King's Singers
Encyclopedia
The King's Singers is a British
a cappella
vocal ensemble
who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008. Their name recalls King's College
in Cambridge
, England
, where the group was formed by six choral scholars
in 1968. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s. Thereafter they began to reach a wider international audience, appearing frequently on The Johnny Carson Show
in the U.S. In February 2009 their CD, Simple Gifts, won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album
.
Today the ensemble travels worldwide for its performances, appearing in around 125 concerts each year, mostly in Europe
, the U.S.
and the Far East, having recently added the People's Republic of China to their list of touring territories. 40th anniversary celebration concerts included two "best of" concerts at the Cadogan Hall, London, on April 30, 2008, and a sacred performance the following day in the chapel of King's College Cambridge, as well as concerts in Paris, Rome, Berlin, New York and Tokyo (to name but a few). In recent years the group has enjoyed several UK appearances in the Royal Albert Hall Proms, and concerts as part of the Three Choirs Festival
and City of London Festival
.
The current ensemble is composed of (starting year in brackets):
Former members of the King's Singers also include Jeremy Jackman
, Bob Chilcott
, Nigel Short, Bill Ives
, Bruce Russell, Colin Mason, Gabriel Crouch
, Stephen Connolly and Robin Tyson. There have been 20 members of the King's Singers for whom the average length of tenure is around 12 years.
Around the year 2000, the King's Singers briefly called themselves king'singers (with a lower case k and a single s), as can be seen on the cover of Fire-Water and several song sheets. This name change did not last long, but the current circular logo appears to originate from this name.
vocal jazz group, the Comedian Harmonists
, the Mastersingers and (perhaps most importantly) the style of singing instilled into them by Sir David Willcocks, their Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge. It was this serene and precise sound, with vibrato used only as a colour rather than a default setting, that was expanded by the early King's Singers to be used on all genres of music, from renaissance church repertoire such as they had performed as part of the daily chapel services at the university, to pop/jazz/folk/spiritual arrangements that were soon added to their concert programmes.
The group is best known for its a cappella performances which have as a foundation a strong bass/baritone blend on which the other voices sit, a principle known as the "Pyramid of Sound." In addition, the King's Singers have frequently performed with instruments, both in recordings and in concert.
, Billy Joel
, Queen
, George Gershwin
, Harold Arlen
or Irving Berlin
, many of which have been arranged for the group by composers such as Richard Rodney Bennett
, Jeremy Lubbock, Bob Chilcott
, Philip Lawson
and John Rutter
. Sometimes the final set (in a concert of religious music) will be a spiritual harmony set - entitled "Songs of Faith and Hope." This set could be composed of American Spirituals, arranged by contemporary composers, including group member Philip Lawson and former member Bob Chilcott
. Pieces in this set could include Simple Gifts
, Deep River
, Down to the River to Pray, and Stand Still
, Jordan as well as more spiritual pop songs such as "Some Folks Lives Roll Easy" by Paul Simon
.
More recently, however, the King's Singers have begun to perform "Concept Programmes" which have a set theme running throughout. These could be simply a 60-minute first-half sequence, often performed in European Cathedral concerts, with a Mass or Requiem setting providing the backbone, interspersed with other shorter works, or a more fundamental concept which infuses every piece performed. Examples of this latter art include "Sacred Bridges," a programme of Jewish, Islamic and Christian PsalmWhat are Islamic Psalms? settings, performed with Dr. Vladimir Ivanoff and his ensemble, "Sarband." The group has also created concert programmes relating to recent CD recordings, including "Landscape and Time" and "Treason and Dischord," the latter a programme commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot
, and including a script read in live performances by actors Joss Ackland
and Bill Wallis
. The group works closely with concert promoters and local agents to determine the best possible programme for each concert, whether for church, concert hall, open-air venue or private house.
, Ned Rorem
, György Ligeti
, Libby Larsen
, Daron Hagen
, Francis Pott
, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
, Sir John Tavener
, John McCabe
, Sally Beamish
, Jackson Hill
, Geoffrey Poole, Joby Talbot
, Jocelyn Pook
, Graham Lack, Ivan Moody
and Bob Chilcott
. In 2008 they performed a piece commissioned jointly for them and the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
written by Eric Whitacre
.
