The King's Singers
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Website | kingssingers |
The King's Singers are a British
Today the ensemble travels worldwide for its performances, appearing in around 125 concerts each year, mostly in Europe, the US and East Asia, having recently added the People's Republic of China to their list of touring territories. In recent years the group has had several UK appearances at the
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 late 1969 until 1978, comprised:
- Nigel Perrin (countertenor 1)
- Alastair Hume (countertenor 2)
- Alastair Thompson (tenor)
- Anthony Holt (baritone 1) (actually from Christ Church, Oxford, rather than King's)
- Simon Carrington (baritone 2)
- bass)
The current ensemble is composed of (starting year in parentheses):
- Patrick Dunachie (countertenor 1) – (2016)
- Edward Button (countertenor 2) – (2019)
- Julian Gregory (tenor) – (2014)
- Christopher Bruerton (baritone 1) – (2012)
- Nick Ashby (baritone 2) – (2019)
- Jonathan Howard (bass) – (2010)
Former members of the King's Singers also include
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[2] and several song sheets.[3] This name change did not last long.
Early years
Prior to the establishment of the original stable male-only group cited above, several of the parts were taken by other singers, including three females. The four founding members, who first sang together within a six-man group in 1965, were Alastair Hume, Alastair Thompson,
Madrigal History Tour
In 1984, the members of the King's Singers (who at the time included three founding members: Alastair Hume, Anthony Holt, and Simon Carrington) presented, narrated and sang in Madrigal History Tour, a six-part BBC television documentary series about the history of the madrigal in Western Europe. (The name was a play on the Beatles album Magical Mystery Tour.) The series also featured the early music ensemble the Consort of Musicke, playing together with and separately from the King's Singers. The series was accompanied by an album, also called Madrigal History Tour.
20th anniversary
The King's Singers' 20th anniversary concert in 1988, at the Barbican, featured a surprise reunion, in which all King's Singers to date reunited on stage, introduced individually (with membership dates, counting from 1968) by Prunella Scales.[6]
40th anniversary
Fortieth anniversary celebration concerts included two "best of" concerts at Cadogan Hall, London, on 30 April 2008, and a performance the following day in the chapel of King's College Cambridge, as well as concerts in Paris, Rome, Berlin, New York and Tokyo.
50th anniversary
The King's Singers 50th anniversary was celebrated in 2018 with a special concert at Carnegie Hall,[7] and the release of a new album, Gold.[8][9]
PCC concert cancellation
In February 2023, Pensacola Christian College[10] cancelled the group's concert with two hours notice. The reasons seem to have been concerns around the sexuality of a member of the group, leading to many believing it was a homophobic related cancellation.[11][12]
Influences
The group cites as its influences the Hi-Lo's vocal jazz group,[13][14] the Comedian Harmonists,[14] the Mastersingers[14] 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 and spiritual arrangements that were soon added to their concert programmes.
The group has also inspired musicians in other countries to create similar ensembles, such as Affabre Concinui in Poland.
Repertoire
The King's Singers 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.
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 "
As of 2020 however, the King's Singers have begun to perform "concept programmes" which have a set theme running throughout.[17] 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 settings of Psalms, performed with Vladimir Ivanoff and his ensemble "Saraband". The group have 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.
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)
Awards
In February 2009, the King's Singers' CD, Simple Gifts, won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album. In February 2012, they won Best Choral Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards along with Eric Whitacre for the album Light and Gold, on which they performed "The Stolen Child", written for the group by Whitacre. Their DVD, "Live at the BBC Proms", won a MIDEM Award at the annual ceremony in Cannes in 2010 for Best DVD Performance. In 2013 the group was inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame.[18]
Activities of former members
Many former members of the King's Singers have remained active in the world of choral music.
- 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.
- Bob Chilcott is now a composer, conductor of the BBC Singers and workshop leader.
- Stephen Connolly runs his residential International A Cappella School (IAS) every summer in the UK and also travels the world delivering choral workshops and masterclasses.[19]
- Gabriel Crouch is now the director of choral ensembles at Princeton University
- Anthony Holt was on the music faculty at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota as a voice instructor. He died on 12 January 2024, at the age of 82.[20]
- Bill Ives, is a composer and arranger, and for 18 years was fellow and tutor in music at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he directed the choir.
- Brian Kay, became well-known as a radio and TV broadcaster.
