The “Rock stars of Renaissance music” is how The New York Times described the award winning British vocal ensemble The Tallis Scholars. Founder and artistic director Peter Phillips has devoted his life to creating the ideal choral sound, and exploring many neglected gaps in the polyphonic repertoire. He’s also commissioned many contemporary composers including Eric Whitacre, John Tavener and Nico Muhly. On top of all that, he’s written columns for newspapers and magazines, presented radio lectures, and even written a novel.

In this conversation, Peter discusses how his fascination with vocal harmony began in his school days, developed at Oxford, and eventually led to the formation of The Tallis Scholars in 1973, an ensemble that would become synonymous with the purity and precision of Renaissance choral music. He shares insights into the challenges of interpreting centuries-old music, from deciphering incomplete manuscripts to navigating lost performance traditions, and how the group strives to make these works vivid for modern audiences. Warm and deeply insightful, Peter reveals the passion, intellect, and humour that have sustained his remarkable career in music.

The Tallis Scholars, under founder and artistic director Peter Phillips, perform at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday, 12 October. They will also be performing at the Adelaide Town Hall on Thursday, 9 October, and at the QPAC Concert Hall on Friday, 10 October. Performances in Canberra and Melbourne had already occurred at the time of publication of this program.