Paul Ayres was born in London, studied music at Oxford University and now works freelance as a composer and arranger, choral conductor and musical director, and organist and accompanist. He has received over one hundred commissions and his works have been awarded composition prizes in Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Ayres particularly enjoys "re-composing" classical works (Purcell, Bach, Handel, Fauré) and "classicizing" pop music (jazz and show tunes, The Beatles, Happy Hardcore). Ayres conducts City Chorus and London College of Music Chorus (at the University of West London), accompanies Concordia Voices, and is associate accompanist of Crouch End Festival Chorus. He has led many music education workshops for children and played piano for improvised comedy shows and musical theatre.

From the Composer:

“I was delighted to have been asked to write a setting of this powerful Advent hymn for Shenandoah University. Verse 1 is sung by one voice, verse 2 by two vocal parts, verse 3 in three-part harmony, and so on. This cumulative structure was inspired by the idea of the Advent message being stated at first by ‘a lone voice, crying in the wilderness’ and finally, when everyone is singing and playing together, like ‘the glorious voice of all creation’. The last note of each verse is sustained: this feature might be taken to illustrate the long period of expectation, the centuries of yearning for deliverance, that are implied in the text. Over this long sung note, the instruments respond with musical phrases derived from the main melody, like a meditation, or commentary. The melody itself is presented not in strict metrical form, as in a hymn or chorale, but adapted to sound more flexible, free-flowing and intuitive, almost as if improvised…”

Veni, veni Emmanuel!
Captivum solve Israel!
Qui gemit in exilio,
Pritavus Dei Filio,
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur prote, Israel. 

Veni, O Jesse virgula!
Ex hostis tuos ungula,
De spectrum tuos tartari,
Educ, et antro barathri.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur prote, Israel. 

Veni, veni, O Oriens!
Solare nos adveniens,
Noctis depelle nebulas,
Dirasque noctis tenebras.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur prote, Israel.

Veni clavis Davis Davidica!
Regna reclude celiac,
Fac iter tutum superum,
Et claude vias inferum.
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur prote, Israel.

Veni, veni Adonai!
Qui populo in Sinai
Legem dedisti vertice
In maiestati gloriae
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
Nascetur prote, Israel. 

O come, O come, Emmanuel!
Ransom the captive Israel.
Who in this exile is mourning.
Deprived of the Son of God.
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall be born for thee, O Israel.

O Come Thou Rod of Jesse,
Save Thy people from Satan’s tyranny,
From the dangers of Hell,
And break the power of the abyss.
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall be born for thee, O Israel.

O come. O come, Eastern Light!
Draw near to enlighten us,
Disperse the clouds of night,
Its furies and darkness.
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall be born for thee, O Israel.

O come, Key of David!
Open the locken Heavem,
Make the roads lead to on high
And close the path to Hell.
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall be born for thee, O Israel.

O come, O come Adonai!
Who to the people on Sinai’s
Heights, did give the law
In the glory of Thy majesy.
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall be born for thee, O Israel.

Program notes by Matt Niess, Matt Oltman, Vince Peterson, Dina Spyropoulos, Noah Wagar and Drew Young.