Mark Deller (born 1938) is an English conductor and countertenor, now retired. He is the son of the first modern countertenor,

Alfred Deller Alfred George Deller, CBE (31 May 1912 – 16 July 1979), was an English singer and one of the main figures in popularising the return of the countertenor voice in Renaissance and Baroque music during the 20th century. He is sometimes referr ...

Life and career

Mark Deller and his parents moved to

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, just before his first birthday. Alfred was a

lay clerk A lay clerk, also known as a lay vicar, song man or a vicar choral, is a professional adult singer in an Anglican cathedral and often Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the UK, or (occasionally) collegiate choir in Britain and Ireland. The vicars chora ...

at Canterbury Cathedral in the 1940s, and his young son also joined the cathedral choir, although Alfred transferred to the choir of St Paul's Cathedral in London about the time that Mark became a chorister at Canterbury. Mark went on to win a scholarship at St John's College, Cambridge, which is famous for its

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

After completing his education, Deller pursued a musical career. Initially based in Salisbury, he performed concerts in Europe, the USA and South America. In 1962 he became a member of the Deller Consort. In England, Deller has been particularly active in Kent. Deller became a member of the Ashford Choral Society after receiving an appointment to the choir of St Paul's Cathedral. In 1970 Deller became conductor of the Ashford Choral Society. He has served as director of the Canterbury Festival and the Stour Music Festival. Abroad he has conducted the

Netherlands Bach Society The Netherlands Bach Society ( nl, Nederlandse Bachvereniging) is the oldest ensemble for Baroque music in the Netherlands, and possibly in the world. The ensemble was founded in 1921 in Naarden to perform Bach's ''St Matthew Passion'' on Good Frid ...

, the Associação de Canto Coral in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

, Les Chœurs de la Pléiade in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, and the opening for Europa Cantat in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Discography

While his singing career has tended to be with ensembles rather than as a soloist, Deller's discography includes solo performances of note: *Baroque music **

John Dowland John Dowland (c. 1563 – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as "Come, heavy sleep", " Come again", "Flow my tears", " I saw my Lady weepe", ...

''Ayres & Lute Lessons'' (with the Deller Consort), Harmonia Mundi ** Henry Purcell´s duet ''Sound the Trumpet'' from the birthday ode ''

Come Ye Sons of Art Come Ye Sons of Art, Z.323, also known as Ode for Queen Mary's Birthday, is a musical composition by Henry Purcell. It was written in 1694, and is one of a series of odes in honour of the birthday of Queen Mary II of England. The text of the ode ...

''. The Dellers, father and son, feature as the two countertenor soloists on a

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

recording (reissued on CD). **Handel's dramatic oratorio ''

Semele Semele (; Ancient Greek: Σεμέλη ), in Greek mythology, was the youngest daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, and the mother of Dionysus by Zeus in one of his many origin myths. Certain elements of the cult of Dionysus and Semele came from ...

''. *Folk ** ''Folksongs'' (album)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deller, Mark Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Countertenors British performers of early music Living people People from Canterbury 1938 births