The Gentlemen of St John’s

Friday 10th April 2015

Time 7.30pm

This fantastic choral ensemble come to Edington to present a concert of two halves; the first features sacred anthems and excerpts from composers from Tallis and Byrd to Matthew Martin and Franz Biebl, while the second will consist of a selection of folksongs and close harmony arrangements that will be introduced by members of the ensemble.

Described by BBC Music Magazine as “an immaculately blended, responsive, interactive consort”, The Gentlemen of St John’s are famed for their “pure tone and controlled excellence” (Counterpoint Music). Formed of the Choral Scholars of the world-renowned, Gramophone award-winning Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, they have enjoyed a remarkably busy schedule of concerts and recordings for over forty years. Aged between 18 and 23, The Gents are noted for their versatility with a repertoire ranging from early sacred music to folksongs to more modern close-harmony, making them equally at home in Churches, on the Concert Platform or in the Dining Hall. A number of their members over the years have also participated in the Edington Music Festival.

In recent years, the Gents have performed at prestigious venues all over the world, from London’s Cadogan Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and Wigmore Hall,to Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and Sydney Opera House; from St James’ Palace and Wimbledon Centre Court to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. Recent performances have taken them to Bangkok, Singapore, America, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Italy and South Africa, and, over the summer, the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. In addition to frequent broadcasts with the full Choir of St John’s College, they were recent guests on Radio 3’s In Tune. They also enjoy regularly leading workshops in the UK and abroad.

The Gents have built up an extensive discography. Like Take 6 and The King’s Singers, the group perform and record many of their own arrangements. Many members of the group study music at Cambridge and enjoy writing arrangements of folksongs and close harmony versions of contemporary pop music as well as creating personal renditions of some of the classic Jazz standards.