. Former Tenor Bob Chilcott
is now a composer, conductor of the BBC Singers, and workshop leader. Former baritone Gabriel Crouch
is now the director of choral ensembles at Princeton University
and former countertenor Nigel Short founded a professional choir, Tenebrae
, on leaving the group in 2001. Baritone Simon Carrington is director emeritus of the Yale Schola Cantorum
at the Yale Institute for Sacred Music and now directs the Simon Carrington Singers based in Kansas City, Missouri
. Tony Holt is on the music faculty at St. Olaf College
as a voice instructor. The original bass, Brian Kay, became well-known as a radio and TV broadcaster; Bruce Russell is now vicar of St Francis Church, Langley in Berkshire.
es and workshops. Every two years they hold a residency at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Lübeck
, Germany, at which up to 12 a cappella groups from all over the world are taught over a period of four days, culminating in a public performance. The group also leads around a dozen additional one-off masterclasses throughout the year, normally in conjunction with concert performances and often as part of their twice-yearly US tours.During its time, The King's Singers have taught many groups that have now become known in their own right, such as The Real Group
, Rajaton
, Singer Pur and Calmus Ensemble, in all of whose performances the influence of their former teachers is evident.
Several of the King's Singers also arranged pieces, both for the group and pieces to publish in their line of music. Recently, Philip Lawson and Bob Chilcott
have been the most prolific composers in the group.
The group's latest CD was released on 30 April 2008 and is a selection of 16 pop ballads, spirituals, and folk songs. The CD is called Simple Gifts and is the first full-length studio CD since the 1990s. The arrangements on the album are by current first baritone Philip Lawson
, Peter Knight and former tenor Bob Chilcott
, and the album was recorded at the studios of Status Quo, located at the house of lead guitarist Francis Rossi
, and engineered by Gregg Jackman, brother of former King's Singers counter tenor Jeremy Jackman
. In February 2009 Simple Gifts won a Grammy award for Best Classical Crossover Album.
In December 2007, The King's Singers recorded a Christmas
concert, Rejoice and be Merry! with The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
and Orchestra at Temple Square
, that was released on CD on September 30, 2008; it also was released on DVD
October 21, 2008. The CD features both a cappella and accompanied songs by The King's Singers and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Six tracks feature the King's Singers alone, with another another five tracks featuring the combined King's Singer's and Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the remaining eight tracks feature The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The recorded concert was also broadcast on US PBS stations in December 2008.
Many King's Singers arrangements have been published, including a number compiled into songs books
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
vocal ensemble
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008. Their name recalls King's College
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where the group was formed by six choral scholars
Choir of King's College, Cambridge
The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is one of today's most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great British choral tradition. It was created by King Henry VI, who founded King's College, Cambridge in 1441, to provide daily singing in his Chapel, which remains the main task of the...
in 1968. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s. Thereafter they began to reach a wider international audience, appearing frequently on The Johnny Carson Show
The Johnny Carson Show
The Johnny Carson Show is a 1955-56 half hour prime time television variety show starring Johnny Carson.While working as a staff writer on The Red Skelton Show , local Los Angeles television comedian Johnny Carson filled in as host when Skelton was injured during a show rehearsal...
in the U.S. In February 2009 their CD, Simple Gifts, won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album
Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album
The Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album was awarded from 1999 to 2011.The award will be discontinued from 2012 in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. Basically, the Best Classical Crossover Album category will disappear. If a classical crossover release is a non-classical artist...
.
Today the ensemble travels worldwide for its performances, appearing in around 125 concerts each year, mostly in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Far East, having recently added the People's Republic of China to their list of touring territories. 40th anniversary celebration concerts included two "best of" concerts at the Cadogan Hall, London, on April 30, 2008, and a sacred performance the following day in the chapel of King's College Cambridge, as well as concerts in Paris, Rome, Berlin, New York and Tokyo (to name but a few). In recent years the group has enjoyed several UK appearances in the Royal Albert Hall Proms, and concerts as part of the Three Choirs Festival
Three Choirs Festival
The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held each August alternately at the cathedrals of the Three Counties and originally featuring their three choirs, which remain central to the week-long programme...
and City of London Festival
City of London Festival
The City of London Festival is an annual arts festival that takes place in the City of London, England, over two to three weeks in June and July. The Festival is strongly geared towards classical music, but also offers a programme that includes jazz, world music, opera, film screenings, lectures...
