A cappella ensemble - The King's Singers perform October 5, 2009

Augustana Arts presents

THE KING'S SINGERS

"My Heart is a Holy Place"

The six Englishmen known as The King's Singers enjoy a reputation as one of the world's most sought-after and highly acclaimed a cappella vocal ensembles. My Heart is a Holy Place performs Saturday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Augustana Lutheran Church; 5000 E. Alameda Ave. Tickets are $30 Adult / $20 Senior / $15 Student and are available by calling 303-388-4962 or online at www.augustanaarts.org.

Described as possessing an “impeccably manicured vocal blend, enchanting the ear from first to last note” (Gramophone Magazine), The King’s Singers maintain the highest calibre of a cappella performance, and continue to be one of the most sought-after vocal ensembles in the world.

The ensemble has a huge range of some three and a half octaves, from Connolly’s low C up to Hurley’s high F. There have only ever been twenty-two King’s Singers including the current six, very few given the demanding nature of the full-time job which requires a unique blend of musicianship, vocal ability and charisma, not to mention the stamina to be on tour for nine months of the year. The King’s Singers are David Hurley (countertenor, 20th season), Paul Phoenix (tenor, 13th season), Philip Lawson (baritone, 16th season), Christopher Gabbitas (baritone, 6th season), Stephen Connolly (bass, 23rd season) and new recruit 26 year-old Timothy Wayne-Wright (countertenor).

Their concert diary includes in excess of 120 performances annually. Recent highlights include performances in London’s Royal Albert Hall, Windsor Castle, The Sage Gateshead, King’s College Chapel, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Salzburg Mozarteum and Paris Salle Gaveau. In the US recent concerts include Cincinnati, Lincoln Center (New York), Dallas, Salt Lake City (with the Utah Symphony), Princeton University, and New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

The breadth of The King’s Singers repertoire in concert and on CD is vast and the long list of composers who have written for the group includes György Ligeti, Richard Rodney Bennett, Luciano Berio, Peter Maxwell Davies, Krysztof Penderecki, Eric Whitacre, Toru Takemitsu and John Tavener.

The group has received numerous awards and plaudits for their recordings, and is fast approaching 100 album releases. Now recording with Signum Classics, the group has covered music from the renaissance in The Golden Age: Siglo de Oro (“unmissable”, Classic FM Magazine), to Landscape & Time, a contemporary album (“impeccable singing” Gramophone Magazine) and a studio album of folk, spiritual and pop Simple Gifts, released in the group’s 40th anniversary season in 2008, which went to No.1 in the iTunes crossover charts and won a 2009 Grammy. Their most recent recordings are Romance du Soir, containing music by Saint-Saëns, Elgar, Schubert and others, and a live performance CD and DVD from the Royal Albert Hall at the BBC Proms. The group’s latest news and blog entries, information on concert dates, shop plus streaming audio and video can be found at www.kingssingers.com.