Jeremy Backhouse

Jeremy Backhouse is now established as one of Britain's leading choral conductors. He is the conductor of the 150-voice Vivace Chorus (formally the Guildford Philharmonic Choir). He is also the conductor of the Vasari Singers, widely acknowledged as one of the finest chamber choirs in the country.

Head chorister at Canterbury Cathedral, he studied music and composition at Liverpool University and began his career as a Music Editor with EMI. From 1998 to December 2004 he was Conductor of the Wooburn Singers - only the third in the choir's history, following Richard Hickox and Stephen Jackson. He has also worked with the BBC Club Choir, Kent Youth Choir, Brighton Festival Chorus, London Choral Society, Trinity College of Music Chamber Choir, Philharmonia Chorus and the BBC Singers.

John Bertalot

The English choral conductor, John Bertalot, won Organ scholarships to the Royal College of Music, London, and to Oxford and Cambridge.

After his studies, John Bertalot first appointment was Director of Music for 6 years of St. Matthew's Church, Northampton, UK (a successor of Alec Wyton), the church for which Britten wrote Rejoice in the Lamb. He then became director of music at Blackburn Cathedral (for 18 years) where he founded the Blackburn Bach Choir and was Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester.

In moving to the USA, John Bertalot has been Director of Music for 16 years of Trinity Church, Princeton, NJ. succeeding Dr James Litton. He led for sixteen years one of the most ambitious Episcopal Church music programmes in the USA, where he founded the acclaimed Princeton Singers. He was also Adjunct Associate Professor, Westminster Choir College, Rider University. In over forty years of professional music-making he has led choral workshops all over the world.

Matthew Best

Matthew studied at Kings College, Cambridge, and at the National Opera Studio, and in 1982 won the Decca-Kathleen Ferrier Prize. At the outset of his career, he sang as a principal bass with The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and as a guest with many other companies, and in recent years he has moved into the bass-baritone and Heldenbariton repertory. This process reached a significant landmark when he sang the role of Wotan/The Wanderer in Scottish Opera's new production of Der Ring des Nibelungen, first seen at the Edinburgh International Festival.

His various recordings include Beethoven's Leonore, Berlioz' L'enfance du Christ, Britten's Billy Budd and Peter Grimes, Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, Falla's El Retablo di Maese Pedro, Menotti's Martin's Lie and Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia.

Mike Brewer

Recognised as a leading fugure in the choral world, Mike Brewer is in demand in Britain and worldwide for vocal and conducting workshops and guest conducting of choirs. His annual tours include the USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, Venezuela, and, in 2010, Poland and Slovakia. He is an adviser on world music to the IFCM and assessor to Mexico's choral programme.

Mike is a consultant for over 20 prize-winning UK choirs, and serves as adjudicator in international competitions. In 2008, Mike led BBC workshops for Last Choir Standing.

Mike became musical director of The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain in 1983 and is deeply passionate about the choirs. Mike's recordings with NYC senior choir and with Laudibus, the 18 voice chamber choir, have won many awards. Mike Brewer's books for Fabermusic include the best-selling 'Kickstart your Choir', 'Warm ups', 'Improve Your Sightsinging (with Paul Harris)' and 'Finetune your Choir'. Hamba Lulu, his set of African songs is performed worldwide, and has over 100 versions on You Tube to date. Mike wrote the song and prepared conductors for the Olympic.

Peter Broadbent

Peter Broadbent is the founder conductor of Joyful Company of Singers and is one of Britain's leading choral conductors, enjoying a versatile career with an extensive repertoire ranging from baroque music performed on period instruments to contemporary music, including many first performances. Broadbent has conducted the London Mozart Players, Divertimenti Chamber Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the City of London Sinfonia, the Southern Sinfonia, the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra, Apollo Voices and the BBC Singers, broadcasting frequently on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. Engagements outside the UK include concerts with the Debrecen Philharmonic Orchestra & Kodaly Chorus in Hungary and a broadcast with the National Chamber Choir in Dublin. In 2003 he conducted an Atelier at the XV Europa Cantat in Barcelona, including music by Tavener, Rautavaara and Tarik O'Regan and in 2006 he conducted the World Youth Choir in their summer session giving concerts in Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium and Germany. He appears as an adjudicator at International Choral Competitions throughout Europe and the UK and conducts workshops and masterclasses throughout the UK, Europe, the US and Canada and was a member of the Artistic Committee of the Polyfollia International Choral Showcase in Normandy. In 2007, Peter Broadbent was awarded the honour of the Pro Cultura Hungarica Award by the Hungarian government in recognition of his services to Hungarian music.

