Voices of Ascension is one of the premier all-professional choral ensembles in the world today. This reputation has been reinforced through their critically acclaimed recordings on the Delos label and their frequent radio broadcasts.

The group evolved from a concert series of Church of the Ascension on lower Fifth Avenue in New York City. In 1989 Dennis Keene and the Ascension choir produced a major music festival: Tribute to Duruflé, the first complete retrospective of the music of French composer Maurice Duruflé. The festival drew international attention and was later broadcast across the U.S. on American Public Radio.

The following season the group incorporated separately from the church and became the Voices of Ascension. The critical success of the ensemble was immediate, and the New York Times picked the group's second concert as one of the Ten Best Bets for holiday concerts. A National Endowment grant was awarded after the first application. Today their New York City concerts regularly sell out.

The chorus consists of some of the finest and most skilled ensemble singers in the United States, most of whom are active as soloists as well. The number of singers varies according to the works performed, usually averaging between 20 and 40. For this recording the 40 core voices were augmented by another 100 of New York's finest professional singers. It was the largest all-professional chorus in recent memory in New York City.