A choir is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which spans from the medieval era to the present, or popular music repertoire. Most choirs are led by a conductor, who leads the performances with arm and face gestures.
Eton College is a 13–18 independent boarding school for boys in the parish of Eton, near Windsor in Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore", as a sister institution to King's College, Cambridge, making it the 18th-oldest Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference school. Eton's history and influence have made it one of the most prestigious schools in the world.
Nine Lessons and Carols, also known as the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, is a service of Christian worship traditionally celebrated on or near Christmas Eve. The story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus is told in nine short Bible readings or lessons from Genesis, the prophetic books and the Gospels, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols, hymns and choir anthems.
BBC Radio 3 is a British radio station operated by the BBC. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station describes itself as 'the world's most significant commissioner of new music', and through its New Generation Artists scheme promotes young musicians of all nationalities. The station broadcasts the BBC Proms concerts, live and in full, each summer in addition to performances by the BBC Orchestras and Singers. There are regular productions of both classic plays and newly commissioned drama.
Anglican church music is music that is written for Christian worship in Anglican religious services, forming part of the liturgy. It mostly consists of pieces written to be sung by a church choir, which may sing a cappella or accompanied by an organ.
The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is an English choir. It is considered one of today's most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great English 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 choir to this day.
Eton College Chapel is the main chapel of Eton College, an independent school in the United Kingdom.
William Stanley Vann FRCO ARCM was an English composer, organist, choral conductor, and choir trainer, primarily in the Anglican cathedral tradition.
Ralph Allwood, is a British conductor, who currently conducts the choir of Queens' College, Cambridge. He was previously the Precentor and Director of Music at Eton College in the UK until September 2011, and set up many musical events, including the Eton Choral Courses of which there are now seven a year. He previously headed the music departments at Pangbourne and Uppingham. He also conducts the Rodolfus Choir, a critically acclaimed group of singers aged 16–25, drawn principally from the Eton Choral Courses.
Stephen Wilkinson MBE is an English choral conductor and composer.
David Ogden, is a conductor and composer, directing choirs, choral and church music workshops, courses and festivals in the UK and abroad.
The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge is considered to be one of the finest collegiate choirs in the world. It 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 Southern Cathedrals Festival is a 5-day music festival held on rotation among the cathedrals of Chichester, Winchester and Salisbury in England, in the penultimate week of July. The festival was restored in 1960 after initial attempts to create the annual occasion - such efforts led to 28 years without it. The directors of music act as festival director when it is their cathedral's turn to host the event - currently, they are Charles Harrison, Andrew Lumsden and David Halls.
The Rodolfus Choir was founded by Ralph Allwood in 1984. It is a choir of singers aged 25 and younger, primarily selected from members of The Choral Course. It has toured extensively in the UK and abroad, and on top of performances at such venues as St John's, Smith Square and the Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester they have produced a considerable discography of music ranging from Monteverdi to Grier.
The Southwark Cathedral Merbecke Choir was established in late 2003 to provide a choir for ex-cathedral choristers to continue singing. It also comprises other young singers - often ex-choral scholars from university college choirs and student singers based in London.
Taplow Choirs is a group of four professional youth choirs for young people which rehearse in the village of Taplow, UK near Slough. It was founded in September 2004 by Philip Viveash and Gillian Dibden MBE after both conductors split from Berkshire Maestros. They held their first concert in the Christmas of 2004. They frequently perform in venues such as Windsor Castle and other professional events around London, have been on international tours and won the BBC's choir of the year award.
The Choir is a BAFTA award-winning TV series following Gareth Malone as he tackles the task of teaching choral singing to people who have never had the chance, or experience to sing before.
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. From 2015 direction of the choir was handed to the British conductor Ralph Allwood.
Nigel Short is founder and artistic director of the choir Tenebrae and Tenebrae Consort. He was previously a member of The King's Singers.
Evensong is the common name for a Christian church service originating in the Anglican tradition as part of the reformed practice of the Daily Office or canonical hours. The service may also be referred to as Evening Prayer, but Evensong is the more common name when the service is musical.
