INTRODUCTION

New College Choir is one of the glories of our musical heritage. William of Wykeham, who also founded Winchester College and rebuilt Windsor Castle for Edward III, was responsible for its creation, College and Choir. He provided for sixteen choristers and a dozen clerks to sing the daily office in his magnificent mediaeval chapel. This practice still continues within the context of today’s University life. Both boys and young adults receive a musical training of the highest standard, as befits a world-class university. They are able to develop their potential to the full, meeting not only the daily needs of the chapel services but also the challenges of recording studio and concert platform.

Choristers rehearsing

The success of the the Choir in recent times is measured in some seventy recordings still in the catalogue and a reputation which extends world-wide. The recordings encompass the classics of the English Cathedral repertoire with Taverner, Byrd and Tye at one end and Stanford and Howells at the other; the glories of the French renaissance with Lejeune and du Caurroy; the baroque triumphs of Purcell, Handel and Mondonville; and highly successful compilations such as Agnus Dei (in two volumes), In Excelsis and Bluebird which have won over new audiences for sacred choral music.

The Choir performs to audiences in Europe two or three times a year, and also travels further afield on extended concert tours. In 2004, in addition to concerts in the UK, the choir travelled to Europe on 7 different occasions, singing a total of 15 concerts and a number of services. There were venues in Italy and Portugal, including several performances of Handel’s Messiah with The Academy of Ancient Music, appearances in a number of summer festivals in France, and a concert in the 5th International Boys’ Choir Festival in Riga, Latvia.

In concert in Nashville, April 2005  (photo David Crenshaw)

In April 2005 the choir spent two weeks in the USA giving concerts in New York, Washington, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. This very successful tour was the choir’s first trans-Atlantic visit in almost thirty years. At Christmas, the choir teamed up with soloists and the Academy of Ancient Music for performances of Handel’s Messiah in Oxford, Genoa and Utrecht under Edward Higginbottom’s direction. Early in January 2006 the choir recorded Messiah in a series of sessions in St John’s, Smith Square, London. The recording was released in autumn 2006 marking the 30th anniversary of Edward Higginbottom’s appointment as Organist and Tutor in Music at New College.