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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Choral Essays, Vol. 1: The Quiet Heart
Classical - Released by The Sound Corporation on 1 Apr 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Here's A Howdy Do
Classical - Released by RCA Victor on 9 Jun 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
À la française. Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals - Fauré: Pavane - Songs of the Auvergne
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 19 Nov 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The King's Singers Live at the BBC Proms
Classical - Released by Signum Classics on 24 Nov 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nonsense Madrigals: III. The Alphabet
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Signum Records on 7 Sep 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rejoice and Be Merry
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by iOcean Music on 1 Sep 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Psaumes chrétiens, juifs et musulmans
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 3 Oct 2005
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
To All Things a Season: Chansons, Madrigals and Lieder by Lassus
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
O Lord Make Thy Servant Elizabeth
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 5 Jan 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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From The Heart
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 1 Nov 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Landscape & Time
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Signum Records on 7 Nov 2006
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Penny Lane
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Signum Records on 30 Sep 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Golden Age - Siglo de Oro
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 3 Mar 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Greensleeves
Folk - Released by EMI MUSIC JAPAN INC. on 1 Jan 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
How Excellent Is Thy Name: Sacred Music of Lassus
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Nonsense Madrigals: V. The Lobster Quadrille
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Signum Records on 28 May 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
When We’re Human (From "The Princess and the Frog")
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 3 Mar 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Swimming Over London
Pop - Released by Signum Records on 10 May 2010
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo