The Choir of King's College London is a mixed-voice choir whose primary function is to lead services in the Renaissance Revival chapel of

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. Since its revival in 1945, the choir has gained an international reputation as one of the leading university collegiate choirs in the world.

History

Founded around 1843 by

William Henry Monk William Henry Monk (16 March 1823 – 1 March 1889) was an English organist, church musician and music editor who composed popular hymn tunes, including "Eventide", used for the hymn " Abide with Me", and "All Things Bright and Beautiful". He ...

, it was noted that

certain gentlemen connected with King's had... been efficiently supplying the choir.

From 1945–1952, the choir was directed by Harold Last, then to E.H. Warrell who held an extensive 38 year tenure.

David Trendell David Robin Charles Trendell (17 August 1964, in Tavistock, Devon, England – 28 October 2014) was the English organist, lecturer and Director of Music at King's College London. He specialised in the music of William Byrd. Education Trendell was ...

was then appointed, directing the choir for 22 years. Following the sudden death of Trendell, Gareth Wilson was temporarily appointed for one year. He was succeeded by the choir's current director of music, Joseph Fort.

Directors of Music

Since 1945 the choir has been conducted by the director of music, also the appointed college organist and lecturer in music. * 1945–1952: Harold Last * 1953–1991: E.H. Warrell * 1992–2014:

* 2014–2015: Gareth Wilson (acting) * 2015–present: Joseph Fort

Membership of the choir

The choir normally consists of between 25 and 30 singers, most of whom are undergraduate students reading Music. A choral scholar also serves as the choir's librarian who works alongside the choir administrator.

Organ scholar

The organ is played by the organ scholar who is typically also an undergraduate student. If the director of music is not present for any reason, an organ scholar takes responsibility for conducting the choir. The current organ scholar is Mitchell Farquarson.

Services

The choir usually sings in the King's College London Chapel twice a week: * 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays for

choral evensong Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. In origin, it is identical to the canonical hour of vespers. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which became ...

* 1:15 p.m. on Wednesdays for college eucharist Most famed for their Advent Carols Services, the choir performs across three nights to meet demand. The choir also sings in extra services such as All Souls and Ash Wednesday Vigils, remembrance and memorial services. Many members of the choir also sing with the neighbouring

St Mary le Strand St Mary le Strand is a Church of England church at the eastern end of the Strand in the City of Westminster, London. It lies within the Deanery of Westminster (St Margaret) within the Diocese of London. The church stands on what was until recen ...

church. Since 2020, the choir started livestreaming services on their YouTube channel as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Performances and recordings

The choir maintains a strong recording and touring schedule, having previously performed as far afield as Italy, Nigeria and Hong Kong. The choir also performs regularly in major concert venues and holds numerous appearances at music festivals across the country.

Tours and performances

Aside from sacred music sung mostly in choral evensong services, the choir also performs a wide range of music, including contemporary mass settings and choral works by

Eleanor Alberga Eleanor Deanne Therese Alberga (born 1949) is a Jamaican contemporary music composer who lives and works in the United Kingdom. Career Eleanor Alberga was born in Kingston, Jamaica. She decided at the age of five to be a concert pianist and ...

, Charles Stanford,

Herbert Howells Herbert Norman Howells (17 October 1892 – 23 February 1983) was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music. Life Background and early education Howells was born in Lydney, Gloucest ...

, and

Imogen Holst Imogen Clare Holst (; 12 April 1907 – 9 March 1984) was a British composer, arranger, conductor, teacher, musicologist, and festival administrator. The only child of the composer Gustav Holst, she is particularly known for her education ...

, with the choir having recently sung the world première of Ed Nesbit's (one of the college composition lecturer's) ''The King's Service''. The choir often performs with symphony orchestras both within the United Kingdom and abroad, with the ensemble giving the world première of

Simon Rowland-Jones Simon Rowland-Jones (born 1950) is a violist, composer, and music editor. He is best known for his arrangement of the Bach Cello Suites for Viola, which is widely praised as one of the best scholarly editions of the work for viola. He has taught ...

's ''Smile, O voluptuous cool-breath’d Earth!'' alongside the Orion Orchestra in November 2020. In April 2021 the choir performed the St John Passion with the Hanover Band, with other performing engagements including multiple concerts featuring the Rachmaninoff All-Night Vigil as part of the Barnes Music Festival and at

St John's Smith Square St John's Smith Square is a redundant church in the centre of Smith Square, Westminster, London. Sold to a charitable trust as a ruin following firebombing in the Second World War, it was restored as a concert hall. This Grade I listed churc ...

. Tours in recent years have seen the choir perform in the US (2019), Nigeria (2018), US and Canada (2017), Germany (2016), and Italy (2015).

Recordings

Since 2009, the choir has primarily recorded a number of critically acclaimed recordings with Delphian. Repertory ranges from more traditional Anglican worship music including music from Byrd and Palestrina to premièring the works of contemporary composers such as Kerensa Briggs. Under the baton of Trendell, the choir enjoyed a relationship with the

Choir of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge The Choir of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge is a collegiate choir in the University of Cambridge, until recently directed by the Dietrich Buxtehude, Buxtehude scholar Geoffrey Webber. The Director of Music at the college is by tradition k ...

, where they released multiple albums together with Delphian. The choir has also worked with a number of instrumental ensembles and guest artists, most recently with

Sean Shibe Sean Shibe ( ; born 1992) is a classical and electric guitarist from Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He is of English and Japanese ancestry. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (and was the youngest student to enter the then Royal Scotti ...

for the choir's release of ''Say it to the Still World'' and with the Strand Ensemble for ''The Cloud Messenger''.

Discography

Previously having worked with Hyperion, Gaudeamus and

Herald AV Publications Herald AV Publications is a British record label. Founded in 1984, Herald AV Publications was set up as a specialist Catholic recording company. It serves both to promote established professional artists and to provide an outlet for new artists ...

, the choir now records exclusively with Delphian. * 2009 - ''Shchedrin: The Sealed Angel'' (DCD34067-CD) * 2012 - ''Allegri: Miserere; Masses & Motets'' (DCD34103-CD) * 2013 - ''Deutsche Motette'' (DCD34124-CD) * 2014 - ''Desenclos: Messe de Requiem, Salve Regina, Motets'' (DCD34136-CD) * 2016 - ''In Memoriam - A Tribute to David Trendell'' (DCD34146-CD) * 2017 - ''Brahms: An English Requiem'' (DCD34195-CD) * 2019 - ''Masses for Double Choir'' (DCD34211-CD) * 2019 - ''Advent Carols'' (DCD34226-CD) * 2020 - ''The Cloud Messenger'' (DCD34241-CD) * 2021 - ''Say it to the Still World'' (DCD34246-CD) * 2022 - ''Edward Nesbit: Sacred Choral Music'' (DCD34256) Some previous recordings include: * 2000 - ''John Tavener and William Byrd'' * 2002 - ''Alonso Lobo: Choral Music'' (CDGAU311) * 2003 - ''O Sapientia: Advent from King's College London'' (HAVP296)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.kcl.ac.uk/choir
YouTube channel

Spotify channel
King's College London University choirs 1843 establishments in England Musical groups established in 1843 English choirs Musical groups from London