- Philip Lawsonis active as a composer, arranger, workshop leader, and conductor. Since 2016 he has been musical director of the Romsey Singers.
- Paul Phoenix founded his own consultancy, PurpleVocals, and in September 2019 opened the Paul Phoenix Academy, his own private music school in Hong Kong. As executive director he directs instrumental and composition tuition.
- Bruce Russell is now vicar of St Francis' Church, Langley, in Berkshire.[21]
- Nigel Short founded a professional choir, Tenebrae, on leaving the group in 2001.
- Robin Tyson runs the artist management company at Edition Peters.
Educational activities
In addition to recording and performing, the King's Singers have a commitment to education, often participating in master classes 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 Club for Five, The Real Group,[22] Rajaton,[23] Singer Pur and Calmus Ensemble.
Several of the King's Singers also arranged pieces, both for the group and pieces to publish in their line of music. Recently,
The group established The King's Singers Summer School in 2013 taking place on campus at Royal Holloway, University of London. The Summer School took place for a second time in 2015 and saw composer and conductor Eric Whitacre and Eton Choirbook expert Dr. Stephen Darlington as special guests. In 2017, the Summer School participants performed an Evensong at the St George's Chapel, under the direction of Christopher Robinson.[24] The first US Summer School took place between 13 and 19 June 2017 at DePauw University, Indiana followed by the third School at Royal Holloway on 17–22 July 2017. The King's Singers were joined by guest clinician and former King's Singers Bob Chilcott.[25]
Personnel
Members
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Lineups
1968 | 1968–1969 | 1969–1978 | 1978–1980 |
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1980–1982 | 1982–1985 | 1985–1987 | 1988–1990 |
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1990–1993 | 1994–1996 | 1996–1997 | 1997–2000 |
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2001–2004 | 2004–2009 | 2009–2010 | 2010–2012 |
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2012–2014 | 2014–2016 | 2016–2018 | 2019–Present |
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Lineup
Period | 1st Countertenor | 2nd Countertenor | Tenor | 1st Baritone | 2nd Baritone | Bass |
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1968 | Martin Lane | Alastair Hume | Alastair Thompson | Richard Salter | Simon Carrington | Brian Kay |
1968–1969 | Nigel Beaven | |||||
1969–1978 | Nigel Perrin | Anthony Holt | ||||
1978–1980 | Bill Ives | |||||
1980–1982 | Jeremy Jackman | |||||
1982–1985 | Colin Mason | |||||
1985–1987 | Bob Chilcott | |||||
1988–1990 | Bruce Russell | Stephen Connolly | ||||
1990–1993 | David Hurley | |||||
1994–1996 | Nigel Short | Philip Lawson | ||||
1996–1997 | Philip Lawson
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Gabriel Crouch | ||||
1997–2000 | Paul Phoenix
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2001–2004 | Robin Tyson | |||||
2004–2009 | Christopher Gabbitas | |||||
2009–2010 | Timothy Wayne-Wright | |||||
2010–2012 | Jonathan Howard | |||||
2012–2014 | Christopher Bruerton | |||||
2014–2016 | Julian Gregory | |||||
2016–2018 | Patrick Dunachie | |||||
2019–Present | Edward Button | Nick Ashby |
Timeline
Discography
In 2003, the group signed with
The group's most successful recent CD is the 2008 Simple Gifts, a selection of 16 pop ballads, spirituals, and folk songs. It was their first full-length studio CD since the 1990s. The arrangements on the album are by former first baritone
In December 2007, the King's Singers recorded a
In October 2013, The King's Singers released Great American Songbook, an album dedicated to American Standards from the 1920s to the 1960s, to critical acclaim. The sound on this new album marks a departure from the more acoustic albums of the past decade, using extensive post-production techniques and multi-tracking to create a more modern a cappella sound, but retaining the essence of The King's Singers' blend and balance.[citation needed]
