The King's Singers

15 / 01 / 2010

Chris

The learning curve of being a new parent is steep and fast. Today is the first day of term, and the first KS rehearsal/meeting/travel day of 2010 for most of us, and I'm about to leave home to travel across London to Heathrow Airport for the first of many times this year. I leave behind a jetlagged baby who has no idea whatsoever what time it is, whether she should be eating, sleeping or playing, and after a month of solid nights has regressed to waking every hour or so in total confusion! I feel guilty to leave Stephanie to deal with re-acclimatising Bella after a month in the US, but it's also taught me a lesson about flying with a baby: even if she sleeps for an entire flight (which she did) and makes you feel as though she's dealing with travel very well (which she is) there's no way she's going to slot straight back into UK time no matter how many times you explain time zones to her!

So, as I make my way slowly through the London traffic I'll be feeling a mixture of heightened senses. Sadness because I'm leaving my girls again but thankful that they are so supportive and encouraging of what I do, excitement at another wonderful year of concerts and touring is about to begin, contemplation of the important process of finding a new bass, determination to keep our standards as high as ever, but most of all anticipation of the unexpected. No matter how well-planned our life may be (and we have a wonderful team of people around the world that is dedicated to making sure it's VERY well-planned indeed!) there are always twists and turns, and that's what makes this life so fascinating and means my love for the group remains as strong as ever.

I hope to see as many of you as possible at a concert this year; Happy New Year, and happy listening!

16 / 01 / 2010

Stephen

Great to be in Holland at the start of the season and this tour. We are in Haarlem where we have sung a number of times before. Singing and being on the road in Holland has three distinct advantages 1. They appreciate good choral singing 2. It is very flat here so never uphill walking to or from the concert venue and 3. We get BBC on the TV over here. So close to home! Till soon Stephen

18 / 01 / 2010

David

As Stephen wrote on Saturday, it is good to be back on tour in the Netherlands. Yesterday afternoon we performed in Enschede, giving me a moment's panic when I realised shortly before the concert that the usual greeting in a Dutch concert of "Goede Avond" ("Good Evening") might be a bit premature at 2.30 pm (1430). Armed with a revised greeting of "Goede Middag" I struggled my way through a full five words of Dutch (the other three being "Dames en Heren" - "Ladies and Gentlemen"). Stephen did highlight some of the joys of touring in Holland, but he omitted one - the Dutch speak such good English that we are best understood if we announce in our mother tongue. In fact I have met two Dutch people over the weekend who sound completely English. There was not a trace of an accent, yet neither has lived in an English speaking country. After I had complimented their English, they had the courtesy to comment favourably on my mastery of the Dutch language (ha ha!).

Today we are driving through the murk and mist for a concert this evening in Mouscron in Belgium, the land of fine cooking and fine chocolate, amongst other things. As in the Netherlands, there is a very keen interest in singing in Belgium, with many community choirs. Tomorrow we head to Paris for a concert in the Salle Gaveau. What a hard life!

19 / 01 / 2010

Tim

Happy 2010 everybody!! Well our first tour of this year is going at quite a pace! Today we travelled to Paris by train from Mouscron in Belgium. We performed in the magnificent Eglise du Christ-Roi last night and although it was so cold that our breath was condensing on stage, the audience (luckily wrapped up in scarves and gloves) seemed to thoroughly enjoy our Pater Noster programme!! Tonight's concert in the Salle Gaveau, includes an entire second half from memory, so sadly I will have to leave you now to scan through all the music in my mind.............!

20 / 01 / 2010

Paul

What a pleasure it was to wake up this morning in a very smart hotel room in the centre of Paris, after last night's very enjoyable and successful concert in the 'Salle Gaveau', our Parisian concert 'home'.

It's been an intense start to 2010 for the KS, with four concerts in as many days, culminating in last night's show which was broadcast live on France's national 'Radio Classique'. (No pressure there then!!) I found the second half particularly challenging as I had decided to do the introductions to all of the songs, 'off the cuff' in French. It's amazing how much vocabulary you can dig out of the darkest recesses of your mind when there's an expectant audience in front of you and you can just catch sight of a radio microphone out of the corner of your eye! The rest of today is now going to be taken up with meetings and another radio interview, this time for 'Radio France', so more schoolboy French required for later today!'

23 / 01 / 2010

Stephen

An interesting evening awaits us tonight when we make a return visit to Maaseik in Belgium. The interesting part of evening is the participation in our concert, or rather the sharing of tonight's concert with a Tuba choir from the local music academy. I am quite excited to experience a choir made up of Tubas. We have in the past shared the platform with musicians and instruments of all shapes and sizes - but I think the sight and sounds generated by a gathering of Tuba players on stage this evening is going to be rather spectacular. So much looking forward to it.

25 / 01 / 2010

David

We have now completed our first tour of the year with a Sunday afternoon concert in Den Haag (The Hague). It took place in the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) opposite our normal performance venue, the Anton Philips Saal. The church is now used as a chamber music hall complementing the larger halls across the road. It seats around 450 people, and see-through acoustics panel help dampen the echo. The result is a lovely concert venue. The audience love the clarity of the sound, and no-one is too far from the stage. We were treated to one of those wonderful moments in the concert; at the end of the first piece, Camille Saint-Saens' "Calme des nuits", the audience held a long and absolute silence for some time after the end of the singing. This is always a lovely thing when it happens.

As Stephen wrote in his blog on Saturday, one of the bonuses of an afternoon concert at the end of a trip is that we are able to travel back home on the same day. We are now waiting for our flight to London from Schipol airport. Travelling from Den Haag towards Amsterdam reminded me that I have learnt at least one thing on our trip. At school I was taught that The Hague was the capital of the Netherlands. Apparently this is not so (according to some Dutch people I met after Friday's concert). The Hague is the home of the Queen and the Government, but Amsterdam is the nation's capital. So much for my expensive education!

26 / 01 / 2010

Tim

I have to say that when I woke up this morning in my own bedroom, I had absolutely no idea where I was! The novelty of sleeping in my own bed was wonderful but the shock I got when I opened my eyes to realise that I was not in a hotel room somewhere around the world was immense!

We have a day at home today before we travel to Cannes tomorrow to attend the MIDEM Classical Awards. Here, the group will pick up the Best Concert DVD award for the 2008 release 'Live at the BBC Proms'. Although, this was recorded before my time in the group, I will be very proud to represent my predecessor, Robin, at the ceremony and hopefully keep up his high standard in the live sing! It is such an honour to be a part of something which has such prestige and continues, even after 41 years, to entertain people all over the globe.

The rest of today will be spent learning more repertoire for the US tour which starts next week, and this evening I might even be able to fit in a tiny bit of a social life as well! What a novelty!!

27 / 01 / 2010

Paul

What a pleasure it was to wake up this morning to the distant sound of the waves crashing against the rocks here in Cannes. We are about to return home, having picked up a 'Midem Classical Award' here last night, and sung at the celebration concert. We are very honoured to have been recognised by our colleagues in the music industry, and really enjoyed meeting so many of our supporters from all over the world. Once I get home today, its back to reality, and I'll be preparing for 'Tough Guy' which takes place on Sunday. I've trained hard, and I'm ready for it, but nothing can take away the anxiety of anticipation! If you want to get a glimpse of how crazy I am for entering, why not visit the TG website: www.toughguy.co.uk.

I'll write about my experience next week!

31 / 01 / 2010

David

I have just checked out the K'S website, and have been reminded by Paul's most recent blog that today (Sunday) was the day he took part in 'Tough Guy'. I logged on to the link posted on Paul's message to check on him, but they have not listed the timings of the competitors. However I noted the description of the event;

"The original and ultimate challenge. Run on the last Sunday of January and offering brain freeze like you've never experienced before!"

 I have to admit that my reaction is simply “rather him than me”.

My day has been altogether more relaxed. I am currently enjoying a weekend at home, which is something treasured by all of us. I went to church this morning, and the choir's repertoire included two masterpieces of the renaissance, both of which The King’s Singers perform from time to time - William Byrd's motet Ave verum corpus and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli. The latter is one of the most significant works of choral music. It was written in the mid 16^th Century in honour of Pope Marcellus II whose reign as Pontiff lasted just three weeks. At this time, the Council of Trent was discussing the future of the Catholic Church, and included in the debates was the question of polyphonic music in worship. It is thought that hearing Palestrina’s sublime music changed the views of Cardinal Borromeo, causing him to support the continued use of polyphony in church services. It is difficult to imagine how different music would be if the ban had been instigated.

Looking ahead to the coming week, I have three more days at home to prepare for our trip to the US. We leave on Thursday afternoon, travelling to Schenectady for the first concert on Friday. Highlights of the tour include the recording of works written for the King’s Singers and chorus in our 40^th anniversary year by Eric Whitacre and Bob Chilcott. For this we will join with the choir of Concordia College under their director, René Clausen. Later on in the tour we will give the first performance of Tres Mitos de mi Tierra by Gabriela Lena Frank. We are greatly enjoying learning this interesting work, and look forward to incorporating it into our regular programming in the future. The piece is rather tricky, to say the least, and it has been providing its own type of brain freeze to all of us, but we hope we are tough enough to meet the challenge.

02 / 02 / 2010

Stephen

A belated blog here for you all. I remember Saturday happening but it passed by with such speed- as did the rest of the weekend, that it was only today that I realised I had not written of our doings over the weekend. Well here I am tp say that Friday saw us in the studio listening and putting together our final comments and ideas into the Swimming Over London tracks ready for its release later this year. It has been nice to have this weekend at home before our three week trip to the US at the end of the week. Till soon, Stephen

02 / 02 / 2010

Tim

I returned to London today from spending a couple of days back in sunny Chelmsford, catching up with mum. Sadly, this 'catching up' was only done at dinner time as the rest of the time was spent in the dining room with the trusty piano learning repertoire for the upcoming American tour! This job is amazing for brain training - constant memorisation of pieces, sometimes at incredibly short notice! Even after doing this job for only a year, I am definitely noticing that I can absorb pieces far quicker than 12 months ago. It really keeps the brain ticking over nicely!!

I've got a set of new close harmony pieces to learn now from the new album which we'll introduce into some programmes on this next US tour. So better run back to the piano and reapply my iPod to my ears, but will leave you with a wonderful photo from the MIDEM awards - me and my date Yanthé enjoying time together at the Gala Dinner!!

03 / 02 / 2010

Paul

As many of you will know, on Sunday I took part in Tough Guy 2010, in Perton, Staffordshire, not far from Birmingham. Well, the fact that I'm writing this now, must mean that I survived, but what a day it was! The air temperature was +1 Celsius, and the water temperature was around 'freezing' -- you could tell that from the amount of thick ice that was floating around when you leapt in!  I'm delighted to tell you that I completed the course, much quicker than last year, in around 2 hours and five minutes, and that apart from a few scrapes and aches, I am unscathed!  I have to tell you that the water obstacles were the most brutal parts of the course - once you jumped into chest-deep frozen water, it really froze your brain and took your breath away, but equally challenging was conquering your fear of total darkness, as you crawled through water-filled tunnels, or braved the 'jellyfish' - a series of dangling wires designed to give the unwary competitor an electric shock. I also wasn't too crazy about the rope-climbing, the running up almost vertical mud-covered slopes, and dangling precariously above frozen lakes!  Nevertheless together with a bunch of local, Cambridgeshire, like-minded lunatics, we really enjoyed a grand day out!  I'd like to thank Fiona Clifton and Mark Smee, two of our KS 'vip' fans, who attended the event, and who shouted much-needed encouragement as I ran the course. I couldn't have done it without their support, and sorry Fiona for being so muddy when I gave you a hug!!  Fiona has very kindly written a short piece about 'TG' which you can read,  here.

Below, Paul during the event, and Fiona Clifton and Mark Smee.

05 / 02 / 2010

Philip

I should really be in bed. We've just arrived in the charmingly-named town of Schenectady in New York State, after a long bout of  travel - I left home 18 hours ago. Jetlag is something I've come to respect over the years. In the UK right now it's 5.45 in the morning and I've had about an hour's sleep, sitting virtually upright in  a couple of aircraft. If I were in the UK I'd be completely exhausted. As it is I'm, well, completely exhausted, but able to stay up for another half an hour to write this and check emails. My brain is saying "hey what's going on? You're usually in bed at this time", but it has obligingly responded to the stimulus of light and is staying awake enough for me to write these words without really thinking about them too much. I suppose you do get used to jetlag over the years. The first time I ever went to the USA in 1983, I awoke at something like 3three o'clock in the morning, wide awake, thinking that my bedside clock was wrong, unable in my naivety to believe the time. And when I got home I made the mistake of going to bed in the afternoon (pre-kids of course) and entering a deep sleep, instead of trying to stay awake to train my mind back into the new time. I guess most of you have travelled enough to know all this and so I'm preaching to the converted and should stop rambling and go to bed. It wouldn't matter if we didn't have to work - in the evenings. As we step out onto the stage of the old Proctor Theatre next door to the hotel the lights will go up in our faces and the people will erupt in applause (assuming anyone comes) and in England it will be... THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. Coffee anyone?

05 / 02 / 2010

Chris

The first morning of a US tour is all about acclimatisation, and depends greatly on the night before! Yesterday we had a helpful schedule as by arriving here in Schenectady NY after midnight it forced us to stay awake late and beat the jetlag, so this morning we're all feeling refreshed and ready to start singing. Proctors Theatre here in town is a beautiful old venue that has been lovingly restored and taken care of over the years, unlike so many historic theatres, so it's a real pleasure to be starting off here. This trip takes us from the east coast to the west (San Francisco) and from North Dakota to Texas, so it really does give us a snapshot of what this great country's all about. We can be sure that wherever we go we'll get a warm welcome, which we'll appreciate most of all up in Minnesota where apparently it's freezing cold!!! For me I'm looking forward to the world premiere of Gabriela Lena Frank's piece, "Tres Mitos de Mi Tierra", which we'll do in San Francisco next week and which is sure to become a staple in our repertoire, and also to recording with Rene Clausen's wonderful choir of Concordia College, Moorhead. I can remember on my first US tour in February 2004 that we went to Concordia and walked into a choir practice whereupon Rene stopped the choir and struck up with Eric Whitacre's "With a Lily in Your Hand." It was the first time I'd heard such a great American college choir, and the first time I'd heard music by Eric. Ever since I've wanted to get a piece written for us by him - and we did, in 2008, when he wrote "The Stolen Child" for us and the NYC of Great Britain. Once we'd performed it there was only one place to record it, for me, along with Bob Chilcott's commissions for our anniversary ("High Flight" and "A Thanksgiving") so I've looked on this recording as one of my little projects ever since, and am so pleased it's all been worked out through the hard work of our wonderful team in the UK and US.

06 / 02 / 2010

Stephen

08 / 02 / 2010

David

This morning we head to MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) to appear on "Performance Today". We have visited MPR many times over the years. It ran a marvellous live music show for many years called "St Paul Sunday Morning". Later we head to Moorhead to begin our three day visit to Concordia College. We will give a concert tomorrow night, for which we will be joined by the College's marvellous choir, under their director, Rene Clausen, to perform three works written for us in our 40th anniversary year; Eric Whitacre's "The Stolen Child" and Bob Chilcott's "High Flight" and "A Thanksgiving". On the following day we will record the works for an album on Signum that will be released next year. The producer of the recording is an old friend of the K'S, Steve Barnett, with whom we have worked on many occasions at MPR. Yesterday afternoon we sang in a lovely old theatre in St Cloud. We were able, during the show, to mark a significant birthday for Doug Anderson, our good friend and US tour sales representative. Doug travels to all our American concerts selling CDs and other great merchandise. He is a retired high school music director, and it is always great to have him along on the tours. We wish him many happy returns, and hope he enjoyed his birthday celebrations watching the Superbowl in a sports bar in St Cloud. Sadly we had leave after the show to drive through the snow to St Paul.

09 / 02 / 2010

Tim

Sitting here, looking out of my hotel room in Moorhead, I have never seen so much snow in my life! We've had very tricky driving conditions over the last few days, which our designated driver, David, has done a sterling job of coping with!

We've just had a very useful programme meeting this morning - looking through many ideas and concepts for future concerts. I'm gradually getting to grips with more and more repertoire and am looking forward to the time when I'm able to come up with some programmes myself!

This is proving to be another incredibly enjoyable US tour with already a handful of greatly received concerts under out belt. I can't believe this time last year I was in my first few weeks as a King's Singer. Incredible how time flies..........

10 / 02 / 2010

Paul

Just woken up here in the snowy landscape that is Moorhead, Minnesota, and walking out of the hotel to our favourite coffee shop proves what 'real' cold feels like: it makes your ears feel as is they have frozen solid and are going to shatter! Yesterday I made the mistake of going outside without taking a hat, and with slightly wet hair, so not only did my ears get cold, but my hair froze - literally and within seconds. (Not such a 'Tough Guy' now, are we?!)

Last night we sang a truly memorable concert at Concordia College, with their internationally famous choir, under the direction of Rene Clausen. As David mentioned in his blog a couple of days ago, today's task is to record three pieces with the choir, which will feature on an album next year. Working with a group of young people like those in Concordia Choir is inspirational for us - these students are so talented, so highly motivated, and extremely well trained and valued by their director. I'm looking forward to today!

My post 'Tough Guy' bumps and scratches have all healed now, and I'm contemplating whether or not to enter next year (do you think I should?). However, I'd like to direct you here to read a report on the day's events, written by my friend and King's Singers v.i.p. member, Fiona Clifton. Its a lovely article, thanks Fiona.

11 / 02 / 2010

Phil

It's rare that you get an opportunity to work with a choir as good as that of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota under their inspirational director, Rene Clausen, but that's what we did yesterday. We are recording with them the pieces written by us for our 40th anniversary by Bob Chilcott and Eric Whittacre. We will record the rest of the album later this year and it will be released next year. It certainly keeps you on your toes when you're confronted with such a well-disciplined and committed choir.

Now it's off to bed for 6 hours sleep, up at 5.00 tomorrow morning, two flights, a 3-hour drive and concert. The show goes on!

And from the 11th...

It's not every day you get to travel through 5 US states in one morning and then do a 2-hour rehearsal followed by a concert. This is what today, February 11th 2010 had in store:

 5.00 am Leave hotel in Moorhead, Minnesota (State 1)

Driven in van to airport at Fargo, North Dakota (2)

Flight to Denver, Colorado (3).

Half an hour to hit Starbucks (still only 8 in the morning)

Flight to Omaha, Nebraska (4)

3-hour drive in van to Storm Lake, Iowa (5th state) and it's still not lunchtime!.

Normally after this we'd give ourselves a short rehearsal but we've got the Naxos live radio Valentine's Day request show in Nashville, and a world premiere in San Francisco next week, so it's a full 2-hour rehearsal before the concert.

It's a bequest Series here at Buena Vista University so a modest 300 audience, and halfway through the close harmony I am seized by a desire to go back to my room in the Baymont Inn and arrange a song (middle of nowhere, piles of snow all around as far as the eye can see). After awarding ourselves a few bottles of Miller's from the local licqour store, I am now back in my room, manuscript paper and pencil at the ready, and it's nearly midnight, but which song? Hang on, I've been up for 19 hours, maybe it's just time to go to sleep....

13 / 02 / 2010

Stephen

After a 12 hour travel day yesterday, it has been a lovely morning being in one place and so far reading the various birthday wishes and having a chance to speak to Rachel my dear wife. In the time that I have spent in the the King's Singers, I think I am right in say that all of my 23 birthday have been celebrated in the USA, either preparing to sing a concert that evening or travelling in order to do the same. One of the K's's long time friends and fans Jane Oliver and she is famed for appearing during the February tour of the States along with her long distant driving husband Frank (they often drive for up to nine hours to come to a show) and usually presents one of her famous Coca Cola Cakes. I am not alone having a birthday in February as Phil also celebrates his in a few days time and Doug Anderson of DJ records who is normally touring with us during out time in the States, selling CDs etc, also has an early February birthday, so we share the cake - they are usually quite large and very tasty! Today we are in Kentucky, the home of Fried Chicken.

14 / 02 / 2010

Chris

Today I'm going to write about Bluegrass music, the style of easy-going country songs that have sprung out of the mid-southern states of the US such as Tennessee and Kentucky (the Bluegrass state, where we are at present). I think there's something incredibly appealing to English classical musicians about this style as it uses so much harmony in its construction - a hallmark is vocal trio work over instruments as diverse as mandolins, string bass and even flutes - and we can identify with that as we're the kind of people who try to harmonise pop songs anyhow. Sad, isn't it....

Anyhow, a few years back I was introduced to a wonderful group by the name of Nickel Creek who boast amongst their number one of the world's finest mandolin players, Chris Thile, and some great vocalists. I was entranced by songs such as "Out of the Woods" and "When you Come Back Down" and hoped we would sing one or both of these in time. We finally did record the former song on our recent EP "From the Heart" and are preparing to perform it live for the first time on this trip. 

When people ask us how we keep the group fresh and modern, this is the sort of story I like to tell. From one member's personal experience a wholly new style of music is introduced to the group, whether it be renaissance, classical, romantic or pop. This spark often leads to an idea that grows until a new programme is formed. On many occasions the spark dies because it just doesn't have enough depth to it for a full touring programme or recording, but in others it leads to wonderful projects. At any one time we might have half a dozen such ideas in play, and only a few will come to fruition, but the important thing is that we keep coming up with the initial thoughts!

15 / 02 / 2010

David

It is very often the case that we are away from home on St Valentine's Day, and this year is no exception. Yesterday, however, was a little bit different from a normal touring day. We performed a concert for ClassicsOnline, which should now be available for viewing at www.classicsonline.com. Through ClassicsOnline, we were able to offer the chance to six lucky people to dedicate their favourite King's Singers' song to their loved ones. These songs featured in a programme of love songs through the ages. In addition to the online viewers, we were joined at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville by a large and enthusiastic audience, with part of the proceeds of the event going to the church's youth outreach programme to Guatemala. The dedications came in from far and wide, but the one I read came from  a Nashville resident to his wife, and I was delighted to meet them after the show. 

Today we rehearse for the first performance of Gabriela Lena Frank's Tres Mitos de mi Tierra, which we premiere in San Francisco this coming week. Gabriela is joining us here in Nashville to work on the piece, which will be very useful. We are all enjoying learning the work very much, and are sure it will be a very interesting new addition to our repertoire. It tells three stories from the Peruvian folk tradition, and has a fantastically lively South American feel to it. I hope you will get a chance to hear it performed somewhere in the future, and maybe one day we will be able to perform it in Peru. That would be great!

16 / 02 / 2010

Tim

Woke up in the far milder and less snowy Nashville this morning. The travel day yesterday after the rehearsal with Gabriela Lena Frank (which went remarkably well!!) was predictably tiring so a slightly later wake-up time was set which I fully enjoyed! Today, we perform our Horizons programme at the Armstrong Auditorium. This consists of a set of Bob Chilcott's North American folksongs, the haunting work by Peter Louis van Dijk - Horizons (gradually becoming one of my favourite pieces that I've done so far in the KS repertoire!) and a handful of Spanish Renaissance works. Yesterday, David informed us all that he was celebrating, to the day, his 20th year in the group - an amazing achievement and huge congratulations go out to him! He also mentioned that he will begin his next chapter in the KS with the same piece that he started his first concert - Bob Chilcott's Golden Vanity. What are the chances!!

17 / 02 / 2010

Paul

Another day, another blog sitting in a van - this time on the way from OKC to DEN, and then from there to SFO. (Remember that game ?!)  However today is a very special day, as we premiere Gabi Lena Frank's piece, which David told you about the other day, at the lovely 'Herbst Theater' in San Francisco. SF is one of my favourite cities in all the world - the atmosphere, climate and downtown all suit me, and I always look forward to being there. Many friends and colleagues are converging on the city today, to celebrate the first performance of what I'm sure is going to become a significant commissioned work in our repertoire. So the day holds plenty of excitement, after the two flights, the two hours time change and the two hour rehearsal. After the show I may even have two drinks to celebrate!

18 / 02 / 2010

Philip

Well we did it, and I think we did it justice! I'm talking about Gabriella Lena Frank's stunning piece Tres Mitos which she wrote for us and which we premiered in San Francisco last night. It's one of the longer commissions we've had since I joined, a good 25 minutes, but so well paced that it somehow doesn't feel too long, and it's sure to get "a ton" of performances, as they say over here. We're so grateful to the Minnesota Commissioning Club for making it possible. The reaction it received from the audience at the Herbst Theatre was rapturous, and some of us did indeed have those two drinks after the show that Paul was talking about in his last blog!

19 / 02 / 2010

Chris

The past few days have been some of those crazy US tour ones we know and love! From Oklahoma to San Francisco to Dallas in as many days and a chance to catch my breath here in our hotel for 24 hours. Last night we sang with the talented Chamber Singers from UTD who are performing with us tonight here in Richardson, Texas, and we're dusting off the Chilcott and Whitacre anniversary commissions we recorded a few weeks ago (was it really that long ago?!) up in Minnesota. The beauty of these pieces for us is that although our musical lines remain the same on the page, we have to adjust our performances every time we meet a new choir. It keeps us on our toes but also allows many people around the world to have an influence in the way we shape the music. Being in a professional ensemble is as much about humility as anything else - we are never above the music, we have no director and we have to leave our vocal ego off-stage whenever we rehearse or perform. So in meeting a new choir and their director we are continuing the organic process of allowing these wonderful pieces of music to speak to us, and to new audiences. 

As I write this I'm listening to Rimsky-Korsakov's masterpiece, Scheherazade - just downloaded from iTunes, and as so many times before it strikes me that there's music for every mood and occasion. I find it hard to pass a "free" evening on tour without embarking on a huge musical journey that usually involves iTunes, Wikipedia and my KS manuscripts. On Thursday evening, for example, I started re-visiting Richard Rodney Bennett's wonderful cycle "Sermons and Devotions," written for us in 1992 and which we're reviving for our next trip in Germany. It's an incredible work, and made me want to listen to some Britten opera, so I put Peter Grimes on for a few minutes, which fit with the Bennett like a glass of crisp Puligny-Montrachet goes with a nice bit of poached cod. 

Then it was time to learn another commission, this time from the 1970s, Malcolm Williamson's "The Musicians of Bremen," also for the German trip. It's a piece that is completely new to me, so I listened to it a few times all the way through before really working on it properly. Its sweeping melodies somehow put me in mind of a piece of music I couldn't quite put my finger on, but as soon as I turned on the television to watch a bit of the Olympic figure-skating the piece magically jumped out at me as the ice dancer's chosen soundtrack: Scheherazade! So, a crazy musical journey leading to another iTunes download and less space on my hard disc....

20 / 02 / 2010

Stephen

Dear All - just on our way to Louisiana to do a concert tonight. Just to keep you on your toes I sent a video blog late last night instead of ramblin' on here right now. So do go and have a look at that. If you have not had chance to listen to the latest podcast which is a piece I did about our recent visit to sing and record part of a new Album with the famous Concordia choir - do check that out too. It features a long chat with Rene Clausen who is one of the world's greatest choral directors. You will get a chance also to hear him in his role as composer too as his "In Pace" is featured and performed in full. It sure has been nice visiting Texas these last two night.... Yee Haa !! Texas is the home of Texas toast. Till soon Stephen

22 / 02 / 2010

David

Yesterday (Sunday) was a day off from singing. We flew from Lake Charles, Louisiana via Houston to Knoxville, Tennessee. On the plane I sat next to Tim, who was studying a copy of The Musicians of Bremen by the Australian composer Malcolm Williamson, which we will perform in Germany on our next trip. We are bringing this work back into our current repertoire as part of the Birds, Bats and Beasts programme. The Musicians of Bremen was commissioned by the group back in 1972, and first performed in Sydney Town Hall that same year. It is a charming piece that tells a story by the Brothers Grimm about a group of ageing animals that escape their lives in the service of man to travel to Bremen in North Germany to join an orchestra. On the way they are attacked by two fearsome criminals (played by Christopher and Stephen), but by working together they overcome them. I first heard the piece back in the 1970s when I bought an LP of the group’s Contemporary Collection. I heard the KS in concert in 1977 when they came to my school to sing, and the programme included Paul Patterson’s Timepiece, which many of you will know. It was a revelation to me that modern music could be fun, and when I saw the album for sale I snapped it up. As well as Timepiece and The Musicians of Bremen, the playlist included Richard Rodney Bennett’s atmospheric House of Sleepe, Peter Dickinson’s Winter Afternoons, and Krzystof Penderecki’s Ecloga VIII. It was one of my favourite KS records (along with Out of the Blue), and I still have my copy, although I no longer have the means to play it!

Changing the subject, I would like to say a word of thanks to a supporter of the group. Last Friday, in Richardson, we were each given a gift bag by an audience member named Erica Steed. The bag contained some delicious cookies, a bar of Symphony chocolate, some hot chocolate, a scarf, and a copy of an essay on entitled “My favorite group”. She discovered the KS on iTunes, and as she wrote “I was hooked”. She is very generous in what she writes, as she is in her gifts. Thanks, Erica.

Today we sing a concert in Knoxville’s Chuch of Ascension. We are also giving a workshop to three local high school choirs, which is something we like to do if our schedule allows.

PS Check out the video blogs for my tour highlights.

23 / 02 / 2010

Tim

Today we travelled by car to Greenville, South Carolina, for our last concert of this tour at Bob Jones University. BJU is a Christian liberal arts institution and is one of the world's largest fundamental Christian schools with more than 4,000 students. We're expecting a large crowd tonight - 6,500 so I'm now about to start warming up for the show and getting my music in order! This has been yet another fantastic tour and, although, I'll be glad to get back to London to see family and friends, I couldn't wish for a more enjoyable way to make a living!

24 / 02 / 2010

Paul

Well, at last we're on our way home! It's been a fabulous tour, with many new experiences, and waking up in Greenville, South Carolina, this morning after last night's concert at Bob Jones University, attended by almost 7000 people, you experience that lovely feeling of warmth, knowing you are about to see your family. Before that though, and departing for the airport (GSP to IAD, then to LHR !!!) there are a few items of business to deal with: looking over a some future programmes, finishing our US tour expenses, and finally packing the suitcase. 

This weekend at home we'll be celebrating William's 14th birthday (I don't feel old enough to have a teenage son!) and catching up with family and close friends, taking Wiz for long walks, and hopefully getting an hour to go for a run in the fresh air. (I'm a bit fed-up with running on treadmills now) 

So, back to a kind of reality - one that is perfectly normal for many of you reading this, but for a King's Singer, something we positively look forward to after 3 weeks away from home.

27 / 02 / 2010

Stephen

Time certainly passes quickly when one is having fun, as the old saying goes. It is six months to the day today since Rachel and I became man and wife (sound effect: collective sigh of Awwww !) - and it only seems like yesterday that I was blogging to you all on the fist day of our honeymoon to Turkey. It does, however, seem like a long time though in these drizzle fill grey days since the summer when everything was in full blossom - roll on the spring! In this all too short turn around  between two tours, the two of us are taking time for ourselves this weekend and we are spending the night away in a lovely hotel, along with a nice meal to help celebrate our months together. Gloucestershire is our destination, another of England's green and pleasant lands and home to many of The King's Singers more recent musical triumphs - many of our recordings have been made up the road in Toddington Church as you might know, as well as the many concerts and recent BBC Songs Praise filmings in the Abbey at Tewekesbury. Attached is a picture of a beaming couple on the happy day in question - this particular shot is very much treasured on long tours away from home serving as my home screen on my blackberry. Also attached is the beautiful Abbey at Tewkesbury.
FYI - Gloucestershire is home to the famous Old Spot Pigs.  Till Soon  - Stephen

01 / 03 / 2010

David

It is already the first day of March, and I can’t believe how quickly this year is passing by. It is also St David’s Day (the patron saint of Wales), which means, being half Welsh, I should have a leek pinned to my coat collar (or maybe that should be half a leek). I am enjoying being at home, although there is plenty to do before I head to Germany tomorrow evening. Later this morning I will be phoned by a journalist to chat about the Pachelbel recording. I have been reminding myself of this wonderful music by listening to the tracks we recorded last year with Charivari Agréable. As many of you will know, this new CD, which is now available from Signum Records, consists of Vespers movements by Johann Pachelbel (best known for his Canon). The manuscripts for these pieces ended up in a library in England, only recently finding the light of day. They were carried here by Pachelbel’s son, as he travelled to America. It is not known why he left some of his father’s compositions in England, but it they known that they found their way into the collection of the composer John Blow, onetime organist of Westminster Abbey, and from there, via an unknown path, into the Tenbury Collection in Oxford University’s Bodleian Library. If you want the chance to hear some of this great music live, we will be giving a concert in London at Cadogan Hall on Thursday 29th April. The programme, which includes some of the CD repertoire, will also feature music by Pachelbel's contemporaries, such Buxtehude, and members of the Bach family.

Other highlights of the day include shopping for my Mum’s birthday present, and something for Mother’s Day (both of which fall during the next trip). This evening, Sarah and I will go to a non-Birthday party for a friend who has the misfortune of being born on the 29th February. He is 15 and a half today!

I must head out now, but as they say in Wales Hwyl, Hwyl fawr, Hwyl nawr, Hwyl am y tro (in England we say Goodbye). 

PS I found this Welsh on a website of phrases, so I do not vouch for its correctness. In amongst lots of useful everyday sentences I found the following: 

Mae fy hofrenfad yn llawn llyswennod

I will send a copy of the Pachelbel CD to the first correct answer sent to david@kingssingers.com.

03 / 03 / 2010

Paul

When we left home yesterday to travel to southern Germany, it felt like it really was the first day of spring - blue skies, warmer temperatures and the first sign of spring flowers. So it was a bit of a shock to arrive in Stuttgart and start our drive to Villingen-Schwenningen in thick, freezing fog, and to arrive here to find snow still piled up by the roadside. One of the things I have noticed about this job in the years I have been lucky enough to do it, is that one often fails to appreciate the changing seasons, as you are constantly 'on the go', travelling between time zones and experiencing different climates along the way. For example, on our recent U.S. tour, I enjoyed a run in very pleasant temperatures in San Francisco, having arrived from very cold temperatures in Minnesota. (Where the snow was piled up to 20 feet deep in places!)  We'll be travelling through Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the next 12 days, no doubt experiencing the changing seasons and hoping to see a few spring buds cautiously poking their heads through the ground.

04 / 03 / 2010

Philip

Last night we sang in a deconsecrated building here in the lovely little town of Villingen-Schwenningen, in the Stuttgart region of Germany. The town has a simple cruciform pattern of main streets and if you stand in the centre you can turn and see medieval gates at the ends of three of the four roads. The only English equivalent to this that I can think of is York, except the city is too big to be able at once to take in all four "bars", as they are called there, unless you are in a helicopter or standing on top of the vast central tower of the Minster. I digress - last night was the group´s (and my) fourth visit to V-S, and as before we received a warm reception, though not the four encores that were demanded of us in 1994 (I think we could have given them four, but we´ve found ways of engineering fewer - should I have just made that public!!??) On to Salzburg now via Stuttgart to pay a social visit to our long-standing German manager Erika Esslinger. Salzburg is one of my favourite European cities, not just because you can stand in the house in which Mozart was born, but also because it played host to many of the scenes in Richard Rogers´ final masterpiece The Sound Of Music. Yes, I´m not ashamed to admit it, I love this film, as do my family, and I know it takes many people to make a successful film, but as with Carousel, Oklahoma, South Pacific and so on, it is Rogers´ brilliant score which REALLY makes it worth watching. Don´t get me started, there´s enough for another blog there. So auf wiedersehen Villingen-Schwenningen, it´s time to leave for Salzburg, One Of My Favourite Things!

05 / 03 / 2010

Chris

Salzburg is justifiably famous for two things: Julie Andrews and Mozart. I'm fairly confident that they'll never meet, at least not in this life, but if a city has to be famous for two people then those two aren't a bad way to go. They certainly have musical excellence in common, contrasting though that excellence might be.

I'm experiencing musical contrasts of my own while we're here, which is a normal part of the job as our repertoire is so diverse, but moreso on this occasion as I attended the General Rehearsal of Tosca last night at the Haus fur Mozart. One of my friends from Cambridge is Musical Director at the Landestheater here in Salzburg and was conducting the performance, and another friend is his assistant (actually, both of them were choral scholars at King's College for a while), so it was great to support them in their work. I was blown away by the performance and really enjoyed experiencing a form of music that I don't get to appreciate much. If any of our friends are reading this in Salzburg and wondering whether to attend - DO (obviously after coming to our concert in the Aula tonight). First night is on Saturday and it promises to be a wonderful show.

Today we're performing one of my favourite KS commissions, "Sermons and Devotions" by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, which sets text by the 17th century English metaphysical poet and cleric, John Donne (one of my favourite poets - check out in particular his poem "The Flea"). It's recorded on the KS disc of the same name (along with Gorecki's "Totus Tuus" amongst other things) which I used to listen to a lot before joining the group, and shows the composer's jazz roots as well as his own inimitable contemporary classical style.

We're interspersing the Bennett with some renaissance motets and following the first half with Debussy's "Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orleans" which are more favourites of mine, so I'm really looking forward to singing this evening. Programming is a delicate balance between choosing pieces we love to sing, and choosing pieces that fit a given theme or concept (as well as avoiding repertoire we've previously performed at the venue in question). It's fun wrestling with the possibilities and most of us are working on new programmes for much of the time. They don't always work, but we try to entertain and educate the audience wherever we go!

06 / 03 / 2010

Stephen

We sang to a full auditorium in Salzburg last night in the Aula - the university concert hall. We have made many appearances there over the years and over time it has become one of the most special places for me, both musically and aesthetically. So last night was extra special as it is my last time with the K's in this wonderful city. It is snowing outside as I write from my hotel room overlooking the castle. Beautiful! The Hills are alive with the Sound of ...

Many of you will now be aware of the very recent news that I will not be making it to the end of 2010 with The Kings Singers after all, but rather that I am to move from a 23 years history of making music with Male voices to embark upon an exciting career making music with Female voices. I am excited at all challenges that being Head of Vocal studies at The Cheltenham Ladies College is going to bring and honoured and thrilled to have been given the chance to share my singing experience and talents in one of the most prestigious of Schools.

Music is an important part of College life with a full time department of 9, including  Heads of Faulty for Piano, Strings, Brass and Woodwind as well as Voice. There is also a large team of 36 visiting instrumental and vocal teachers. In the Vocal faculty alone there are some 180 singing lessons each week, with 6 singing teachers and 6 choirs to look after as well as the many events, prizes etc, There are a staggering 1200 individual Instrumental/vocal lessons each and every week - for a total of  only 860 girls.

I am looking forward to my new life and to all the experiences it is going to bring, and also having the chance to continue other musical pursuits such as continuing the International A Cappella School Courses and the various guest clinician rolls in the many weeks of vacation that my position will offer. Exciting times ahead.  

FYI - Salzburg is the home of Mozart and Julie Andrews.  Both unrelated.

Till Soon Stephen

08 / 03 / 2010

David

We are now in Switzerland, having driven from the Austrian town of Telfs on a beautiful sunny Sunday. I drove with Stephen and Tim, and we decided to leave the motorway system at the Swiss border, and drive along the southern side of Lake Konstanz (or Bodensee in German). This lake sits at the northern foot of the Swiss Alps, and is part of the River Rhein. It is a large body of water, measuring 63 kilometres long, and up to 14 kilometres across at its widest point. It looked stunning, but when we stopped to walk up to the water's edge, the -0.5ºC temperature combined with the strong northerly wind to make it feel absolutely freezing. It certainly felt as cold as it did in Minnesota on the recent US trip when the outside temperature was lower than -20ºC. Today we give the first of two concerts in Schaffhausen. It is rather nice to have unpacked my suitcase, knowing that I will not have to pack it again for three days!

In my blog last week, I set a little quiz. I have been amazed by the response, and am delighted to announce the result. The winner is Christina Welz from Germany. A Pachelbel CD will be dispatched today with many congratulations for being the first to answer the following question:

What does the Welsh phrase Mae fy hofrenfad yn llawn llyswennod mean?

The answer is “My hovercraft is full of eels”. It comes from a Monty Python sketch, which, given its strangeness, is not that surprising.

I have tried to write to all the entrants to thank them for entering, but a few emails have been returned as unsent. If you have not heard from me, please accept my thanks. I will now have to think of a more difficult question to set in a future blog (or maybe one less easily Googled!).

09 / 03 / 2010

Tim

Today we have our second concert in the delightful theatre in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. We are performing the programme Birds, Bats and Beasts - which includes some of the very demanding Nonsense Madrigals by György Ligeti. Whenever I perform the Lobster Quadrille from this set of 6 songs, I am always reminded of auditioning for The King's Singers as it was one of the prepared pieces for the second round!

Tomorrow we are once again on the road, this time going back to Germany. I'm not sure if it's my turn to drive tomorrow or not, but either way I enjoy it - cruising around with magnificent scenery on either side or managing to fall soundly asleep with my iPod on and a pile of music to learn on my lap!!

10 / 03 / 2010

Paul

Its been a really pleasant stay in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, a pretty little town on the banks of the Rhine. On Sunday when we arrived, I was 'itching' to get outdoors for a run, and chose a route which from experience always proves to be a safe bet: a run by the river. It was a lovely afternoon, very chilly, but I carry the 'right' kit with me, so the temperature or wind-chill is rarely a problem (except that one time in an ice storm in Finland in January, but that's a different story altogether, and you'll have to ask me 'face to face' about that one ....) and I set off upstream towards Germany. It was a first for me, to go for a run which took me over an international border and back again, although I didn't need my passport, as the border was unmanned, and only a subtle change in street signage and a small placard reading 'Bundesrepublik Deutchsland' made you aware of the border crossing.

As I write this, I'm looking forward to another run today, in Bad Saulgau, Germany, with all the anticipation of the 'unknown'. That's one of the most exciting things about running: you get to see parts of a country or a city that you wouldn't normally see, whilst keeping fit and healthy at the same time. It has also managed to alter my perception of many places: from an ordinary, forgettable town, to an interesting and picturesque community, steeped in history and beauty.

On another subject, we're busy putting the finishing touches to our next album release: 'Swimming over London': finalising the artwork and discussing a few patches which we'll re-record when we get home.In my twelve years as a member of this wonderful group, I've never been more excited about an album release, in terms of the quality of the recording, the production and the anticipation of launching a product with 'original' song content. I genuinely hope that you will enjoy listening to it as much as we have enjoyed creating it.

11 / 03 / 2010

Philip

We're now back in Germany, staying at Bad Saulgau. The hotel is modern and friendly, with very nice rooms, and was very nearly the scene of serious injury for me last night (title of my next book? "Hotels that have hurt me, by Philip Lawson", a mid-length, mid-price volume). Several of us had to change rooms because of a poor internet connection. The rooms on the first floor pick up the wireless signal better, but are smaller. In the process of moving the round table out of the way of my suitcase I tipped the rather nice glass decanter with cork (containing mineral water, please note, not sherry) onto the floor. Fortunately it and the glasses which had accompanied it down there didn't break, and feeling relieved I rearranged them on the table (my wife will not believe I was actually tidying a room!). Unfortunately the water was slightly fizzy and you know what happens to champagne when you shake it up. As I was bending over the table rearranging the bottle and glasses the cork launched itself with tremendous force out of the decanter very close to my face (I felt the wind as it went by) and onto the nice new white ceiling which now proudly sports a black mark. Silence in the room. If I had been a few inches nearer with my eye over the decantur I could have been on my way to hospital with a very nasty injury. Instead I stood still for a few seconds feeling very relieved it was the ceiling that took the full force of the cork, not me. Moral of the story - don't tidy hotel rooms. It might be the last thing you do.