.
History
The group has always consisted of six singers in total, with their membership changing over the years. None of the original members remain. The first stable incarnation of the group, from 1968 until 1978, included:- Nigel Perrin (countertenorCountertenorA countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
1) - Alastair Hume (countertenorCountertenorA countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
2) - Alastair Thompson (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
) - Anthony Holt (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
1/tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
2) (actually from Christ Church, OxfordChrist Church, OxfordChrist Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, rather than King's) - Simon CarringtonSimon CarringtonSimon Carrington is a singer, double bass player and conductor. He first performed in the UK where he was born, and more recently in the United States.-External links:* * * * * * * * *...
(baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
2) - Brian KayBrian KayBrian Kay is an English radio presenter, conductor and singer. He is well known as the bass in the King's Singers during the group's formative years from 1968 until 1982, and as such is to be heard on many of their 1970s LP recordings...
(bass)
The current ensemble is composed of (starting year in brackets):
- David Hurley (countertenorCountertenorA countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
1) - (1990) - Tim Wayne-Wright (countertenorCountertenorA countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
2) - (2009) - Paul PhoenixPaul Phoenix (singer)Paul Phoenix is a tenor in the King's Singers.He began his musical training aged nine as a chorister with the St. Paul's Cathedral Choir, during which time he made several successful recordings as featured treble, including the Geoffrey Burgon award-winning theme to the BBC's 1979 adaptation of...
(tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
) - (1997) - Philip Lawson (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
1) - (1993) - Christopher GabbitasChristopher GabbitasChristopher Alan Gabbitas, baritone with the King's Singers was born on 15 May 1979 in Plymouth, the son of Dr. Brian and Mrs Evelyn Gabbitas. The family moved to Kent after his father ended a career as a Royal Naval Officer and switched to the world of academia. He attended The King's School,...
(baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
2) - (2004) - Jonathan Howard (bass) - (2010)
Former members of the King's Singers also include Jeremy Jackman
Jeremy Jackman
Jeremy Jackman is a UK choral director, composer and arranger, and formerly a counter-tenor of the King's Singers.-Biography:Jackman was a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral. He trained at the Royal College of Music and Hull University....
, Bob Chilcott
Bob Chilcott
Robert "Bob" Chilcott is a British choral composer, conductor, and singer, based in Oxford, England.Born in Plymouth, Chilcott sang in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, both as a boy and as a university student. He performed the Pie Jesu of Fauré's Requiem on the 1967 recording. In 1985 he...
, Nigel Short, Bill Ives
Grayston Ives
Grayston "Bill" Ives is a British composer, singer and choral director. Until March 2009, he was Organist, Informator Choristarum and Fellow and Tutor in Music at Magdalen College, Oxford. In this role he was responsible for the daily musical life of the college chapel...
, Bruce Russell, Colin Mason, Gabriel Crouch
Gabriel Crouch
Gabriel Crouch is a British baritone, choral conductor and record producer.Gabriel Crouch was born September 19, 1973. Musically inclined since the age of eight, he joined the chorus of Westminster Abbey. He became the Head Chorister of that choir and even had a solo at the wedding of HRH Prince...
, Stephen Connolly and Robin Tyson. There have been 20 members of the King's Singers for whom the average length of tenure is around 12 years.
Around the year 2000, the King's Singers briefly called themselves king'singers (with a lower case k and a single s), as can be seen on the cover of Fire-Water and several song sheets. This name change did not last long, but the current circular logo appears to originate from this name.
Influences
The group cites as its influences The Hi-Lo'sThe Hi-Lo's
The Hi-Lo's were an a cappella quartet formed in 1953. The group's name is reportedly a reference to their extreme vocal and physical ranges .-History:The group consisted of Gene Puerling , Bob Strasen , Bob Morse...
vocal jazz group, the Comedian Harmonists
Comedian Harmonists
The Comedian Harmonists were an internationally famous, all-male German close harmony ensemble that performed between 1928 and 1934 as one of the most successful musical groups in Europe before World War II...
