VOX 3 Collective educates both performers and audiences through varied performances of vocal music. Formed in 2007, the group quickly instituted one of Chicago’s only regular art song recital series. Its members are graduates of some of the country’s finest conservatory programs and have appeared with major opera companies and orchestras throughout the world. Pairing standard and obscure repertoire—whether Renaissance motet, Baroque opera, Romantic lieder or contemporary art song—VOX 3 concerts and recitals feature thoughtful programming and provide intimate interaction between singer, accompanist, and audience. Featured on WLUW radio, WOCH television and recommended by critics and publications throughout Chicago, VOX 3 concerts are entertaining and educational. Beyond musical performance, VOX 3 builds bridges between branches of art, culture and history, with its educational efforts through original essays, lectures and other events. Lasting about 35 minutes, Fauré's Requiem was initially premiered in Paris in 1888, but revised several times. Often performed today as a concert work with full orchestra, VOX 3 Collective's performance uses a chamber orchestration and small force of 27 singers. Recorded live at Chicago Temple in March 2013, the performance balances clean transparency with warm tones and hushed spirituality. Instead of focusing on sadness or grief, Gillespie's piece, with Biblical and poetic English-language texts collected by a family member, asks the questions: "What makes a life noble? How do we live a good life?" Using 4-part vocal writing, combining recognized musical forms such as fugue and passacaglia with a distinctly accessible modern idiom, Gillespie's "Honor Requiem" balances substance and comforting simplicity. Performers and audience members alike commented on the piece's striking beauty, moments of power, and overall emotional impact. Featured performers are soloists Gretchen Adams, Brian Hoffman, Rebecca Prescott, Malia Ropp, Elizabeth Shuman, and Sean Stanton. James Morehead conducts, with Alexander Kirillov playing the Chicago Temple's historic E.M. Skinner pipe organ.