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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Madrigals & Songs From The Renaissance
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Mar 2, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Folk Songs Of The British Isles
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jul 24, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best Of The King's Singers
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on May 23, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas
Christmas Music - Released by Signum Records on Oct 21, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Little Christmas Music
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Oct 11, 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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György Ligeti Edition, Vol. 4
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Oct 14, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Songbook
Christmas Music - Released by Signum Records on Aug 12, 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Praise Our Lord All Ye Gentiles
Classical - Released by Signum Records on Nov 30, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Sound of The King's Singers
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Feb 7, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The King's Singers: In Isolation
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Signum Records on Sep 11, 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Six
Classical - Released by Signum Records on Jun 21, 2005
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Epilogue - The Age of Not Believing (From "Bedknobs and Broomsticks")
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Dec 8, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
A Capella Christmas Favourites
The King's Singers, The Swingle Singers
Christmas Music - Released by Signum OMP on Dec 3, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chanson D'Amour
Classical - Released by RCA Victor on Mar 29, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Watching the White Wheat - Folksongs of the British Isles
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on May 18, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tavener: Canciones españolas & Requiem for Father Malachy
James Bowman, Nash Ensemble, The King's Singers, Kevin Smith, John Tavener
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Lyrita on Jan 1, 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
High Flight
The King's Singers, The Concordia Choir
Classical - Released by Signum Records on Sep 14, 2011
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Love Songs
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Signum Classics on Feb 8, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Noël
Christmas Music - Released by Signum Records on Jun 21, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Circle Of Life
Classical - Released by RCA Victor - Munich on Nov 8, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo