Vox is the chorus of Saint Peter's Prep, an all-male Jesuit school, in Jersey City, New Jersey. Vox was founded in 2009 by Gianpaolo Eleria, the original director, and five other students who had a passion for music. The group has grown from five members to 50 in a mere six years.
Over these six years, the group has accomplished things which some choirs could only dream of doing. These accomplishments include a gold medal at the Heritage Music Festival in Washington D.C. in 2010, a medal at the Heritage Music Festival in Boston in 2011, a silver medal at the World Choir Games in Cincinnati in 2012, a gold medal at the Heritage Music Festival in New York City in 2013, a silver medal in the Llangollen Eisteddfod at Wales in England, a silver medal in the Popular Music category at the World Choir Games in Latvia in 2014 and also at this competition and most importantly Vox received a gold medal and category winner for the Male Chamber Choir category.
All of these awards were won while doing a countless number of performances within the school, for other churches, for weddings, for funerals and even performed on stage at the Prudential Center with Foreigner. Vox also produced three CD's of their songs some of which can be found of iTunes and Spotify.
I am proud to say that I was a member of this amazing ensemble for four unforgettable years and this is my thank you to Vox.
Dear Gianpaolo Eleria, Former Members, Current Members Vox Parents and friends,
You all will never know how much each moment in Vox meant to me. Each and every one of you wonderful people who made up Vox throughout my four years as a member and beyond has had an impact on my life which will last forever. Throughout every performance, jam session, retreat, hang out, dinner, and competition, I felt nothing but an overwhelming sense of love from and for all members.
I say that I don't think you will ever know how much I cherish each moment because you were all there to see me grow and become who I am today. Looking back, I truly do not know where I would be if not for all of you beautiful people.
During the beginning of my time in Vox, I didn't think it was the right fit for me. I thought that I was simply too cool to be a part of a singing group with a bunch of guys in high school. After some searching, I found myself right back in the basement of hogan in Mr. Eleria's classroom. We began singing and I slowly fell in love with each note, sound, and harmony we sang as a group. After a few rehearsals, I knew Vox is where I belonged. Thank you all first of all for making me feel welcome and for introducing me into a completely new world.
Fast-forward to when I became manager of Vox. I was faced with one of the most demanding jobs I had ever had. I needed to make sure all members were on time, plan out performances, plan retreats and those are just a few of the many things I needed to do. Thank you all for accepting my flaws and giving me a chance to flourish in my position.
As a freshman I was a tenor 1 then suddenly, sophomore year came and now I was a baritone. Thank you all for guiding my transition as a singer and making me stronger both on the stage and off.
I would never have imagined as a freshman that Vox would take me overseas to explore new places. Thank you for blessing me with new opportunities to travel and see places I might not have seen otherwise.
As a senior I was voted to be the president of Vox. The work was heavy but it all paid off and became taught me some of the most valuable lessons I have ever learned. Thank you for allowing me to lead and represent you while also leading and representing me.
Thank you Vox for providing me friendships that will never fade no matter how far apart we all are. Thank you for giving me a place where I belonged. Thank you for allowing me to open up and be myself. Thank you for being there for me through some of the toughest times I have ever endured. Thank you for helping me find my voice. Thank you for allowing me to wear a fresh maroon blazer. Thank you for teaching me that anything said through words can be said just as well, if not better, through song. Thank you for teaching me that it is okay to have flaws and thank you for teaching me how to embrace them. Thank you for every note we ever sang together. Thank you for every laugh we've ever shared along with every tear.
Most importantly, thank you all for being you.
I love you all.
Sincerely,
A proud Vox alumni
