Choir of King’s College, Cambridge

Originally formed at Cambridge University by the order of King Henry VI, King's College Choir have long established an enviable international reputation as one of the greatest of all choirs, responsible for numerous acclaimed recordings and concerts. King Henry VI wanted to form a choir that would be worthy of services at the magnificent chapel he had built at King's College and that still remains their primary purpose. They still sing for the daily services, but their fame is such that, out of term time, they are regularly seen on television or heard on the radio and have made many high-profile recordings along with prestigious concert tours all over the world. They sing in an annual live radio broadcast of the famous Christmas Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, which is heard by tens of millions of people around the world, while television broadcasts include annual carol services. The choir has also formed a recording partnership with the period-instrument Brandenburg Consort, which has resulted in well-received albums of Handel's 'Messiah' and the 'Two Passions' of Johann Sebastian Bach, while it has also recorded more modern works by Górecki, Pärt, Tavener, Penderecki, Stravinsky and Panufnik. In addition, the choir has also commissioned original works by Richard Rodney Bennett, Alexander Goehr, Nicholas Maw, John Rutter and Stephen Dodgson.Through the years they have been led by many revered conductors and organists and in 1982 Stephen Cleobury, a former conductor of the BBC Singers, was appointed director of music. In 2019 he announced his retirement. He was replaced by Daniel Hyde, organist and director of music at Saint Thomas Church, Manhattan, New York. © ©Copyright Music Story 2020