, the Mastersingers and (perhaps most importantly) the style of singing instilled into them by Sir David Willcocks, their Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge. It was this serene and precise sound, with vibrato used only as a colour rather than a default setting, that was expanded by the early King's Singers to be used on all genres of music, from renaissance church repertoire such as they had performed as part of the daily chapel services at the university, to pop/jazz/folk/spiritual arrangements that were soon added to their concert programmes.
Repertoire
They took hold of the idea that concerts need not contain merely one form of music; audiences could be educated as well as entertained. For those who came expecting pop music there would be classical music as well, and vice-versa. This started out of necessity; for their first few concerts the group simply had to perform everything they knew in order to fill a concert programme, and this included religious music from their chapel library, along with folksongs and other "lollipops". Over the years their library has expanded so that it now includes some 2,000 works of all styles.The group is best known for its a cappella performances which have as a foundation a strong bass/baritone blend on which the other voices sit, a principle known as the "Pyramid of Sound." In addition, the King's Singers have frequently performed with instruments, both in recordings and in concert.
Concert structure
Most of their a cappella concerts are divided into five distinct groups of pieces. The first four vary widely (madrigals, folk songs, recently commissioned pieces, etc.) but are generally taken from the serious side of the group's repertoire, but the last group of the concert is typically a "close harmony" set. Often it consists of lighter fare, including music of The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
, Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
or Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
, many of which have been arranged for the group by composers such as Richard Rodney Bennett
Richard Rodney Bennett
Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, CBE is an English composer renowned for his film scores and his jazz performance as much as for his challenging concert works...
, Jeremy Lubbock, Bob Chilcott
Bob Chilcott
Robert "Bob" Chilcott is a British choral composer, conductor, and singer, based in Oxford, England.Born in Plymouth, Chilcott sang in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, both as a boy and as a university student. He performed the Pie Jesu of Fauré's Requiem on the 1967 recording. In 1985 he...
, Philip Lawson
Philip Lawson (baritone)
Philip Lawson is a composer and arranger, mostly of a cappella and sacred music. He is currently a baritone with The King's Singers and has been the group's principal arranger for the past fifteen years. In 2009 the group's album "Simple Gifts", on which Lawson arranged 10 out of 15 tracks, won...
and John Rutter
John Rutter
John Milford Rutter CBE is a British composer, conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, mainly of choral music.-Biography:Born in London, Rutter was educated at Highgate School, where a fellow pupil was John Tavener. He read music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the...
. Sometimes the final set (in a concert of religious music) will be a spiritual harmony set - entitled "Songs of Faith and Hope." This set could be composed of American Spirituals, arranged by contemporary composers, including group member Philip Lawson and former member Bob Chilcott
Bob Chilcott
Robert "Bob" Chilcott is a British choral composer, conductor, and singer, based in Oxford, England.Born in Plymouth, Chilcott sang in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, both as a boy and as a university student. He performed the Pie Jesu of Fauré's Requiem on the 1967 recording. In 1985 he...
. Pieces in this set could include Simple Gifts
Simple Gifts
"Simple Gifts" is a Shaker song written and composed in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett.It has endured many inaccurate descriptions. Though often classified as an anonymous Shaker hymn or as a work song, it is better classified as a dance song.-Lyrics:...
, Deep River
Deep River (song)
"Deep River" is an anonymous spiritual of African American origin. It has been sung in several films, including the 1929 film version of Show Boat, although it was not used in the original show...
, Down to the River to Pray, and Stand Still
Stand Still
Stand Still is live album by The Stone Roses that was recorded in October 1989 in Tokyo. It is an unofficial, bootleg recording.-Track listing:*Intro - 01:51 *I Wanna Be Adored - 05:15 *Elephant Stone- 03:44 *Waterfall - 04:52...
, Jordan as well as more spiritual pop songs such as "Some Folks Lives Roll Easy" by Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
.
More recently, however, the King's Singers have begun to perform "Concept Programmes" which have a set theme running throughout. These could be simply a 60-minute first-half sequence, often performed in European Cathedral concerts, with a Mass or Requiem setting providing the backbone, interspersed with other shorter works, or a more fundamental concept which infuses every piece performed. Examples of this latter art include "Sacred Bridges," a programme of Jewish, Islamic and Christian PsalmWhat are Islamic Psalms? settings, performed with Dr. Vladimir Ivanoff and his ensemble, "Sarband." The group has also created concert programmes relating to recent CD recordings, including "Landscape and Time" and "Treason and Dischord," the latter a programme commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
, and including a script read in live performances by actors Joss Ackland
Joss Ackland
Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE , known as Joss Ackland, is an English actor who has appeared in more than 130 films and numerous television roles.-Early life:...
and Bill Wallis
Bill Wallis
Bill Wallis is a British character actor and comedian who has appeared in numerous radio and television roles, as well as in the theatre....
