Jonathan Willcocks

Last updated

Jonathan Peter Willcocks BEM (born 9 January 1953 [1] ) is an English composer and conductor.

Willcocks was born in Worcester, the son of conductor and composer Sir David Willcocks. He was a chorister at King's College, Cambridge, and an Open Music Scholar at Clifton College. He graduated with an Honours degree in Music from the University of Cambridge in 1974, where he held a choral scholarship at Trinity College. He served as director of music at Portsmouth Grammar School (1975–78) and Bedales School, Petersfield (1978–89). [1]

He is conductor and musical director of Guildford Choral Society and Chichester Singers, and of the professional chamber orchestra Southern Pro Musica. From 1998 to 2008 he was the director of the Junior Academy, Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2016, Willcocks was appointed Festival Conductor of the Leith Hill Musical Festival, the 5th since Ralph Vaughan Williams and succeeding Brian Kay who held the post for 21 years.

Willcocks was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to music. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Rutter</span> English composer, conductor and arranger

John Milford Rutter is an English composer, conductor, editor, arranger, and record producer, mainly of choral music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Cleobury</span> English organist and conductor (1948–2019)

Sir Stephen John Cleobury was an English organist and music director. He worked with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, where he served as music director from 1982 to 2019, and with the BBC Singers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Willcocks</span> British choral conductor (1919–2015)

Sir David Valentine Willcocks, was a British choral conductor, organist, composer and music administrator. He was particularly well known for his association with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, which he directed from 1957 to 1974, making frequent broadcasts and recordings. Several of the descants and carol arrangements he wrote for the annual service of Nine Lessons and Carols were published in the series of books Carols for Choirs which he edited along with Reginald Jacques and John Rutter. He was also director of the Royal College of Music in London.

Robert Tear, CBE was a Welsh tenor singer, teacher and conductor. He first became known singing in the operas of Benjamin Britten in the mid-1960s. From the 1970s until his retirement in 1999 his main operatic base was the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; he appeared with other opera companies in the UK, mainland Europe, the US and Australia. Generally avoiding the Italian repertoire, which did not suit his voice, Tear became known in leading and character roles in German, British and Russian operas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boris Ord</span> British musician

Boris Ord, was a British organist and choirmaster of King's College, Cambridge (1929-1957). During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force. He is best known for his choral setting of Adam lay ybounden, his only published composition.

<i>Carols for Choirs</i> Books of choral music, mainly for Christmas

Carols for Choirs is a collection of choral scores, predominantly of Christmas carols and hymns, first published in 1961 by Oxford University Press. It was edited by Sir David Willcocks and Reginald Jacques, and is a widely used source of carols in the British Anglican tradition and among British choral societies. A second volume was published in 1970, edited by David Willcocks and John Rutter, and the collection is now available in six volumes. A compendium edition was published later. In addition to music for Christmas, the collection also offers works that are suitable for other Christian festivals such as Advent and Epiphany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Choir of King's College, Cambridge</span> English Anglican choir

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Hickox</span> English conductor

Richard Sidney Hickox was an English conductor of choral, orchestral and operatic music.

Stephen Mark Darlington is a British choral director, organist and conductor who served as Director of Music at Christ Church, Oxford, from 1985 to 2018. He is currently interim Director of Music at St John's College, Cambridge. His brother is the conductor Jonathan Darlington.

Sir Philip Stevens Ledger, CBE, FRSE was an English classical musician, choirmaster and academic, best remembered as Director of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge in 1974–1982 and of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama from 1982 until he retired in 2001. He also composed choral music and played the organ, piano and harpsichord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Allen (conductor)</span> English musician and academic

Sir Hugh Percy Allen was an English musician, academic, and administrator. He was a leading influence on British musical life in the first half of the 20th century.

Stephen David Layton is an English conductor.

The Bach Choir is a large independent musical organisation founded in London, England in 1876 to give the first performance of J. S. Bach's Mass in B minor in Britain.

Nelson Kwei is a Singaporean choral conductor. He is currently conductor of Victoria Junior College choir, Victoria Chorale, Tanjong Katong Secondary School choir, Catholic High School choir, Victoria School choir and The Vocal Consort. An alumnus of Anglican High School and Temasek Junior College, he studied mathematics at the National University of Singapore and choral conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bath Bach Choir</span> UK classical music choir

Bath Bach Choir, formerly The City of Bath Bach Choir (CBBC), is based in Bath, Somerset, England, and is a registered charity. Founded in 1946 by Cuthbert Bates, who also became a founding father of the Bath Bach Festival in 1950, the choir's original aim was to promote the music of Johann Sebastian Bach via periodic music festivals. Bates – an amateur musician with a great love and understanding of this composer's works – was also the CBBC's principal conductor and continued in this role until his sudden death, in April 1980. This untimely exit pre-empted his planned retirement concert performance of J. S. Bach's Mass in B minor, scheduled for July of the same year, and effectively ended the first period of the choir's history.

Gordon Brodie Stewart is a British organist, conductor, and teacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Parry (musician)</span> British musician, composer, conductor, singer, arranger and producer

Ben Parry is a British musician, composer, conductor, singer, arranger and producer. He is the Director of London Voices and was formally Artistic Director of the National Youth Choir.

Patrick Russill is an English choral conductor, organist and music conservatoire teacher.

Andrew Millington is a British cathedral organist who served as Director of Music at Exeter between 1999 and 2015. He is also active as a composer, and has had several choral pieces published.

Gwyn Arch MBE was a British musical arranger, composer, and choir director.

References

  1. 1 2 Maggie Humphreys; Robert Evans (1997), Dictionary of Composers for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland, A&C Black, p. 361, ISBN   0-7201-2330-5
  2. "No. 64269". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2023. p. N37.