Disc name | Release year | Instrumentation / Notes | # of a cappella tracks | # of tracks |
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1605: Treason and Dischord | 2005 | Concordia Viol Consort and Sarah Baldock (organ) | 7 | 15 |
À la Française | 1987 | Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Carl Davis; Howard Shelley and Hilary Macnamara, pianos. | 5 | 21 |
All at Once Well Met | 1987 | Lute and Tabor | 29 | 35 |
America | 1989, 2006 | English Chamber Orchestra | 0 | 10 |
Annie Laurie: Folk songs of the British isles | 1991 | Manuel Barrueco, guitar; Nancy Hadden, renaissance flute and piccolo | 7 | 18 |
Atlantic Bridge | 1979 | Banjo, steel guitar, mouth harmonica, winds, harp, bass, pitched percussion, drums. | 10 | 16 |
1605: Treason and Dischord | 2005 | Concordia Viol Consort and Sarah Baldock (organ) | 7 | 15 |
The Beatles Connection
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1986 | 19 | 19 | |
By Appointment (aka Encore) | 1971 | The Gordon Langford Trio | 5 | 13 |
Capella (compilation) | 2003 | 41 | ||
Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo; Holy Moses | 1972, 2005 | Drums: Alf Bigden, keyboard: Steve Gray, bass: Brian Odges (Holy Moses) | 0 | 18 |
Chanson d'amour | 1993 | 11 | 21 | |
Christmas | 2003 | String Quartet and Drums | 23 | 25 |
Circle of Life | 1997 | Metropole Orkest
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3 | 12 |
Colouring Book | 2005 | 18 | ||
Concert Collection | 1976 | 22 | 22 | |
Contemporary Collection | 1975 | Double bass | 5 | |
Courtly Pleasures | 1973 | Early Music Consort of London, David Munrow | 22 | |
De Janequin aux Beatles (compilation) | 1999 | Various | 55 | |
Deck the Hall – Songs for Christmas | 1973, 1991 | 15 | 15 | |
English & Italian Madrigals | 1974, 1989 | (reissue of King's Singers Madrigal Collection) | 21 | 21 |
English Renaissance | 1995 | 20 | 20 | |
Fire~Water | 2000 | Andrew Lawrence-King, The Harp Consort | 17 | |
A French Collection | 1973 | Early Music Consort of London, David Munrow | 10 | 16 |
Gesualdo: Tenebrae Responses for Maundy Thursday | 2004 | 14 | 14 | |
Get Happy! | 1991 | George Shearing (piano), Neil Swainson (double bass), John Harle (saxophone) | 3 | 17 |
The Golden Age – Siglo de Oro | 2008 | Keith McGowan | 10 | |
Good Vibrations | 1993 | 13 | 13 | |
Great American Songbook | 2013 | 17 | 17 | |
Here's a Howdy Do! | 1993 | Sound Effects, Organ, Piano, Double Bass, Drums | 11 | 15 |
High Flight | 2011 | The Concordia Choir | 13 | 14 |
In Memoriam Josquin Desprez (compilation) | 2012 | 13 | 13 | |
Joy to the World | 2011 | 18 | 18 | |
Kids' Stuff | 1986, 2000 | Judi Dench, narrator; Andrew Jackman, synthesizers; Susan Milan, flute; Paul Hart, piano and synthesizers; Chris Laurence, double bass; Tristan Fry, drums. | 14 | |
Keep on Changing | 1975 | Instrumental ensemble | 12 | |
The King's Singers Believe in Music | 1981 | Piano, guitars, bass, drums | 5 | 14 |
The King's Singers Madrigal Collection | 1974 | 21 | 21 | |
The King's Singers Original Debut Recording | 1971, 1992 | The Gordon Langford Trio (reissue of By Appointment) | 5 | 13 |
The King's Singers sing Flanders & Swann and Noël Coward | 1977 | 15 | 15 | |
Landscape & Time | 2006 | 11 | 11 | |
György Ligeti Edition, Vol. 4 (Vocal Works) | 1997 | |||
A Little Christmas Music | 1989 | Kiri Te Kanawa, City of London Sinfonia | 7 | 20 |
Lollipops | 1975 | 11 | 11 | |
Madrigal History Tour | 1984, 1989 | Consort of Musicke | 0 | 34 |
My Spirit Sang All Day | 1988 | 25 | 25 | |
Nana's book of songs | 1974 | Nana Mouskouri, orchestra | 10 | |
New Day | 1980 | 9 | 15 | |
Nightsong | 1997 | Various | 5 | 15 |
Out of the Blue | 1974 | Instrumental ensemble | 12 | |
Pater Noster: A Choral Reflection on the Lord's Prayer | 2012 | 25 | 25 | |
Postcards | 2014 | 22 | 22 | |
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!
