Grayston ‘Bill’ Ives (born 1948) is a British composer, singer and choral director.
Until March 2009, Ives was Organist, ''Informator Choristarum'' and Fellow and Tutor in Music at
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...
. In this role he was responsible for the daily musical life of the college chapel. He also directed the choir in recordings on the
Harmonia Mundi
Harmonia Mundi is an independent record label which specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group.
Its Latin name ''ha ...
label: ''With a Merrie Noyse'', made with the viol consort
Fretwork
Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw, coping saw, jigsaw or scroll saw. Most fretwork patterns are geometric in design. The materials most commonly used ...
and featuring the works of the English composer Orlando Gibbons, was nominated for a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
in 2004.
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
's ''Ecce Cor Meum'' was written especially for Magdalen College Choir and the subsequent EMI recording won the
Classical BRIT Award
The Classic BRIT Awards (previously Classical BRIT Awards) are an annual awards ceremony held in the United Kingdom covering aspects of European classical music, classical and Classical crossover, crossover music, and are the equivalent of popu ...
for Album of the Year in 2007. Other recordings with Magdalen College Choir include ''Listen Sweet Dove'', a selection of Grayston Ives' liturgical works, and Duruflé's ''Requiem''. The choir developed a fruitful relationship with film composer, George Fenton, notably in ''Shadowlands'' (1993), directed by Richard Attenborough.
Ives was a chorister at
Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England.
The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The presen ...
and later studied music at