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King’s Singers to present June 16 concert at DePauw
The renowned English a cappella ensemble, The King’s Singers, return to Greencastle this month to present its first North American Summer School (June 13–19), and DePauw University School of Music will serve as host for the inaugural workshop, which includes several events also open to the public.
The first, a ticketed concert performed by the double Grammy Award-winning group, will be given in the Green Center’s Kresge Auditorium on Friday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m.
At the mid-point of the weeklong North American school, the sextet invites the community to join them for an intimate evening of music that gets up close and personal, journeying through more than 500 years of music from across their repertoire and around the world. The concert will also celebrate the work of British choral legend Bob Chilcott, a former tenor in The King’s Singers and a special guest throughout the Summer School at DePauw.
During the course of the concert, the ensemble will be joined on stage by all of the summer participants for a performance of Chilcott’s work “A Thanksgiving,” followed by a unique Q&A session with the composer and musicians directly after the concert.
Among the week’s public offerings will also be a second concert showcasing the 68 international participants — including a guest set by The King’s Singers, themselves — that will be given at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 18 in Meharry Hall, located on the second floor of historic East College.
In addition, there will be a free composition presentation by Chilcott from 7–9 p.m. Thursday, June 15 in the Green Center’s Thompson Recital Hall. Described by The Observer as “a contemporary hero of British choral music,” Chilcott will offer a presentation and Q&A about the challenges of setting text, composing for the voice and for choirs of all ages.
The award-winning artists were honored in 2009 for their Signum Classics release, “Simple Gifts,” and again in 2012 for their contribution to Whitacre’s “Light & Gold” album on the Decca label. In 2013, they were chosen as one of only two vocal ensembles to enter the Gramophone Hall of Fame, in recognition of their unique discography of more than 150 albums.
The Singers perform more than 120 concerts each year, regularly touring Europe, the U.S., Asia and Australasia. Highlights of the group’s recent performance schedule include concerts at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Washington National Cathedral and Grand Philharmonic Hall of St. Petersburg, along with invitations to perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and the group’s residential Summer School in the UK.
The ensemble last sang at DePauw in 2015.
Tickets to “The King’s Singers in Concert” are currently available through the Green Center’s new Eventbrite online ticket system found at www.music.depauw.edu. The price, in advance and at the door, is $20. As with the Green Guest Artist series, tickets continue to be free for seniors, children and all students.
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