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The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, is a mixed-voice choir whose primary function is to lead services in the chapel of Clare College, Cambridge. Since its founding in 1972, [1] the choir has gained an international reputation as one of the leading university choral groups in the world.
The first chapel choir was formed in 1866. For the next one hundred years the choir consisted of undergraduate lower voices and a treble line provided by boys from city schools. In 1966, the use of boys was discontinued and for a brief period there was no upper line. The current mixed-voice choir was established in 1972 by Peter Dennison, a music fellow of the college. He was succeeded by the college's first director of music, John Rutter. Rutter left in 1979 to focus on composing but retains a close connection with the college as an honorary fellow. Timothy Brown directed the choir for 31 years until he was succeeded by the choir's current director of music, Graham Ross. [2]
Since 1975 the choir has been conducted by the director of music, a fellow of the college.
The choir normally consists of between 25 and 30 singers, most of whom are undergraduates at Clare College, Cambridge. In addition to the choral scholars, who are obliged to remain in the choir throughout their undergraduate studies, the choir includes some volunteer members who are often studying at other colleges as well as a lay clerk and a choir administrator.
The organ is played by two organ scholars, who, like the choral scholars, are students (typically undergraduates) at the college. An organ scholarship is awarded as necessary to ensure that there are always two undergraduate organists in the college—a new scholar is appointed to arrive when the previous one graduates.
If the director of music is not present for any reason, an organ scholar takes responsibility for conducting the choir.
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During the Cambridge full term, the choir sings choral evensong in the Clare College Chapel three times a week:
Additionally, the choir sings choral compline several times a term along with extra services such as Advent Carol services, All Souls and Ash Wednesday Vigils, weddings, funerals and memorial services. [3]
Since 2015, the choir has a webcast of recorded services released on the choir website. [4] Since 2020, the choir also live-streams choral services on their YouTube channel.
Apart from sacred music sung mostly in choral evensong services, the choir also performs a wide range of music, including works by Toby Hession, Graham Ross, Sir John Tavener, Jonathan Dove, Herbert Howells, Tarik O'Regan, John Rutter, Giles Swayne (the college's former composer in residence) and James Whitbourn.
The choir also performs with instrumental groups such as the European Union Baroque Orchestra and the Dmitri Ensemble. In January 2016 it gave the world première of Green Mass, composed by Alexander Raskatov, in the Royal Festival Hall along with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowski; [5] and in March 2018, [6] the world première of Clare Canticles, composed by Toby Hession. The choir also performed in the Malaysian première of Fauré's Requiem in 2016 with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. [7] Being the Choir & Organ magazine's 2020 New Music partners, [8] the choir will première six new commissions throughout the 2020 calendar year.
The choir maintains a strong recording and touring schedule. In recent years, the choir has toured throughout Europe, the US, the Middle East, Australia and Asia, usually between university terms. The choir also regularly performs in the United Kingdom, giving concerts in the major London concert halls, as well as at numerous festivals around the country.
Previous tours have included:
The choir has recorded extensively, [9] now exclusively for the Harmonia Mundi USA label. [10] Releases on this label include Reformation 1517–2017, Pange lingua: Music for Corpus Christi and Mater ora filium: Music for Epiphany. Since 2010, the choir has recorded 13 CDs, including a series of 8 CDs for seasons of the Christian calendar with Harmonia Mundi USA:
Some previous recordings include:
Sir John Milford Rutter is an English composer, conductor, editor, arranger, and record producer, mainly of choral music.
Tarik Hamilton O'Regan is a British and American composer. His compositions are partially represented on numerous recordings which have been recognised with two Grammy nominations. He is also the recipient of two British Composer Awards. O'Regan has served on the Faculties of Columbia University as a Fulbright Chester Schirmer Fellow, The Radcliffe Institute of Harvard University as a Radcliffe Fellow, Yale University, Trinity College in the University of Cambridge, Rutgers University, Stanford University as a Visiting Artist, and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton as Director's Visitor.
The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is an English Anglican choir. 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 choir to this day.
The Cambridge Singers is an English mixed voice chamber choir formed in 1981 by their director John Rutter with the primary purpose of making recordings under their own label Collegium Records.
A choral scholar is a student at either a university or a private school who receives a scholarship in exchange for singing in the school or university's choir. This is a common practice in the UK at schools attached to cathedrals where the choir is the cathedral choir, and at Oxford and Cambridge University Colleges, many of which have famous choirs.
John Rutter's Requiem is a musical setting of parts of the Latin Requiem with added psalms and biblical verses in English, completed in 1985. It is scored for soprano, mixed choir and orchestra or chamber ensemble.
The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge is part of the English cathedral tradition, having been founded to sing the daily liturgy in the College Chapel, though it is set apart from other English choirs of this tradition by the frequent inclusion of Continental works in its repertoire and its emphasis on polyphonic interpretations. Alongside the choir of King's College, Cambridge, it is one of the two most famous collegiate choirs in Cambridge, having had over 90 recordings published. The choir consists of fifteen Choral Scholars and twenty Choristers and Probationers, all of whom are members of St John's College, many of whom have proceeded to become distinguished musicians.
Mass of the Children is a major work of English composer John Rutter and a non-liturgical Missa brevis, with the traditional Latin and Greek Mass text interwoven with several English poems.
John Rutter's Gloria is a musical setting of parts of the Latin Gloria. He composed it in 1974 on a commission from Mel Olson, and conducted the premiere in Omaha, Nebraska. He structured the text in three movements and scored it for choir, brass, percussion and organ, with an alternative version for choir and orchestra. It was published in 1976 by Oxford University Press.
Ruth Holton is an English soprano singer.
Queens' College Chapel Choir, Cambridge is the choir of Queens' College, Cambridge, England. It is a mixed collegiate Chapel Choir composed both of Choral Scholars and volunteers from across Cambridge University. Between 2011 and 2015 the choir was run by Director of Music, Silas Wollston, and two undergraduate organ scholars. Between 2015 and 2022 most services were directed by British conductor Ralph Allwood. Nicholas Morris joined the college as Director of Music in September 2022.
Collegium Records is an English classical music record label founded in 1984 by British composer and conductor John Rutter, primarily to record his work with the Cambridge Singers. The label has also worked with artistes including composer Tarik O'Regan, soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, the City of London Sinfonia, and the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge.
Timothy (Tim) Brown is an English choral conductor.
James McVinnie is an English organist and pianist.
Matthew Jorysz is an English organist and pianist. He currently serves as assistant organist at Westminster Abbey.
Graham Ross is a British conductor and composer. Since 2010 he has been the director of Choir of Clare College, Cambridge.
Kingston Choral Society is a large mixed-voice choir based in Kingston upon Thames in the UK. Originating in 1949, the choir in 2016 had around 140 auditioned members. It stages four concerts each year with professional musicians and soloists. Most of these concerts are held at All Saints Church, Kingston upon Thames, at St Andrew's Church, Surbiton, or at Cadogan Hall in central London.
The "Shepherd's Pipe Carol" is a modern Christmas carol composed by John Rutter. Rutter composed the carol whilst he was an undergraduate at university in 1966 with it being published a year later at the behest of David Willcocks.
Toby Hession is an English composer, conductor, and pianist.
A Clare Benediction is an anthem by John Rutter, beginning May the Lord show his mercy upon you. Rutter wrote both the text and music of the composition to honour Clare College, Cambridge, where he had studied. The work was published by Oxford University Press in 1998.
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