Timothy Brown

The English choral conductor, Timothy (Tim) Brown, received his initial musical training as a chorister at Westminster Abbey, and later as a member of the King's College Choir, Cambridge.

For many years Timothy Brown conducted the Cambridge University Chamber Choir and is now the director of the London-based professional chamber choir, English Voices. He has been Director of Music at Clare College and director of Choir of Clare College, Cambridge since 1979.

Timothy Brown is Director of Studies in Music at Clare and Pembroke Colleges, Cambridge.He has been guest chorus-master at the Berlin Staatsoper and at the Flanders Opera, and is a popular conductor at singing weeks, including Europa Cantat and the Berwang Holiday Music Course. In November 2002 he directed a project with the Berlin-based RIAS-Kammerchor, and in April 2005 conducted a series of concerts with RAM, the National Male Voice Choir of Estonia. He has edited a number of choral volumes for Faber Music and is a contributing editor to the complete edition of music by William Walton, published by Oxford University Press.

Simon Carrington

In 1967 Simon Carrington co-founded co-founded at Cambridge University the internationally acclaimed British vocal ensemble The King's Singers, and was its Director for 25 years. He gave 3,000 performances at many of the world's most prestigious festivals and concert halls, made more than 70 recordings (for EMI), and appeared on countless television and radio programs including: Regular TV appearances worldwide, including Live at The Boston Pops, 1983; BBC TV series, The King's Singers Madrigal History Tour, 1984; On Stage at Wolftrap, PBS TV, USA, 1986; ABCTV (USA) The Sound of Christmas: Salzburg, 1987; nine appearances on the Tonight Show with the late Johnny Carson.

Andrew Carwood

Andrew Carwood is one of the most versatile musicians of his generation, working both as an international solo and consort singer and as director of The Cardinall's Musick. A choral scholar at St. John's College, Cambridge and a lay clerk at Christ Church, Oxford and Westminster Cathedral, he was also Director of Music at the Brompton Oratory in London for five years.

Andrew's impressively diverse vocal repertoire encompasses the renaissance to the contemporary: from the consort songs of William Byrd to the role of the Male Chorus in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia. As a soloist he has worked worldwide with conductors such as Sir Roger Norrington, Joshua Rifkin, Harry Christophers, Richard Hickox, Paul McCreesh, Phillipe Herreweghe, Robert King and Christopher Hogwood. He is also a regular member of The Tallis Scholars. His discography includes works by Hassler, Vivaldi, Haydn, Warlock, Howells, Poulenc, Janacek and Christopher Headington.

Bob Chilcott

Described by the Observer newspaper as "a contemporary hero of British choral music", Bob Chilcott has always been immersed in the choral tradition of his country. He sang as a chorister and choral scholar at King's College, Cambridge, and after singing professionally in London and also as a member of the vocal group the King's Singers for 12 years, he became a full-time composer in 1997. He has embraced his career with energy and commitment, not only producing a large catalogue of music for all types of choirs, but also working with singers and choirs in more than 30 countries.

Stephen Cleobury

Stephen Cleobury has been Organist and Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge since 1982, and, since 1983, conductor of the orchestra and chorus of the Cambridge University Musical Society. He received his early musical education at Worcester Cathedral, and was later Organ Student at St John's College, Cambridge, under George Guest. Before going to King's he was successively Organist at St Matthew's, Northampton, Sub-Organist at Westminster Abbey and Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral.

Under his direction King's College Choir Cambridge continues the daily singing of chapel services during term time - the raison d'etre of the choir - and maintains a busy schedule of concerts, tours, recordings and broadcasts. It is, perhaps, most famous for the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols which is heard each Christmas Eve throughout the English-speaking world and beyond. Recent appearances include concerts in Bermuda, New York, Washington, Cologne and Paris.

Pamela Cook

Pamela Cook is regarded as a leading authority on vocal and choral techniques, and is much in demand for solo and choral workshops at home and abroad. These have included working with choirs in Israel, Finland, Belgium and Canada and in the USA, where 400 ladies from the Ivy League Colleges of Radcliffe, Harvard, Smith, Mount Holyoak and Amherst were involved. She is also an external examiner for University and Conservatoire final degrees.

Many students from around the world have visited Mansfield to observe the methods used in training Cantamus, the girls choir with which she has gained 22 first and 4 second prizes in 24 international choral competitions. Among these are a double first (jury and audience) in Montreux (1978), the City of Vienna trophy for best choir in Vienna (1982), BBC/Sainsbury's Choir of the Year (Adults) 1986 and the same in the Youth Section in 1994, the Grand Prix in Riva del Garda 1996, Choir of the World (Llangollen Eisteddfod) 1997, as well as championships and two gold medals in the World Choral Olympics in Bremen, 2004, repeated in China in 2006.

Marcus Creed

The English conductor, Marcus Creed, began his studies at King's College in Cambridge, where he had the opportunity to sing in the famed King's College Choir. Further studies took him to Christ Church in Oxford and the Guildhall School in London.

Marcus Creed began living in Berlin in 1976 (or 1977). Stations along his way have been the Deutsche Oper Berlin (where he worked as opera coach and choir director), Hochschule der Kunste (lecturer on song), as well as the Gruppe Neue Musik and the Scharoun Ensemble (pianist and conductor). In 1987 he was appointed artistic director of the RIAS-Kammerchor, which won numerous international awards under his direction (including the Edison Award, the Diapason D'Or and the Cannes Classical Award). His work together with the Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, the Freiburger Barockorchester and the Concerto Koln formed an important part of his concert activities.

Gabriel Crouch

Gabriel Crouch is Director of Choral Activities and Senior Lecturer in Music at Princeton University. He began his musical career as an eight-year-old in the choir of Westminster Abbey, where he performed a solo at the wedding of HRH Prince Andrew and Miss Sarah Ferguson. After completing a choral scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge, he was offered a place in the renowned a cappella group The King's Singers in 1996.

In the next eight years he made a dozen recordings on the BMG label (including a Grammy nomination), and gave more than 900 performances in almost every major concert venue in the world. Special collaborative projects saw him working and performing with some of the world's most respected artists, including percussionist Evelyn Glennie, pianists Emanuel Ax and George Shearing, singer Barbara Hendricks and Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys.

Stephen Darlington

Stephen Darlington is one of England's leading choral conductors. His links with Christ Church began in the early 1970s, as Organ Scholar under Simon Preston. After four years as Assistant Organist at Canterbury Cathedral, he was appointed Master of the Music at St. Albans Abbey, and a year later, became Artistic Director of the world-famous International Organ Festival in succession to Peter Hurford. In 1985 he returned to Christ Church as Organist and Tutor in Music. Since then he has divided his time between establishing the college as an acknowledged centre of academic musical excellence, and maintaining the highest choral traditions of the Church of England in Christ Church Cathedral. His outstanding strength is in his performances of choral music of the 16th century, and of modern sacred music. An extensive discography comprising over 50 CD's, includes several award-winning recordings such as: Ralph Vaughan Williams's An Oxford Elegy (nominated for a Grammy Award), Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's Missa Dum Complerentur and William Walton's Choral Works. Recent releases, Haydn's Stabat Mater and De Monte's Masses and Motets have received Gramophone magazine recommendations.

George Guest

George Guest is generally regarded among the finest British choral conductors of his time. Some musicologists have attributed the endurance, if not the very survival, of the English cathedral choir to him. He made more than 60 recordings with St. John's Choir (Cambridge), covering a broad range of repertory (Palestrina and Mozart to Tippett and Lennox Berkeley) and garnering consistent critical acclaim.

Guest was born in Bangor, Wales, on February 19, 1924. He attended the Friars school in his hometown and became a chorister by age 9 at the local cathedral. At 11 he sang in the choir at Chester Cathedral while taking private lessons to develop his keyboard skills. After serving four years in the Royal Air Force during World War II, he returned to Chester Cathedral as sub-organist in 1946. The following year he enrolled at St. John's under an organ scholarship, studying with Thurston Dart and Boris Ord. In 1951 the choir director, Robin Orr, resigned to focus on composition, leaving the post to Guest.

