* En anglais uniquement
Tenebrae is a professional chamber choir formed and founded by
King's Singers alum
Nigel Short. It has established itself as a leading international choir through its performances, active touring schedule, and growing recording catalog.
Tenebrae was conceived by
Short while he was a member of the
King's Singers; he was looking for a group with more flexibility for performing.
Tenebrae was founded by
Short and Barbara Pollock, with
Short serving as the artistic director since the founding.
Tenebrae's premiere came in London in 2001, with a performance of
Short's The Dream of Herod. The group's main focus has been on medieval chant and Renaissance pieces, but it has also taken into account more contemporary source material for a new take on a very old sound. The choir, whose members have backgrounds in some of the U.K.'s leading choral groups, has toured all over the world and performed in such places as Spain, Bermuda, and the U.S. A unique aspect of
Tenebrae's performances is in performing only in candlelight and that the choir moves about the venue during its appearances. The difficulty of which led to the lighting -- as it were -- being taken care of in-house, by
Short and
Tenebrae.
The majority of
Tenebrae's recordings have been released on Signum Classics, though the group has recorded for other labels. One of these was a performance of Mozart and Haydn with the
Chamber Orchestra of Europe on Warner Classics. In 2016,
Tenebrae released
Music of the Spheres on Bene Arte, earning a Grammy nomination, and in 2018, the group issued
A Walk with Ivor Gurney, on Signum Classics.