Created in October 2008 by Asta Timukaïte – Lemiesle, the Ensemble vocal Laeta Voce is a mixed chamber choir of around 25 talented singers. It draws from a wide musical spectrum ranging from Gregorian chant to the present day, specializing more recently in contemporary works by composers from all over the world. With new and sometimes unfamiliar sonorities these works are appreciated by a faithful and well-informed audience.
Based in Paris, the choir sets its ambition to work on two programmes each year: one sacred, one secular.
Since its beginning, the choir has performed in prestigious Paris churches, such as Saint-Louis-en-L’Ile, Saint-Ignace, Notre-Dame-du-Travail, Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, Saint Séverin, the Dominicain Convent of the Annunciation, as well as participating in Paris at the annual French Summer Solstice Music Festival.
Laeta Voce has participated in several international music festivals: During the summer of 2010, the choir travelled to Vilnius, Lithuania to participate in the Kristupo Vasaros festival.
The Spring of 2011, Laeta Voce gave three performances of César Franck’s The Seven Last Words of Christ.
In December 2012, the choir took part in the Prague Music Festival of Advent and Christmas, where it was awarded first prize for its interpretation of Petr Eben’s “From Life to Life”.
The choir has also participated several times at the Festival10 de Choeurs in Paris, and has toured in France and Poland.
Born in Vilnius, Asta Timukaïté-Lemiesle’s childhood was steeped in the choral music tradition of the Baltic countries where choirs abound in every school, college and university. From the age of seven, Asta sang in several choirs under the direction of renowned choirmasters.
This attraction led her to enter the Conservatory of Music after her baccalaureate. There followed four years of study which were continued at the Academy of Music in Vilnius, where she obtained her degree as choirmaster. Asta created several choirs and vocal ensembles while at the same time participating in the well-known “Cantemus” choir (dir. L.V. Lopas), winning prizes in several prestigious international competitions, such as Debrecen in Hungary, Tours in France, Arezzo in Italy, Tolosa in Spain.
While member of the Gregorian choir of Vilnius, Asta came to France on several occasions, to extend her knowledge of sacred chant singing at the Abbey of Solesmes, under the tutoring of Dom D. Saulnier, director of music Paleography. Upon his advice Asta continued her studies in 1997, at the Paris Conservatory of Music in the class of L. M. Vigne then at the Sorbonne where she obtained her Master II musicology with honours.
Asta created and directs the choir of St. Ignatius Jesuit church in Paris, while at the same time remaining chorister in both the Paris Gregorian Choir Female Voices and Madrigal de Paris.
In 2008, with her long and rich experience, Asta Timukaïté-Lemiesle decided to create her own Ensemble Vocal. It was thus that Laeta Voce came into being, a diverse group of confirmed choristers with the objective to cover the entire musical repertoire from Gregorian chant to present day.
Progressively the music of the XXth and XXIst centuries has taken the lead with ambition to introduce contemporary composers and unknown works that delight both choristers and our public. This music is now the face of Laeta Voce.