Richard Hickox

The English conductor, Richard (Sidney) Hickox, studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1966 to 1967, and was an organ scholar at Queen's College Cambridge from 1967 to 1970.

In 1971 Richard Hickox founded in London the Richard Hickox Singers & Orchestra, with which he gave programs of works ranging from the 14th century to the present era. He also founded the City of London Sinfonia in 1971 and is its Music Director, and following a long association with the London Symphony Orchestra he is their Associate Guest Conductor. From 1982 to 1990 he was Artistic Director of the Northern Sinfonia, and is now Conductor Emeritus. In 1990 he formed a new period instrument group together with Simon Standage: Collegium Musicum 90. His contract as Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales starts in September 2000.

Edward Higginbottom

Edward Higginbottom's early years were marked by distinction as a keyboard player. He gained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists before leaving school, winning the Harding and Read prizes for the most outstanding candidate of the year. A long association with Corpus Christi College Cambridge followed, beginning with an organ scholarship (winning the John Stewart of Rannoch university prize in Sacred Music), continuing with graduate work and a doctoral thesis on French baroque music, and ending with a research fellowship (1973-76).

While at Cambridge, he gained recognition at home and abroad as director of the Cambridge University Purcell Society, one of the very first English early music groups to perform regularly in France. Graduate work in Paris from 1970 to 1972 deepened his contacts abroad as he studied organ with Marie-Claire Alain while writing his doctoral thesis. His love of French culture has borne fruit in editions of Francois Couperin's chamber music, many recording projects featuring French music, and frequent invitations for New College Choir to sing in Europe and further afield. He is sought after as president of international music competitions, and as a consultant. The French Ministry of Culture has rewarded him with the honour 'Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres' for his role in the revival of choir schools in France and support of French cultural activities.

David Hill

David Hill (born on 13 May 1957 in Carlisle, Cumberland), is a choral conductor and organist. His most high profile roles are as Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers from September 2007, and Musical Director of The Bach Choir from April 1998. He was previously Organist and Director of Music at St John's College, Cambridge, in succession to Christopher Robinson from 2002. He formerly held the same title at Winchester Cathedral from 1987 - 2002 and at Westminster Cathedral from 1982 - 1987.

Hill was educated at Chetham's School of Music. He also holds the positions Chief Conductor of the Southern Sinfonia, and Music Director of the Leeds Philharmonic Society. He took up the position of Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers in summer 2007, succeeding Stephen Cleobury, and assumed the presidency of the Incorporated Association of Organists, succeeding Catherine Ennis. He was succeeded at St John's by Andrew Nethsingha.

Imogen Holst

Imogen Clare Holst, CBE was a British composer and conductor, and sole child of composer Gustav Holst. She was brought up in west London and educated at the Froebel Demonstration School and St Paul's Girls' School, where her father was director of music. She worked with Herbert Howells before entering the Royal College of Music (RCM) in 1926 to study composition with George Dyson and Gordon Jacob, harmony and counterpoint with Ralph Vaughan Williams, and conducting with William H. Reed. She won several prizes for composition including the Cobbett Prize for a string quartet (1928).

She was appointed a fellow of the RCM in 1966, an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in 1970 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1975. She received honorary doctorates from the universities of Essex (1968), Exeter (1969), and Leeds (1983).

Peter Hunt

Peter is currently Head of Voice at Berkshire Maestros, the young musicians' trust delivering music education for 8000 young people across the county, a post he has held for four years. He has responsibility for all vocal activity and the three county choirs which have a national reputation. Previously, Peter was Head of Music at Chipping Norton Secondary School for nine years and, thanks to his hard work, the school gained status as a Performing Arts College from September 2004, putting it firmly at the centre of artistic activity in the Chipping Norton community. From 2000-2002 Peter was also part-time Advisory Teacher for Oxfordshire's vocal strategy. In January 2009 he takes up a new post with Maestros as Deputy Head of Service.

Stephen Layton

Edward Higginbottom's early years were marked by distinction as a keyboard player. He gained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists before leaving school, winning the Harding and Read prizes for the most outstanding candidate of the year. A long association with Corpus Christi College Cambridge followed, beginning with an organ scholarship (winning the John Stewart of Rannoch university prize in Sacred Music), continuing with graduate work and a doctoral thesis on French baroque music, and ending with a research fellowship (1973-76). While at Cambridge, he gained recognition at home and abroad as director of the Cambridge University Purcell Society, one of the very first English early music groups to perform regularly in France. Graduate work in Paris from 1970 to 1972 deepened his contacts abroad as he studied organ with Marie-Claire Alain while writing his doctoral thesis. His love of French culture has borne fruit in editions of Francois Couperin's chamber music, many recording projects featuring French music, and frequent invitations for New College Choir to sing in Europe and further afield. He is sought after as president of international music competitions, and as a consultant. .

Sir Philip Ledger

Sir Philip was born in Bexhill-on-Sea in 1937 and educated at King's College, Cambridge.(1) When appointed Master of the Music at Chelmsford Cathedral in 1961, he became the youngest Cathedral Organist in the country.(1) In 1965 he took up the post of Director of Music at the University of East Anglia where he was also Dean of the School of Fine Arts and Music and responsible for the establishment of an award-winning building for the University's Music Centre, opened in 1973.(1) In 1968 he became an Artistic Director of the Aldeburgh Festival with Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, conducting at the Snape Maltings on many occasions including the opening concert after its rebuilding, and playing in first performances of works by Britten.(1) He appears as continuo player on Britten's recordings of Bach and Purcell.

James ODonnell

James O'Donnell is among the leading British organists of his generation. While some might further define him as a church organist and choir director-roles he has fulfilled with the utmost commitment-he has been active on the concert stage both as an organist and conductor. His choice of repertory has been broad, taking in the music of Renaissance-era icons like Palestrina, Josquin Desprez, Victoria, Lassus, and Guerrero, as well as that of twentieth century masters like Stravinsky, Poulenc, Janacek, and Kodaly. As a conductor he has often worked with period-instrument ensembles such as the Hanover Band and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; as a keyboard soloist or continuo player he has frequently appeared with the Gabrieli Consort and the King's Consort. O'Donnell has made more than 30 recordings for the British label Hyperion.

Matthew Owens

Matthew Owens became Conductor of The Exon Singers in 1997. He has broadcast with them regularly on BBC Radios 3 & 4, given concerts throughout the country and directed the annual Exon Singers Festival in Devon. Under his direction, The Exon Singers has premiered a series of new works by, among others, Richard Allain, Grayston Ives and George Lloyd and recorded George Lloyd's Requiem on the Albany label. Most recently, the choir recorded the Victoria Vespers, which is the first of a series of recordings with Delphian Records.

Matthew Owens is also Organist and Master of the Choristers of Wells Cathedral, a post which he took up at the age of 33 in January 2005. He was previously Organist and Master of the Music at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh and Sub Organist of Manchester Cathedral.

Christopher Page

A philologist by training, a musicologist by proven merit, and a performer by deep instinct, Christopher Page integrates the various aspects of his professional life as a humanist in the best sense of the word. He once welcomed a reviewer's comment that described his book as "Social history illuminated by its interest in music as an essential part of human experience." Page's career in scholarly teaching and publication freely informs his life as a performer of medieval musics and vice versa; both contribute to his vibrant analyses of medieval thought, especially that concerning music and the experience of music in human society. Page's academic credentials include a bachelor's degree in English from Oxford University (1974) and a PhD. from the University of York (1981). While completing his dissertation on Anglo-Saxon verse forms, he began publishing articles on the history of musical instruments as seen in medieval texts and illuminations, as well as papers on performance practice. New College, Oxford, appointed him lecturer in Old and Middle English (1980-1985), followed by the University of Cambridge in 1985.

Peter Philips

Peter Phillips has dedicated his career to the research and performance of Renaissance polyphony, and to the perfecting of choral sound. He founded The Tallis Scholars in 1973, with whom he has now appeared in over 2,500 concerts worldwide, and made over 60 discs in association with Gimell Records. As a result of this commitment Peter Phillips and The Tallis Scholars have done more than any other group to establish the sacred vocal music of the Renaissance as one of the great repertoires of Western classical music.

