The King's Singers
Comprising an ever-changing cast of six members -- two countertenors, a tenor, a bass, and two baritones -- The King's Singers are a long-running British vocal ensemble that tours the world singing a variety of repertory. Since their inception in the '60s and into the new millennium, the group has continued to perform, frequently to sold-out audiences.
The ensemble was formed in 1965 by six choral scholars of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. They decided to make a private recording of some of the secular music they had been working on, calling themselves "Schola Cantorum Pro Musica Profana in Cantabridgiense." They commissioned 100 pressings to keep and give to friends and families. From this start, the six (Martin Lane, Alastair Hume, Neil Jenkins, Richard Salter, Simon Carrington, and Brian Kay) decided to undertake a tour, and booked themselves as "Six Choral Scholars from King's College." The tour was a success, and a new name -- The King's Singers, suggested by an Argo Records executive -- was chosen.
Their first concert officially took place on May 1, 1968. By 1971, The King's Singers had drawn considerable attention in England and they began making their first recordings. By Appointment and The King's Music appeared in 1971 and 1972, respectively. In the '80s, The King's Singers experienced their first personnel changes, but the group's popularity remained high, bolstered by a heavy touring schedule that even included an appearance on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Then-recent recordings, like their All at Once Well Met: English Madrigals (1985) and The Beatles Connection (1986), achieved impressive sales.
The King's Singers continue to entertain audiences with their music, maintaining their meticulous style through numerous changes in the ensemble's lineup. Of their past members, the longest serving was Alastair Hume, who remained with The King's Singers until the end of the 1992 season. Several former members, such as Nigel Short, Gabriel Crouch, and composer Bob Chilcott, have established successful solo careers. As of mid-2020s, the group's membership included countertenors Patrick Dunachie and Edward Button, tenor Julian Gregory, baritones Christopher Bruerton and Nick Ashby, and bass Jonathan Howard.
The King's Singers have made several dozen recordings of a wide variety of music for several labels, everything from madrigals and motets to Japanese folk songs to a cappella arrangements of pop songs. They have also commissioned a large number of new compositions from composers such as Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, Toru Takemitsu, James MacMillan, and Gabriela Lena Frank. In addition, they teach master classes and summer programs for young musicians. In 2009, the King's Singers won a Grammy Award for their recording Simple Gifts, on the Signum label. They were also part of Eric Whitacre's 2012 Grammy-winning recording Light & Gold. Great American Songbook followed in 2013 and Postcards in 2014. In 2017, they issued Gold, a three-disc set that featured their takes on traditional classics and pop hits from the likes of Wiz Khalifa ("See You Again"), The Beatles ("And I Love Her"), KT Tunstall ("Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"), John Legend ("All of Me"), and many more. 2020 saw the release of Finding Harmony, a 19-track set that spanned both styles and centuries, with the intent of uniting the world through song. The year 2023 saw four releases from The King's Singers, including Wonderland, which contained performances of György Ligeti's Nonsense Madrigals.
© TiVo Staff /TiVo
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Purcell: Music for a While, Z. 583
Jakub Józef Orliński, The King's Singers
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 9 Oct 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tom and Will
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 13 Jan 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Original Debut Recording
The King's Singers, Gordon Langford Trio
Mélodies - Released by Chandos on 1 Jul 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let It Snow
Albrecht Mayer, The King's Singers
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Great American Songbook
Jazz - Released by Signum Records on 2 Sep 2013
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Joy to the World
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 27 Jul 2011
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
When You Wish Upon a Star
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 21 Apr 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Carols with The King's Singers
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 3 Sep 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Cappella
Classical - Released by Sony Classical - Sony Music on 16 Feb 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music of The Beatles
Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, The King's Singers
Classical - Released by Telarc on 28 Aug 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Library Vol. 4
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 8 Jul 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Wonderland
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Signum Records on 22 Sep 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Library Vol. 1
Pop - Released by Signum Classics on 4 Oct 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tenebrae Responsories du Jeudi saint
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 21 Jun 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
English Renaissance
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 7 Feb 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rejoice and Be Merry!
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Orchestra at Temple Square, The King's Singers
Classical - Released by Intellectual Reserve on 1 Sep 2007
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Good Vibrations
Classical - Released by RCA Victor on 29 Mar 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gold
Jazz - Released by Signum Records on 3 Nov 2017
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Epilogue - 100 Years of Disney Songs
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 19 Jan 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Thomas Tallis: Spem in Alium
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Signum Records on 5 Jan 2006
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo