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The Choir of King¡¦s College, Cambridge (UK), will visit Hong Kong again to sing church music on July 28 and 29 (Tuesday and Wednesday) under the baton of music director and conductor Stephen Cleobury. Members from the Hong Kong Virtuosi will accompany the choir to perform some pieces at the second concert.
BBC Music Magazine said of the group: ¡§The choral component is superbly sung and beautifully balanced, Stephen Cleobury directing the King¡¦s College voices with an unerring sense of long line and the sustained building of paragraphs¡K a triumph¡¨. The New York Times commented, ¡§¡Kthe unaccompanied choir sang with its trademark impeccable pitch, luminous sound and unmannered directness¡K It was affecting to hear the sweet voices of these angelic little choristers¡K.¡¨
The Choir of King¡¦s College, Cambridge, owes its existence to King Henry VI, who in 1441 envisaged the daily singing of services in his magnificent chapel. It comprises 16 choristers, 14 choral scholars and two organ scholars who study in the college. The choir has sung in ¡§A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols¡¨ broadcast by the BBC every Christmas Eve since 1928 that attracts millions of people worldwide.
The choir has travelled throughout Europe, the United States, South America, Australia and the Asia-Pacific and performed at the Settembre Musicale in Turin, Teatro alla Pergola in Florence, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Gothenburg Church Music Festival and Stuttgart Barock Festival. The group has appeared frequently with renowned orchestras, such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra. They have released many recordings including ¡§I Heard a Voice¡¨ collaborating with the viol ensemble Fretwork, ¡§On Christmas Day¡¨, Rachmaninov¡¦s ¡§Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom¡¨ which was nominated for a Grammy Award and Brahms¡¦s ¡§Requiem¡¨.
As the director of music at King¡¦s College, Cambridge, and the conductor laureate of the BBC Singers, Stephen Cleobury ranges across a broad repertoire from Gregorian chant to newly composed works. He frequently performs in the United Kingdom and abroad as a conductor, leader of conducting workshops and solo organist. He has worked with many ensembles, including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia, the London Philharmonic, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and His Majesty¡¦s Sagbutts and Cornetts. He has recorded with the BBC Singers a CD of Tippett¡¦s choral music and conducted the Israel Camerata in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the concerts by the Choir of King¡¦s College, Cambridge (UK), will be at 8pm at the Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets priced at $100, $160, $220 and $280 are now available at URBTIX outlets. Senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients are entitled to 50% off (limited quotas for students and CSSA recipients on a first-come, first-served basis). Group discount is also available. For more details, please check the programme leaflet.
For programme enquiries, call 2268 7321; for ticketing enquiries and reservations, call 2734 9009 (from June 16 onwards); for credit card telephone booking, call 2111 5999; for Internet booking, visit www.urbtix.hk; for more information, visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp.
Ends/Monday, June 15, 2009
Issued at HKT 10:31
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