Peter Phillips also conducts other specialist ensembles. He is currently working with the BBC Singers, the Netherlands Chamber Choir, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, The Danish Radio Choir (Copenhagen) and El Leon de Oro (Spain). He is Patron of the Chapel Choir of Merton College Oxford.

Simon Phipps

Simon Phipps was born in London and received his early musical training as a chorister at New College, Oxford. He took his B.A. as a Choral Scholar at King's College, Cambridge and went on to study singing at the Guildhall School in London. Conducting studies in Munich and Manchester followed and he made his professional debut at the Gothenburg Opera in 1985.

The next ten years were largely devoted to opera with engagements at Sadlers Wells and English National Opera in London, Krefeld in Germany, and Malmo in Sweden . In 1994 Simon Phipps moved to Sweden and has since then lived in Gothenburg. Although opera is still an important feature of his career (since 2003 he has been the Artistic Director of Lacko Opera Festival and in November 2005 he conducted the Scandinavian premiere of Britten's Paul Bunyan in Gothenburg) orchestral and choral work is now equally important.

Robert Prizeman

Robert Prizeman became choirmaster of the choir at St. Philip's Church (Norbury, South London) in 1970 at the age of 18. He has composed & arranged numerous works for the all boy choir 'Libera' including 'Voca Me'. He has been a musical advisor to the BBC in the UK working on programmes such as 'Songs of Praise' since 1985.

The young performers of Libera, who sing together at a church in South London, are recruited by Libera originator and writer, Robert Prizeman. They sing a wide range of music, including much from the classical cathedral repertoire, so they use the full range of their voices. Libera is not children's music, even though the average age of the singers may be 12.

Christopher Robinson

Christopher Robinson has rightly earned the reputation as one of the leading English choral conductors from the second half of the 20th century. While he has been closely identified with sacred music, he has also delved extensively into secular works. His repertory ranges from Baroque to contemporary, but with a decided slant toward 20th century British music. The names Elgar, Britten, Tippett, Maxwell Davies, Berkeley, Howells, Rubbra, Tavener, Walton, and a spate of other 20th century British composers occupy a good portion of his concert programs. That said, Robinson is also a master interpreter of the choral music of Haydn, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Durufle, Rachmaninov, Poulenc, Messiaen, and many other non-British composers. Robinson, who often held the dual post of organist and choirmaster, has also drawn lavish praise for his skills on the organ. He has appeared on more than 50 recordings, mostly as conductor, with a few as organist (Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony, for example) and a handful serving in both roles. His recordings are available on numerous labels, including Naxos, Chandos, Brilliant Classics, Hyperion, Nimbus, EMI, Regis, and Guild.

Barry Rose

Barry Michael Rose (born 24 May 1934) is a choir trainer and organist. He is best known for conducting the choir of St Paul's Cathedral at the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor) and Diana, Princess of Wales (Lady Diana Frances Spencer) at St Paul's Cathedral in London on Wednesday 29 July 1981. Born in Chingford, England, Barry Rose grew up accompanying the choir of his local church. After a spell as organist at St. Andrew's, Kingsbury, at the age of 25 he became the youngest cathedral organist in the country when he was appointed to the position of Master of Music at Guildford Cathedral. He moved to St Paul's Cathedral in 1974 as Sub-organist and was appointed Master of the Choir in 1977. He left St Paul's in 1984 after a difference of opinion with senior members of the clergy, and became Master of the Choirs at the King's School, Canterbury. From 1971 to 1986 he was Religious Music Adviser to the BBC, a job that included booking the choirs for the weekly Choral Evensong broadcasts. He continues to work for the BBC, directing choirs and arranging music for The Daily Service. His last post was that of Organist & Master of the Choristers for St Albans Cathedral Choir, from which he retired on Christmas Day, 1997. In the Queen's Birthday Honours List announced on 13 June 1998 he was awarded an OBE for his services to cathedral music.