. The group works closely with concert promoters and local agents to determine the best possible programme for each concert, whether for church, concert hall, open-air venue or private house.
Modern repertoire
The King's Singers are also known for frequently commissioning works from contemporary composers. Starting with "Timepiece," commissioned by the Camden Festival in 1972 from composer Paul Patterson (and still regularly performed today), they have continued by commissioning pieces from (amongst others) Malcolm WilliamsonMalcolm Williamson
Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson AO , CBE was an Australian composer. He was the Master of the Queen's Music from 1975 until his death.-Biography:...
, Ned Rorem
Ned Rorem
Ned Rorem is a Pulitzer prize-winning American composer and diarist. He is best known and most praised for his song settings.-Life:...
, György Ligeti
György Ligeti
György Sándor Ligeti was a composer of contemporary classical music. Born in a Hungarian Jewish family in Transylvania, Romania, he briefly lived in Hungary before becoming an Austrian citizen.-Early life:...
, Libby Larsen
Libby Larsen
Libby Larsen is one of America’s most performed living composers. She has created a catalogue of over 400 works spanning virtually every genre from intimate vocal and chamber music to massive orchestral works and over fifteen operas...
, Daron Hagen
Daron Hagen
Daron Aric Hagen , is an American composer, conductor, pianist, educator, librettist, and stage director of contemporary classical music and opera.- Early life and education :...
, Francis Pott
Francis Pott
Francis Pott, born 25 August 1957, is a British composer, pianist, senior academic and university administrator.-Life:He held open music scholarships at Winchester College and Magdalene College, Cambridge, studying composition at the latter with Robin Holloway and Hugh Wood while also pursuing...
, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...
, Sir John Tavener
John Tavener
Sir John Tavener is a British composer, best known for such religious, minimal works as "The Whale", and "Funeral Ikos"...
, John McCabe
John McCabe (composer)
John McCabe CBE is an English composer and pianist.- Biography :John McCabe was born in Huyton, Liverpool, Merseyside. A prolific composer from an early age, he had written thirteen symphonies by the time he was eleven...
, Sally Beamish
Sally Beamish
Sally Beamish is a British composer of chamber, vocal, choral and orchestral music. She has also worked in the field of music theatre, film and television, as well as composing for children and for her local community....
, Jackson Hill
Jackson Hill
Jackson Hill may refer to:*Jackson Hill , American composer*Jackson Hill, Indiana, an unincorporated settlement in the United States*Jackson Hill Park, a park in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA...
, Geoffrey Poole, Joby Talbot
Joby Talbot
Joby Talbot is a British composer.Born in Wimbledon, London, Talbot studied composition at Royal Holloway and Bedford New College at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Brian Elias and Simon Bainbridge....
, Jocelyn Pook
Jocelyn Pook
Jocelyn Pook is a British composer, pianist and viola player.- Biography :Jocelyn Pook’s distinctive style is a product of her diverse experiences in classical, commercial, and so-called world music...
, Graham Lack, Ivan Moody
Ivan Moody
Ivan Moody, British composer, was born in London in 1964, and studied composition with Brian Dennis at London University, William Brooks at York University and privately with John Tavener. He also studied Orthodox theology at the University of Joensuu, Finland...
and Bob Chilcott
Bob Chilcott
Robert "Bob" Chilcott is a British choral composer, conductor, and singer, based in Oxford, England.Born in Plymouth, Chilcott sang in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, both as a boy and as a university student. He performed the Pie Jesu of Fauré's Requiem on the 1967 recording. In 1985 he...
. In 2008 they performed a piece commissioned jointly for them and the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain is the name given to a family of choirs for young singers in the United Kingdom. It comprises a total of eight choirs and in the 2009/2010 season almost 800 young people between the ages of 8 and 23 participated in the choirs.-About the choirs:The...
written by Eric Whitacre
Eric Whitacre
Eric Whitacre is an American composer, conductor and lecturer. He is one of the most popular and performed composers of his generation. In 2008, the all-Whitacre choral CD Cloudburst became an international best-seller, topping the classical charts and earning a Grammy nomination...
