The Choir of King's College London is a mixed-voice choir within British university

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

whose primary function is to provide music in the Chapel of King's College London, a Grade I listed

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...

chapel. One of the leading university choirs in England and the wider United Kingdom, since its revival in 1945, it has gained an international reputation as one of the leading university collegiate choirs in the world.

History

King's College London was founded in 1828-29 by

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

and the

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

in the tradition of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

, and worship featured heavily in the life of the university from its foundation. The College Chapel was one of the first parts of the university to be constructed in 1829, located on the second floor of King's Building. Keen to improve the provision of music at services, in the early 1840s the College sought to establish a choir. Founded around 1843 by

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

, 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 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 appointed College Organist and Lecturer in Music. * 1945–1952: Harold Last * 1953–1991: E.H. Warrell * 1992–2014: David Trendell * 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 at King's College London. 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 organ scholar for the 2022/23 academic year is Charles Maxtone-Smith.

Services

In term time, the choir usually sings in the Chapel of King's College London twice a week, providing music for the College's main acts of corporate worship: * 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. It is loosely based on the canonical hours of vespers and compline. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which ...

* 1:10 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, London, 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 ...

church, separately from their duties as choral scholars at King's College London. The choir as a whole regularly sings for worship outside the university including at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

and

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, both located near the College's historic campus on the

Strand Strand or The Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * ...

in central London, the site of the College Chapel. In 2020, the choir started livestreaming services on their YouTube channel as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic, the choir has continued to embrace technology and share recordings of their services on YouTube.

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 30 September 1949) is a Jamaican contemporary music composer who lives and works in the United Kingdom. Her most recent compositions include two Violin Concertos, a Trumpet Concerto and a Symphony. Career E ...

, 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 a ...

's ''Smile, O voluptuous cool-breath’d Earth!'' alongside the

Orion Orchestra Orion may refer to: Common meanings * Orion (constellation), named after the mythical hunter * Orion (mythology), a hunter in Greek mythology Arts and media Fictional entities Characters and species * Orion (character), a DC Comics c ...

in November 2020. In April 2021 the choir performed the St John Passion with the

Hanover Band The Hanover Band is a British orchestra specialised in historically informed performance, founded in 1980 by its artistic director, Caroline Brown. The group's website explains the name thus: '' 'Hanover' signifies the Hanoverian period 1714-18 ...

, 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 Smith Square Hall (formerly St John's Smith Square) is a concert hall in the centre of Smith Square, Westminster, London. Its name was changed by its current operator, Sinfonia Smith Square, in 2024. Originally a church, this Grade I listed ...

. 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 Byrd commonly refers to: * William Byrd (c. 1540 – 1623), an English composer of the Renaissance * Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957), an American naval officer and explorer Byrd or Byrds may also refer to: Other people *Byrd (surname), including ...

and Palestrina to premièring the works of contemporary composers such as

Kerensa Briggs Kerensa Rosie Joanne Briggs (born 1991) is a British composer, primarily of choral and organ music. In 2022 she began a three-year term as composer-in-residence with the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus in Missouri, USA.Choir of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge The Choir of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge is a mixed choir of 24 voices. It is one of the UK’s leading collegiate choirs, with an international reputation for performances of exceptional quality but also for innovative and adventurou ...

, 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, 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) * 2023 - ''Rachmaninoff: Vespers - All-Night Vigil'' (DCD34296) 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 in the United Kingdom 1843 establishments in England Musical groups established in 1843 English choirs London choirs