John Rutter

John Rutter's compositional career has embraced both large and small-scale choral works, orchestral and instrumental pieces, a piano concerto, two children's operas, music for television, and specialist writing for such groups as the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and the King's Singers. His most recent larger choral works, Requiem (1985), Magnificat (1990) and Psalmfest (1993) have been performed many times in Britain, North America, and a growing number of other countries. He co-edited four volumes in the Carols for Choirs series with Sir David Willcocks, and, more recently, has edited the first two volumes in the new Oxford Choral Classics series, Opera Choruses (1995) and European Sacred Music (1996).

Nigel Short

Nigel began his musical life as a chorister at Solihull Parish Church going on to study singing and piano at the Royal College of Music. He began his career as a soloist in opera and oratorio and as a member of specialist vocal ensembles such as The Tallis Scholars whilst maintaining a regular involvement in church music, firstly as a member of Westminster Abbey Choir then Westminster Cathedral. He joined the King's Singers when he was 27 and stayed with them for seven years.

After a short break of about one ski season in the Swiss Alps he set about founding his own group, Tenebrae, aiming to bring together what he loved best as a singer - namely the more passionate sounds of large Cathedral choirs and the precision of ensembles like The King's Singers - to create a new kind of choral group. Whilst embracing an eclectic repertoire he wanted to have some 'signature' works that would make Tenebrae different, adding a theatrical element that would involve singers moving around as if on stage. To that end he wrote 'The Dream of Herod', with a central role for baritone Colin Campbell, and commissioned Joby Talbot to write Path of Miracles, premiered in July 2005. Since its debut performance in 2001 Tenebrae has given concerts in Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, UK, USA and Bermuda.

Jeffrey Skidmore

The English choral conductor, Jeffrey Skidmore, Jeffrey read music at Magdalen College, Oxford, before returning to his native Birmingham when he was 18 to found and develop Ex Cathedra into the internationally-acclaimed choral group it has become today. He subsequently studied music with David Wulstan at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a Choral Scholar under Bernard Rose. As Artistic Director and Conductor of Ex Cathedra he has pioneered historically informed performances of Renaissance and Baroque music in Birmingham and the West Midlands, and directed the first performances of many new editions, including two French Baroque operas, Zaide by Royer and Isis by Lully. He has prepared his own editions of Monteverdi's Spiritual Madrigals and was recently awarded Honorary Fellowships from the University of Birmingham and the University of Central England.

David Skinner

David Skinner is known primarily for his combined role as a researcher and performer of early music, and is Fellow, Tutor, and Osborn Director of Music at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and an affiliated lecturer in the faculty of music. He teaches historical and practical topics from the medieval and Renaissance periods. From 1997 to 2001 he was a Postdoctoral Fellow of the British Academy at Christ Church, Oxford (where he was a Choral Scholar from 1989 to 1994), and was the Lecturer in Music at Magdalen College, Oxford, from 2001 to 2006.

At Cambridge he conducts the Choir of Sidney Sussex College, with whom he has toured and made professional recordings. He has published widely on music and musicians of early Tudor England, and his most recent projects include the collected works of Nicholas Ludford and The Arundel Choirbook (Duke of Norfolk: Roxburghe Club, 2003). He is currently editing the Latin church music of John Sheppard for publication in 2009, and co-authoring a book on Foundations of the English Choral Tradition.

Barney Smith

Barnaby Smith is Artistic Director of the internationally renowned vocal ensemble, VOCES8 and as such is in demand as a conductor, choir trainer, countertneor and arranger. Barnaby completed his studies in Specialist Early Music Performance at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis where he was a pupil of Andreas Scholl and Rene Jacobs. Barnaby is also an alumnus of the Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme.

On disc Barnaby has released commercially on Decca Classics, Universal, Sony, Naxos, Signum Classics and VCM Records. He has four no.1 selling albums on the Decca Classics and VCM Records labesl, was delighted to receive the award for Album of the Year 2015 from Classic FM, was voted Choral Disc Choice Award by BBC Music Magazine in June 2014 and has won 7 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards.

Murray Forbes Somerville

The English choral conductor and organist, Murray Forbes Somerville, was born in London and raised in Rhodesia. He studied studied under Karl Richter in Munich, Germany, at the Oxford University (where he was Organ Scholar of New College, under Sir David Lumsden), under Robert Baker at the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary in New York, and at the New England Conservatory of Music.

