The Choir of King’s College Cambridge Performs In Sydney

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge directed by Stephen Cleobury CBE, tours to Sydney in July under the auspices of Music Viva.

Sixteen boy choristers, fifteen choral scholars and two organ scholars will perform two programmes under the direction of Stephen Cleobury CBE, the Choir’s Director of Music since 1982. One programme is devised for larger halls with organ, the other for smaller venues.The repertoire for the programs includes works from Byrd and Palestrina, Purcell and Monteverdi through to Hubert Parry and Benjamin Britten. Fauré’s Requiem, one of the most loved choral masterpieces usually performed with an orchestra, will be performed with organ, and forms the centre-piece of the larger program.

Highlights of the tour include three Christmas carols by Australian composers, all commissioned by Cleobury. “The pieces are Peter Sculthorpe’s The Birthday of thy King, Brett Dean’s Now comes the Dawn, and Carl Vine’s Ring out, wild bells,” says Cleobury, adding  “I know Brett Dean and Carl Vine personally, and admire them hugely, as I do Peter Sculthorpe. So we’ve grouped their three pieces together on our tour program.”

Acknowledged as one of the finest choral ensembles in the world, the Choir exists primarily to sing the daily services in King’s College Chapel. Due to academic commitments of the members of the Choir, it performs fewer than 20 concerts outside of the Chapel each year.

The Program 21/7 :

William BYRD Sing Joyfully /Giovanni Pierluigi da PALESTRINA Dum complerentur/ Henry PURCELL Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes mei, Z135/ Henry PURCELL I was glad when they said unto me, Z19/ Claudio MONTEVERDI Cantate Domino canticum novum, SV292 (c.1615) /Claudio MONTEVERDI Adoramus te, Christe, SV293 (c1620)/ Charles Villiers STANFORD A Song of Wisdom from Six Hymns, op 113/ Charles Villiers STANFORD A Song of Peace from Six Hymns, op 113 /Peter SCULTHORPE The Birthday of thy King /Brett DEAN Now comes the Dawn/ Carl VINE Ring out, wild bells/ Benjamin BRITTEN Hymn to St Cecilia, op 27.

The Program 26/7:

Charles Hubert Hastings PARRY Hear my words, ye people/ William BYRD Sing Joyfully/ Giovanni Pierluigi da PALESTRINA Dum complerentur /Peter SCULTHORPE The Birthday of thy King /Brett DEAN Now comes the Dawn /Carl VINE Ring out, wild bells/ Benjamin BRITTEN Hymn to St Cecilia, op 27/ Gabriel FAURÉ Requiem in D minor, op 48.

Click here for tickets.

As part of the Musica Viva tour, Stephen Cleobury CBE, Director of Music for the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge will share his knowledge and experience with conducting students from tertiary institutions and choral experts through the Musica Viva Masterclasses program. Members of the public and other students are also able to attend these masterclasses to observe Stephen’s teaching. Click here for details of the masterclasses.