Wells Cathedral Choir
The Wells Cathedral Choir has been ranked by a Gramophone jury as the sixth-best choir in the world, and the best with boys; honors from outside the classical world include a certificate of excellence from travel website TripAdvisor. The choir's tradition is long even by English standards; there is a record of boys having sung at Wells Cathedral in the year 909, and the current choral tradition dates back to the early 13th century. The choir consists of 18 boy choristers, 18 girl choristers, and 12 adult male Vicars Choral. The boy and girl choristers usually sing separately, in combination with the Vicars Choral, but are sometimes massed for larger performances. The Vicars Choral, who are not ecclesiastical officials (the words "vicar" and "vice" are related, and the vicars were historically substitutes for the canons), date back to the 1100s; the girl choristers were added in 1994.
Like other cathedral choirs, the Wells Cathedral Choir is integral to daily worship at the cathedral. The group is also notable for its large volume of concert activity. The choir has sung with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and, in 2014, the Berlin Radio Choir and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Simon Rattle. Perhaps alone among cathedral choirs, the Wells Cathedral Choir has its own festival, new music wells, founded in June of 2008. Premieres there have included works by Judith Bingham, Geoffrey Burgon, Bob Chilcott, Jonathan Dove, Gabriel Jackson, John Joubert, James MacMillan, Peter Maxwell Davies, Tarik O’Regan, John Rutter, Howard Skempton, and John Tavener.
The Wells Cathedral Choir has a large catalog of recordings, many of them on the Hyperion, Griffin, Regent, and Resonus Classics labels; recordings include contemporary compositions as well as liturgical music and Renaissance English repertory. In 2016 the choir released A Wells Christmas. Associated musical activities include a Wells Cathedral Junior Choir. At this writing, Wells Cathedral's Organist and Master of Choristers is Matthew Owens.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Judith Bingham: Choral Music
Jonathan Vaughn, Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 28 Jul 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bob Chilcott: Requiem & Other Choral Works
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 23 Mar 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
A Wells Christmas
Wells Cathedral Choir, Jonathan Vaughn, Matthew Owens
Classical - Released by Resonus Classics on 3 Oct 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
John Tavener: Missa Wellensis
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 8 Jul 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Favourite Hymns From Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral Choir, Malcolm Archer, Rupert Gouch, Wells Cathedral School Brass Ensemble
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Griffin Records on 1 Jan 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Psalms of David, Vol. 2: O Praise the Lord of Heaven
Wells Cathedral Choir, Christopher Brayne, Anthony Crossland
Classical - Released by Priory Records on 12 Jan 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Awake, My Soul: Choral Works by Gary Davison
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens, David Bednall
Classical - Released by Resonus Classics on 27 Apr 2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bob Chilcott: St John Passion
Wells Cathedral Choir, Jonathan Vaughn, Matthew Owens
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 3 Mar 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Jingle Wells
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classical - Released by Regent Records Ltd on 26 Nov 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas from Wells
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classical - Released by Regent Records on 1 Aug 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Burgon: Nunc dimittis, Short Mass & Other Choral Music
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Nov 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Evensong for St. Andrew's Day
Wells Cathedral Choir, Malcolm Archer, Rupert Gough
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Griffin Records on 25 Jan 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Songs of Sunshine
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classical - Released by Regent Records on 10 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music for Passiontide & Easter
Wells Cathedral Choir, Anthony Crossland, Andrew Nethsingha, Crossland
Classical - Released by Priory Records on 18 Sep 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jonathan Dove: Choral Music
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 31 Aug 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The English Hymn 5 – Lead, Kindly Light (Hymns of Faith & Assurance)
Wells Cathedral Choir, Rupert Gough, Malcolm Archer
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Aug 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Absolute Christmas, Vol. 7
Norwich Cathedral Choir, Marlborough Cathedral Choir, Wells Cathedral Choir
Ambient/New Age - Released by Snowy Christmas Records on 26 Oct 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MacMillan: Choral Music
Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 31 May 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The English Hymn 2 – Jerusalem the Golden (Great 19th-Century Hymns)
Wells Cathedral Choir, Rupert Gough, Malcolm Archer
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The English Hymn 1 – Christ Triumphant (Great 20th-Century Hymns)
Wells Cathedral Choir, Rupert Gough, Malcolm Archer
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Nov 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kenneth Leighton: The World's Desire & Other Choral Works
Wells Cathedral Choir, David Bednall, Matthew Owens
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 May 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo