Ralph Woodward
Encyclopedia
Ralph Woodward is an English classical conductor, arranger and
organist. His main focus is on conducting choirs.
. He attended Durham Chorister School from 1979 to 1985, and then went to Durham School
, where he was a King’s Scholar and a Music Scholar. He spent 1990–91 as Organ Scholar at Durham Cathedral
, before taking up an Organ Scholar
ship at Queens’ College, Cambridge, where he studied for a BA and a BMus, specialising in the music of Benjamin Britten
. While there he unearthed and published an early Evening Service by Charles Villiers Stanford
, and commissioned the cantata Midwinter, by Will Todd
.
. Since 1997, he has been Musical Director of the Fairhaven Singers
, and has overseen their development into a leading chamber choir. From 2002 to 2010, he was Musical Director of the Britten–Pears Chamber Choir. He is also the Musical Director of NORVIS, an early music summer school in Durham, and of Full Score, a semi-professional chamber choir. He has worked with a number of top orchestras, including the London Mozart Players
, The Parley of Instruments, Britten Sinfonia
and City of London Sinfonia
. He is also active as an editor for Oxford University Press
, with particular involvement in the William Walton Edition. He has made many arrangements for choirs: his version of the theme for Upstairs, Downstairs
was featured on BBC Radio 4
’s PM programme
, and he has arranged and conducted the choral music for two albums by Cradle of Filth
.
Vox Dicentis (1996)
Angelic Harmonies (1997)
Will Todd Choral Music (2002)
The Blue Skies that Sparkle (2007)
Will Todd Requiem (2009)
Full of Grace: Songs to the Virgin Mary (2011)
organist. His main focus is on conducting choirs.
Education
Ralph Woodward was born in Stockton-on-TeesStockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
. He attended Durham Chorister School from 1979 to 1985, and then went to Durham School
Durham School
Durham School, headmaster Martin George , is an independent British day and boarding school for boys and girls in Durham....
, where he was a King’s Scholar and a Music Scholar. He spent 1990–91 as Organ Scholar at Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
, before taking up an Organ Scholar
Organ scholar
An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at an institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and administrative experience....
ship at Queens’ College, Cambridge, where he studied for a BA and a BMus, specialising in the music of Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
. While there he unearthed and published an early Evening Service by Charles Villiers Stanford
Charles Villiers Stanford
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was an Irish composer who was particularly notable for his choral music. He was professor at the Royal College of Music and University of Cambridge.- Life :...
, and commissioned the cantata Midwinter, by Will Todd
Will Todd
Will Todd is an English classical composer and pianist.- Biography :Todd was born in County Durham, attended Durham School and studied music at the University of Bristol...
.
Career
Since 1995, Woodward has been a freelance musician. While his work has taken him all over the world, the bulk of it has been in and around CambridgeCambridge
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...
. Since 1997, he has been Musical Director of the Fairhaven Singers
Fairhaven Singers
-Background:The Fairhaven Singers was founded in 1980, under the patronage of Lord Fairhaven of Anglesey Abbey, and is conducted by Ralph Woodward....
, and has overseen their development into a leading chamber choir. From 2002 to 2010, he was Musical Director of the Britten–Pears Chamber Choir. He is also the Musical Director of NORVIS, an early music summer school in Durham, and of Full Score, a semi-professional chamber choir. He has worked with a number of top orchestras, including the London Mozart Players
London Mozart Players
The London Mozart Players is a British chamber orchestra founded in 1949. The LMP is the longest-established chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom whose performances and recordings focus largely on the core repertoire from the Classical era...
, The Parley of Instruments, Britten Sinfonia
Britten Sinfonia
Britten Sinfonia is a chamber orchestra ensemble based in Cambridge, UK. It was created in 1992, following an initiative from Eastern Arts and a number of key figures including Nicholas Cleobury, who recognised the need for an orchestra in the East of England. It is a flexible ensemble composed of...
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...
. He is also active as an editor for Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, with particular involvement in the William Walton Edition. He has made many arrangements for choirs: his version of the theme for Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
was featured on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
’s PM programme
PM (Radio 4)
PM, sometimes referred to as the PM programme to avoid ambiguity, is BBC Radio 4's long-running early evening news and current affairs programme.-Broadcast times:...
, and he has arranged and conducted the choral music for two albums by Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
.
Discography
The Queens’ Service (1994)Vox Dicentis (1996)
Angelic Harmonies (1997)
Will Todd Choral Music (2002)
The Blue Skies that Sparkle (2007)
Will Todd Requiem (2009)
Full of Grace: Songs to the Virgin Mary (2011)