London King's College Choir & Gareth Wilson
Biography London King's College Choir & Gareth Wilson
Gareth Wilson
conductor, composer and lecturer, was born in Glasgow and studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Edinburgh University and the Royal Academy of Music in London. He teaches in the Music Department of King’s College, London, is a regular lecturer for the Royal College of Organists, Director of Music at Christ Church, Chelsea and conductor of the London-based chamber choir, Incagliati. He has undertaken postgraduate degrees in Theology and Philosophy of Religion at Heythrop College, London University, and is currently pursuing doctoral research at King’s College, London. He has composed over 70 pieces for the Anglican liturgy and in 2011 joined forces with philosophers Peter Vardy and Charlotte Fowler to present a documentary and series of conferences on music and philosophy.
The Choir of King’s College London
is one of the leading university choirs in England. Consisting of twenty-five choral scholars and two organ scholars, it is directed by the College Organist, David Trendell, who is also a Senior Lecturer in the Music Department. The choir performs a large and varied repertoire ranging from the fourteenth century to the present day and has made many celebrated recordings of sixteenth-century English and Spanish music, reflecting the research interests of its Director. The choir also sings regularly commissioned music, including recent works by Antony Pitts and Susan Lawrie.
The choir’s principal role is singing at services in the College Chapel during term time. In addition, the choir gives many concerts, both in England and abroad, and has recently toured France, the USA and Italy. The choir regularly broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 Choral Evensong, Radio 4 Sunday Worship and the World Service, and makes frequent recordings. The choir was established in its present form in 1945 and has had three directors since then, Harold Last (1945–1952), E.H. Warrell MBE, FKC (1953–1991) before David Trendell arrived at King’s in 1992. Many choral scholars have gone on to pursue postgraduate vocal studies at a conservatoire and have subsequently developed successful professional careers. Recent examples include Anna Stéphany, who won the Kathleen Ferrier competition in 2005 together with the Guildhall Gold Medal, and Tom Hobbs, who is the Peter Pears Scholar at the Royal College of Music.