.
Activities of former members
Many former members of the King's Singers have remained active in the world of choral musicChoir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
. Former Tenor Bob Chilcott
Bob Chilcott
Robert "Bob" Chilcott is a British choral composer, conductor, and singer, based in Oxford, England.Born in Plymouth, Chilcott sang in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, both as a boy and as a university student. He performed the Pie Jesu of Fauré's Requiem on the 1967 recording. In 1985 he...
is now a composer, conductor of the BBC Singers, and workshop leader. Former baritone Gabriel Crouch
Gabriel Crouch
Gabriel Crouch is a British baritone, choral conductor and record producer.Gabriel Crouch was born September 19, 1973. Musically inclined since the age of eight, he joined the chorus of Westminster Abbey. He became the Head Chorister of that choir and even had a solo at the wedding of HRH Prince...
is now the director of choral ensembles at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and former countertenor Nigel Short founded a professional choir, Tenebrae
Tenebrae (choir)
The Tenebrae Choir is a professional vocal ensemble founded and directed by former King's Singer Nigel Short. Co-founded by Short and Barbara Pollock in 2001, its repertoire covers works from the 16th to the 21st Century....
, on leaving the group in 2001. Baritone Simon Carrington is director emeritus of the Yale Schola Cantorum
Yale Schola Cantorum
The Yale Schola Cantorum is a 24-voice vocal ensemble jointly sponsored by the Yale School of Music and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. The Schola Cantorum is open by audition to any student at Yale University, although most of its singers are affiliated with the School of Music...
at the Yale Institute for Sacred Music and now directs the Simon Carrington Singers based in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Tony Holt is on the music faculty at St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
as a voice instructor. The original bass, Brian Kay, became well-known as a radio and TV broadcaster; Bruce Russell is now vicar of St Francis Church, Langley in Berkshire.
Educational activities
In addition to recording and performing, the King's Singers have a commitment to education, often participating in master classMaster class
A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also painting, drama, or any of the arts....
es and workshops. Every two years they hold a residency at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
, Germany, at which up to 12 a cappella groups from all over the world are taught over a period of four days, culminating in a public performance. The group also leads around a dozen additional one-off masterclasses throughout the year, normally in conjunction with concert performances and often as part of their twice-yearly US tours.During its time, The King's Singers have taught many groups that have now become known in their own right, such as The Real Group
The Real Group
The Real Group is a professional a cappella group from Sweden, consisting of five members: Emma Nilsdotter, Katarina Henryson, Anders Edenroth, Morten Vinther Sørensen, and Anders Jalkéus....
, Rajaton
Rajaton
Rajaton is a Finnish a cappella ensemble, founded in Helsinki in 1997. The Finnish word rajaton means "boundless", to indicate the breadth of their repertoire, from sacred classical to near Europop...
, Singer Pur and Calmus Ensemble, in all of whose performances the influence of their former teachers is evident.
Several of the King's Singers also arranged pieces, both for the group and pieces to publish in their line of music. Recently, Philip Lawson and Bob Chilcott
Bob Chilcott
Robert "Bob" Chilcott is a British choral composer, conductor, and singer, based in Oxford, England.Born in Plymouth, Chilcott sang in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, both as a boy and as a university student. He performed the Pie Jesu of Fauré's Requiem on the 1967 recording. In 1985 he...
have been the most prolific composers in the group.
Discography
In 2003 the group signed with Signum Records, with whom they have released nine albums in five years, with another two in the pipeline at the time of writing. In addition, the group made an experimental recording of Thomas Tallis' 40-part masterpiece, "Spem in Alium," using modern studio multi-tracking techniques to turn their 6 voices into 40, the results of which can be heard on a Signum CD and Iambic Productions DVD, which includes a documentary on the making of the CD.The group's latest CD was released on 30 April 2008 and is a selection of 16 pop ballads, spirituals, and folk songs. The CD is called Simple Gifts and is the first full-length studio CD since the 1990s. The arrangements on the album are by current first baritone Philip Lawson
Philip Lawson (baritone)
Philip Lawson is a composer and arranger, mostly of a cappella and sacred music. He is currently a baritone with The King's Singers and has been the group's principal arranger for the past fifteen years. In 2009 the group's album "Simple Gifts", on which Lawson arranged 10 out of 15 tracks, won...
