By Chantelle Constable
Fresh from their win of ‘Song of the Year’ in the Black British Entertainment awards, Vox Fortura shares their story with us.
With two members from the USA and two from England, the group’s formation took place in the UK through musical theatre connections and mutual friends.
Elias: The classical and musical theater world is very small so all of us knew of each other either directly or through mutual friends. I was in the U.K. doing Motown the Musical and Brandon was someone I knew from New York.
Thomas: We all knew about each other through other friends, so to have that network was really great. Elias already knew Khaya and Brandon, and I knew Elias from when he was in Motown The Musical in London’s West End, I was in Jersey Boys, also in the West End at the time!”
The four gentlemen have an impressive array of musical theatre credits to their name. Some of their favorite roles include Berry Gordy in Motown the Musical (Elias Hendricks III, tenor), Scar in the Festival of the Lion King at Hong Kong Disneyland (Khaya Maseko, high tenor), Crown in Porgy and Bess (Brandon Coleman, bass), and TJ in Sister Act, starring opposite Whoopi Goldberg (Thomas Goodridge, baritone). Tommy also has a solid repertoire of straight dramatic acting, including plays such as War Horse, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, The Man Of Mode, and roles in film and TV.
Vox Fortura formed a mere two months before making their debut on Britain’s Got Talent.
Elias: We were really just focused on our sound and excited to start our new venture together. The first rehearsal went so well, we knew we were on to something special. When we heard about the BGT auditions, we knew that we had to at least try. Lucky for us, we ended up doing quite well.
The group made it to the semi-finals in the 2016 season of the popular talent show, and are now gearing up for their debut album and tour of America, starting in Arizona, in 2018.
Elias: Touring is HARD! Especially when you are a young group like we are. We definitely make the most of it, and always take time to enjoy where we are. We are all good friends and always love to joke and goof off so that make it so much better. Plus, we all believe in what we are creating here, so we are willing to put in the necessary work to realize our dreams.
In addition to their excitement to tour American, other dream tour locations are Africa, China, and the Caribbean Islands.
Though all members trained classically, they cite a range of influences from Franco Corelli to Michael Jackson, not to mention Usher, Luther Vandross, Boyz 2 Men, and 3 Mo’ Tenors.
With the flexibility of true professionals, they swap around vocal parts in a song when called for, with Khaya occasionally singing bass and Tommy singing tenor.
Bringing a soulful sound to classical crossover is what Vox Fortura is all about.
Elias: We pride ourselves on being the first black male classical crossover group and the first ones to combine Soul and Opera. We all love both genres so why not be the ones to do both?
The album recording will take place in the birth of the Civil Rights movement, Birmingham, AL (also Elias’ hometown). They have already lined up the studio, conductor, and musicians to work on the project, including BAFTA award winning arrange Christian Phillips, who was behind the group’s Song of the Year ‘Heroes.’ It will feature a mix of soul, Motown, and classical crossover.
Elias: We have mashed up Mozart and James Brown, we have added Jazz harmonies to Puccini, we have even combined Ol Man River, Sam Cooke’s a Change is Gonna Come, and Somewhere from West Side Story. We firmly believe that good music is good music. Genius is genius. We want to show that no matter what genre music is truly universal. I want every soul lover to listen to us and go see the Mozart requiem or conversely every opera buff to be inspired to turn on the radio and hear the intricacies of the music being produced today.
The group is also currently working on original material, written by themselves and collaborators.
Dream duets for the group include Bruno Mars (Khaya), Josh Groban (Tommy), Celine Dion (Brandon), and John Legend (Elias).
For a pre-show warm-up, the guys will play today’s top hits and sing along operatically to artists like Bruno Mars, Beyonce, and Drake in a classical style, and they say it’s genius and hilarious how it works out sometimes! While performing on cruise ships, they all like to unwind in the spa. Their non-musical hobbies include fitness, sports, car restoration, and spending time with their families.
As performers who all got their start at a young age, the men of Vox Fortura devote their artistry to introducing young people to classical music.
Thomas: We think it’s incredibly important to introduce classical music to young performers because it’s such an elegant style of music. We want to bring it back into the mainstream and make it accessible and cool!”
They run workshops encouraging young people to explore classical music and also giving them the chance to ask questions about the music business.
As such a unique group, Vox Fortura has very clear thoughts on the importance of bringing a unique vision to their art.
Elias: Being unique is the only way to truly succeed because it really boils down to being yourself. If you’re true to yourself, you will always be unique because there is only one you!
Thomas: It’s important to be authentic and honest because when you’re on stage performing, you’re telling a story. Your own story. You’re giving people a glimpse into who you are as a performer, so when you’ve left the theatre after watching our shows, you know EXACTLY who we are as individuals! Not a lot of people understand what ‘Classical Crossover’ actually is, so to be able to show them what it is, and the way in which we do it is a total blessing!
On some of the best advice they have ever received:
Elias: Be original and never settle!
Thomas: ALWAYS be yourself. ALWAYS be nice. Everyone loves a nice guy, and we all pride ourselves on being just that!
Official Website: voxfortura.com