Murray Forbes Somerville is noted as choral and orchestral conductor, organ recitalist on three continents, workshop leader and scholar. He served St. James's Church in West Hartford, Connecticut, and the Cathedral of St. Luke in Orlando, Florida, where he also founded the Orlando Deanery Boychoir. In 1990 he was appointed as the Harvard's sixth University Organist and Choirmaster, a post he held until 2003. In this post he presented regular recitals, directed the University Choir and played for services in Memorial Church.

Paul Spicer

Paul Spicer began his musical training as a chorister at New College, Oxford. He studied with Herbert Howells and Richard Popplewell (organ) at the Royal College of Music in London, winning the Walford Davies Organ Prize in his final year (the top award). He taught music for ten years from 1974 at Uppingham School and Ellesmere College before becoming a Producer for BBC Radio 3 in 1984. In 1990 he became Artistic Director of the Lichfield International Arts Festival, and also Director of the Abbotsholme Arts Society, he relinquished these posts in July 2001 in order to pursue a completely freelance musical career.

Paul Spicer is best-known for his work as a choral conductor. He has conducted Bach Choirs in Chester and Leicester (and the Chester Festival Chorus), and in September 1992 took over the conductorship of the Birmingham Bach Choir, one of the leading amateur choirs of the Midlands. He is also the founder and director of the Finzi Singers. This well known professional London-based chamber choir of 18 singers has achieved an international reputation principally through their many recordings on the Chandos label, and also through their concerts at Festivals, in London and elsewhere, and through the many broadcasts they do for the BBC.

Jeremy Summerly

Jeremy Summerly is Head of Academic Studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. As well as a conductor and lecturer he is a writer / presenter for BBC Radio and an editor for Faber Music. He graduated from Oxford University with First Class Honours in Music and thereafter undertook musicological research at King's College, London, while also working as a Studio Manager for BBC Radio. He founded the Oxford Camerata in 1984 and between 1990 and 1996 he was conductor of Schola Cantorum of Oxford. He has conducted over forty commercial recordings of music spanning nine centuries and he made his conducting debut at the BBC Proms in 1999 and at the Berlin Philharmonie in 2005. He has given concert tours throughout Europe and the United States as well as in Israel, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, South Africa, and Botswana. He has conducted Ligeti for Ligeti, Kagel for Kagel, and Part for Part.

In 1995 he was a recipient of a European Cultural Prize from the European Association for the Encouragement of the Arts (Basel, Switzerland) and in 2007 he was made an honorary associate of the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Sir David Willcocks

The English conductor, organist and music educator, Sir David Willcocks, began his musical training as a chorister at Westminster Abbey from 1929 to 1934. He was a music scholar at Clifton College, Bristol (1934-1938), and then the organ scholar at King's College, Cambridge (1939-1940). Following a five-year period of war military service, in which he was awarded the Military Cross, he returned to King's College for two years (1945-1947). He was elected a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, and appointed Conductor of the Cambridge Philharmonic Society.

From 1947 to 1950 David Willcocks was the organist at Salisbury Cathedral and from 1950 to 1957 at Worcester Cathedral. During his years at Worcester he was principal conductor of the Three Choirs Festival (1951, 1954 and 1957) and conductor of the City of Birmingham Choir (1950-1957), with whom he gave his first British performance of Maurice Durufle's Requiem in 1952. From 1956 to 1974 he was also conductor of the Bradford Festival Choral Society. From 1957 to 1974 he was Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge, where he maintained the glorious tradition with distinction. He made numerous recordings that gained international popularity through television and radio.

Jonathan Willcocks

Jonathan Willcocks was born in Worcester, England, and after early musical training as a chorister at King's College Cambridge and an Open Music Scholar at Clifton College he took an Honours degree in Music from Cambridge University where he held a choral scholarship at Trinity College.

Jonathan is currently Musical Director of the Guildford Choral Society, the Chichester Singers and the professional chamber orchestra Southern Pro Musica, and freelance conducting and workshop engagements in recent seasons have taken him to many parts of the world including USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Singapore, China and most of the European countries as well as the United Kingdom.