX commissioned in 2020. The announcement calls VOX an award-winning chorus without naming the award, a small gap in an otherwise detailed season disclosure.

She wanted to recognize Mother Earth through works inspired by the elements that “shape her.” “Mother Earth is our mother to all, so I wanted to recognize where our foundation is,” Levine said.

She also explained the title: “I also want to draw attention to the fact that there’s a sort of double meaning of ‘In Her Element.’ One is the element of Mother Earth, the other is that VOX is in her element.”

The VOX announcement notes that women’s choirs were popular in the 19th century, but sustaining one for 30 years in Los Angeles would be a harder achievement. Levine founded VOX in 1997 to give women voice. The group says its mission is to create, through music, “a world that affirms the worth and dignity of every person.”

Levine, described in the VOX announcement as a nationally recognized choral conductor, said: “It’s really quite a wonderful milestone for us to reach, especially in Los Angeles, and especially after the pandemic, when many groups folded during that time.”

What does the anniversary season change for VOX?

According to the VOX announcement, the chorus grew from 21 members in its first iteration to 50. Levine said the larger ensemble can “do different repertory that calls for a bigger chorus.” Size has not erased the group’s identity, she added: “But we still have a core sound that if you listened to us 20 years ago, you’ll hear that similar sound today.”

Four singers remain founders, and Levine estimated that at least 10 members have been with VOX for 20-plus years. “And we still have four singers who are founding members, and probably at least 10 who have been with us 20-plus years,” she said.

The VOX announcement says the chorus has commissioned over 70 new works for women’s voices, many from emerging composers, and collaborated with more than 50 contemporary composers.

Levine said VOX promotes women composers “because over the years, they have been passed over so many times and called ‘Anonymous.’” She estimated that about two-thirds of composers on its list were women and one-third were men.

Her concern is not numerical: “I want to make sure that the composer understands women’s voices, that they have some kind of experience in working with adult women’s voices.”

VOX has performed at or taken part in about 300 community events. It has also collaborated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale, the announcement says.

Levine retired in 2022 after more than three decades at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, then returned as its interim president from July 2025 through June 2026. The VOX announcement says she may have stepped down from that university post, but she has no plan to leave the chorus.

Her reason for remaining with VOX is direct: “artistry is advocacy.”

She explained: “I think that every time we step onstage, there’s a story to be told. That is my job as the person who’s programming concerts to ensure that the story comes out.”

“Sometimes it comes out in a specific piece, and sometimes it comes out over the journey of the entire concert. I think we really show, not only what a women’s chorus can do, but we show through our mission, the importance of, say, women composers, as well as the social justice things that we stand for.”

Two more concerts extend the anniversary season:

• “Her City. Her Song” on March 6 will honor women composers and include a commission by Reena Esmail.
• “Her Story: 30 Years of VOX” on June 6 at the Colburn School’s Zipper Concert Hall will revisit the ensemble’s journey, highlight messages of empowerment and premiere Dale Trumbore’s “Her Story.” The announcement calls it a “jubilant showcase of voices that have shaped the chorus over the past three decades.”

The VOX announcement provides no March 6 venue, no year for the remaining dates and no ticket details for the season.

For audiences, the practical change is three themed programs: Mother Earth, women composers and VOX’s own history. The season adds a world premiere from Andrea Ramsey, a commission from Reena Esmail and Dale Trumbore’s “Her Story.” For VOX, the harder task is turning artistic growth into durable capacity.

Levine said she has no plan to leave: “I’m as busy as ever,” she said. “VOX brings me great joy, and I intend to at least be here for a number of years as we move on.”

She hopes VOX will “continue to grow” in staffing and said: “One of the things I want to make sure we do is that we’re also part of the [2028] Olympics.” The announcement defines neither that role nor its timing. The unresolved measure is whether institutional growth also improves recognition for the women composers VOX says have been overlooked. The anniversary programs test the chorus’s artistry; staffing and Olympic participation remain plans without announced details.