, Peter Knight and former tenor Bob Chilcott
Bob Chilcott
Robert "Bob" Chilcott is a British choral composer, conductor, and singer, based in Oxford, England.Born in Plymouth, Chilcott sang in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, both as a boy and as a university student. He performed the Pie Jesu of Fauré's Requiem on the 1967 recording. In 1985 he...
, and the album was recorded at the studios of Status Quo, located at the house of lead guitarist Francis Rossi
Francis Rossi
Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, OBE is a British musician best known for being a co-founder of the English rock band Status Quo, in which he sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar.- Career :...
, and engineered by Gregg Jackman, brother of former King's Singers counter tenor Jeremy Jackman
Jeremy Jackman
Jeremy Jackman is a UK choral director, composer and arranger, and formerly a counter-tenor of the King's Singers.-Biography:Jackman was a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral. He trained at the Royal College of Music and Hull University....
. In February 2009 Simple Gifts won a Grammy award for Best Classical Crossover Album.
In December 2007, The King's Singers recorded a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
concert, Rejoice and be Merry! with The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to...
and Orchestra at Temple Square
Orchestra at Temple Square
The Orchestra at Temple Square is a 110-member orchestra located in Salt Lake City, UT. The Orchestra was created in 1999 under the direction of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of the creative initiative to continually strengthen and...
, that was released on CD on September 30, 2008; it also was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
October 21, 2008. The CD features both a cappella and accompanied songs by The King's Singers and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Six tracks feature the King's Singers alone, with another another five tracks featuring the combined King's Singer's and Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the remaining eight tracks feature The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The recorded concert was also broadcast on US PBS stations in December 2008.
| Disc Name | Release Year | Instrumentation | # of A cappella Tracks | # of Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1605: Treason and Dischord | 2005 | Concordia Viol Consort and Sarah Baldock (organ) | 7 | 15 |
| À la Française | 1990 | Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Carl Davis | ||
| All at Once Well Met | 1987 | Lute and Tabor | 29 | 35 |
| America | 1989, 2006 | English Chamber Orchestra English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and the ECO Ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall... |
0 | 10 |
| Annie Laurie | 1993 | Guitar, Flute, Piccolo | 7 | 18 |
| The Beatles The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr... Connection |
1986 | 19 | 19 | |
| Capella (compilation) | 2003 | 41 | ||
| Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo; Holy Moses | 1972, 2006 | Drums: Alf Bigden Alf Bigden Alfred 'Alf' William Bigden was a British drummer mainly active from the 1960s to the early 2000s. Bigden had been "drummer for such stars as Tom Jones, Cilla Black, Shirley Bassey, Sir Cliff Richard, Kylie Minogue, Eartha Kitt, Lionel Richie, Andy Williams and Tony Bennett", as well as for... , keyboard: Steve Gray Steve Gray (musician) Steve Gray was a pianist, composer, and arranger.Gray was born in Middlesbrough, England. At ten, he began teaching himself to play the piano. He joined the Middlesbrough Junior Orchestra, at first playing the bassoon, but later switching to the saxophone... , bass: Brian Odges (Holy Moses) |
0 | 18 |
| Chanson d'amour | 1993 | 11 | 21 | |
| Circle of Life | 1997 | Metrapole Orkest | 3 | 12 |
| Colouring Book | 2005 | 18 | ||
| Christmas | 2003 | String Quartet and Drums | 23 | 25 |
| Deck the Hall - Songs for Christmas | 1991 | 15 | 15 | |
| English Renaissance | 1995 | 20 | 20 | |
| Fire~Water | 2000 | Andrew Lawrence-King Andrew Lawrence-King Andrew Lawrence-King is a harpist and early music specialist, and is currently the director of The Harp Consort... , The Harp Consort The Harp Consort The Harp Consort is an international Early Music ensemble directed by Andrew Lawrence-King, specialising in Baroque Opera, early dance-music, and historical World Music.... |