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2008 | Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square
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6 | 11 (19)[30] |
Renaissance (Works by Josquin Desprez )
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1993 | 21 | 21 | |
Romance du Soir | 2009 | 19 | 19 | |
Royal Rhymes and Rounds | 2012 | 23 | 23 | |
Sacred Bridges | 2005 | Sarband | 7 | 12 |
Sermons and Devotions | 2006 | 15 | ||
Simple Gifts | 2008 | 16 | 16 | |
Sing We and Chant It | 1982 | Robert Spencer, lute; John Fraser, tabor. | 15 | 21 |
Six | 2005 | 6 | 6 | |
Spem in alium | 2006 | (One interview track) | 1 | 2 |
Spirit Voices | 1997 | 2 | 14 | |
Street Songs | 1998 | Evelyn Glennie (percussion) | 7? | 18 |
Swimming Over London | 2010 | 14 | 14 | |
Swing | 1976 | 7 | 13 | |
Tempus Fugit | 1978 | 0 | 12 | |
This is The King's Singers (compilation) | 1980 | 7 | 18 | |
Thomas Tallis: The Lamentations of Jeremiah; William Byrd: Motets | 1977 | 7 | 7 | |
A Tribute to the Comedian Harmonists | 1985 | Emil Gerhardt, Piano | 5 | 16 |
The Triumphs of Oriana | 1999, 2006 | 25 | 25 | |
Three Musical Fables | 1983 | Cambridge Singers and City of London Sinfonia | 0 | 3 |
Victorian Collection | 1980 | 19 | 19 | |
Watching the White Wheat | 1986 | Piccolo, flute, clarinet, string quartet, solo violin, solo cello, harp. | 9 | 16 |
Gold (3-disc set) | 2017 | 60 | 60 |
Many King's Singers arrangements have been published, including a number compiled into song books[34]
References
- ISBN 9780334041931.
- ^ "Fire-Water: The Spirit of Renaissance Spain". The King's Singers – Kingssingers.com. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "King's Singers Sheet Music and Songbook Arrangements". www.singers.com. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ISBN 0-86051-109-X.
- ^ [1] Archived 15 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Patents Pending : The King's Singers". Darylrunswick.net. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ Fowler, Damian (18 April 2018). "The King's Singers Celebrate 50 Years With a Carnegie Hall Concert". Playbill. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
- ^ Coghlan, Alexandra (1 December 2017). "The King's Singers: Gold". www.gramophone.co.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
- ^ "The King's Singers Celebrate Their Golden Anniversary With Midday Masterpieces | Midday Masterpieces". WQXR. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
- ^ Hernández, Javier C. (14 February 2023). "Florida College Cancels Concert". The New York Times.
- ^ "The King's Singers: US gig cancelled over sexuality".
- ^ "The King's Singers here days after Florida show cancelled over gay lifestyles". The London Free Press.
- ^ "Singers.com – Hi-Lo's Vocal Jazz A Cappella Group". Singers.com. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ a b c "The King's Singers". 5 March 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Albums | The King's Singers". www.kingssingers.com. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Lee, Jenny (2014). "In touch with The King's Singers Kings of A Capella". Interlude. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "In touch with The King's SingersKings of A Capella". Interlude.hk. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "CONGRATULATIONS TO GRAMOPHONE HALL OF FAMERS ANDSNES, FLEMING, ISSERLIS & THE KING'S SINGERS". IMG Artists. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- ^ "Stephen Connolly International A Cappella School". Iaschools.org. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Anthony Holt, a stalwart of the King's Singers for two decades – obituary". The Telegraph. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "St. Francis' Church". Langleymarish.com. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ Yanow, Scott. "The Real Group". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Mike Bell. 'Finnish a cappella act Rajaton still soaring after two decades', in The Scene, 19 April, 2017
- ^ "The King's Singers". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
- ^ "Summer School". The King's Singers – Kingssingers.com. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "King's Singers coming to Salt Lake". DeseretNews.com. 30 September 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ "Rejoice and Be Merry: Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square Featuring The King Singers". Amazon. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ "Rejoice & Be Merry: Christmas With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir". Amazon. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ "Mormon Tabernacle Choir – Official Website". Mormontabernaclechoir.org. Archived from the original on 12 April 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ The CD has 19 tracks, but the King's Singers are only featured in 11 tracks
- ^ "DJ Records Menu Page". Dj-records.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ "kingssing.com". Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ "Homepage – The King's Singers". The King's Singers. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ "Sheet Music Archives – The King's Singers". The King's Singers. Retrieved 14 June 2016.