17 | |
| Gesualdo: Tenebrae Responses for Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great & Holy Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels... |
2004 | 14 | 14 | |
| The Golden Age - Siglo de Oro | 2008 | Keith McGowan | 10 | |
| Good Vibrations | 1993 | 13 | 13 | |
| Here's a Howdy Do! | 1993 | Sound Effects, Organ, Piano, Double Bass, Drums | 11 | 15 |
| De Janequin aux Beatles (compilation) | 1999 | Various | 55 | |
| Kid's Stuff | 1986, 2000 | Judi Dench Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo... , Various |
14 | |
| The King's Singers Original Debut Recording | 1971, 1994 | The Gordon Langford Gordon Langford Gordon Langford is an English composer, arranger and performer. Although well known in the brass band community as a composer and arranger, he is less well known as a composer of orchestral music, despite winning an Ivor Novello award for his March from the Colour Suite in 1971.Born in Edgware,... Trio |
5 | 13 |
| György Ligeti Edition, Vol. 4 (Vocal Works) | 1997 | |||
| Landscape & Time | 2006 | 11 | 11 | |
| A Little Christmas Music | 1989 | Kiri Te Kanawa Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Te Kanawa, ONZ, DBE, AC is a New Zealand / Māori soprano who has had a highly successful international opera career since 1968. Acclaimed as one of the most beloved sopranos in both the United States and Britain she possesses a warm full lyric soprano voice, singing a wide array... , City of London Sinfonia City of London Sinfonia The City of London Sinfonia is an English chamber orchestra based in London. In London, the CLS performs regularly at Cadogan Hall and St Paul's Cathedral. It is also the resident orchestra at Opera Holland Park. The CLS has annual residencies in four towns in Southern England: Ipswich, King's... |
7 | 20 |
| Madrigal History Tour | 1984, 1989 | Consort of Musicke | 0 | 34 |
| My Spirit Sang All Day | 1988 | 25 | 25 | |
| New Day | 1980 | 9 | 15 | |
| Nightsong | 1997 | Various | 5 | 15 |
| The Quiet Heart - Choral Essays Vol.1 | 2006 | 19 | 19 | |
| Reflections - Choral Essays Vol.2 | 2008 | 20 | 20 | |
| In This Quiet Moment - Choral Essays Vol.3 | 2010 | 18 | 18 | |
| Rejoice and be Merry! | 2008 | Mormon Tabernacle Choir Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to... and Orchestra at Temple Square Orchestra at Temple Square The Orchestra at Temple Square is a 110-member orchestra located in Salt Lake City, UT. The Orchestra was created in 1999 under the direction of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of the creative initiative to continually strengthen and... |
6 | 11 (19) |
| Renaissance (Works by Josquin Desprez) | 1993 | 21 | 21 | |
| Sacred Bridges | 2005 | Sarband Sarband Sarband is a German early music ensemble with musicians from 7 nations, focusing on musical connections between Orient & Occident; Jewish, Christian & Muslim music.The group was founded in 1986 by Dr. Vladimir Ivanoff... |
7 | 12 |
| Simple Gifts | 2008 | 16 | 16 | |
| Six | 2005 | 6 | 6 | |
| Spem in alium | 2006 | (One interview track) | 1 | 2 |
| Street Songs | 1998 | Evelyn Glennie Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, DBE is a Scottish virtuoso percussionist. She was the first full-time solo percussionist in 20th-century western society.-Early life:Glennie was born and raised in Aberdeenshire... (percussion) |
7? | 18 |
| Tribute to the Comedian Harmonists | 1985 | Piano | 6? | 16 |
| The Triumphs of Oriana | 2002, 2006 | 25? | 25 | |
| Three Musical Fables | 1983 | Cambridge Singers Cambridge Singers Cambridge Singers is an English mixed voice chamber/choral group formed in 1981 by their director John Rutter with the primary purpose of making recordings under their own label "Collegium".... and City of London Sinfonia City of London Sinfonia The City of London Sinfonia is an English chamber orchestra based in London. In London, the CLS performs regularly at Cadogan Hall and St Paul's Cathedral. It is also the resident orchestra at Opera Holland Park. The CLS has annual residencies in four towns in Southern England: Ipswich, King's... |
0 | 3 |
| Watching the White Wheat | 1986 | Various | 9 | 16 |
Many King's Singers arrangements have been published, including a number compiled into songs books