Today we get to chat with Nigel Short, Conductor and Artistic Director of Tenebrae Choir. We get to hear his journey as a singer, the genesis of Tenebrae choir, Nigel's approach to choral singing, his thoughts about renaissance music and more!
Nigel's Bio:
Award-winning conductor Nigel Short has earned widespread acclaim for his recording and live performance work with leading orchestras and ensembles across the world.
Tenebrae are special. Directed by Nigel Short, these were exemplary performances, lucid, and so commanding it seemed as if singing perfectly in tune was the most natural thing in the world.
– The Guardian
A former member of renowned vocal ensemble The King’s Singers, in 2001 Nigel formed Tenebrae, a virtuosic choir that combines the passion of a cathedral choir with the precision of a chamber ensemble. Under his direction, Tenebrae has collaborated with internationally acclaimed orchestras and instrumentalists and now enjoys a reputation as one of the world’s finest vocal ensembles. Nigel has conducted the choir at some of the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals, including the BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Rheingau Musik Festival and Sydney Festival.
“…the highly impressive Tenebrae directed by Nigel Short pull out all the vocal stops at the right moments.
– Gramophone Magazine
To date, Nigel has conducted the majority of the UK’s leading orchestras, including the Academy of Ancient Music, Aurora Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, English Concert, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Other orchestral recordings include Mozart’s Requiem with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and Nigel has also appeared as guest conductor with the BBC Singers, Leipzig’s MDR Rundfunkchor and the Danish National Vocal Ensemble.
Nigel Short’s superb musical sensitivity to phrasing and texture illuminates everything… the endless dovetailing of the musical lines, all within an overall architectural vision, is exquisitely sustained.
– BBC Music Magazine
Nigel has vast recording experience having conducted for many of the world’s major labels including Decca Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, LSO Live and Signum, as well as having contributed to a number of high-profile film soundtracks. In 2018, he received a Grammy nomination in the category of ‘Best Choral Performance’ for Tenebrae’s album of parts songs from the British Isles, Music of the Spheres. As a Gramophone award-winning producer, Nigel works with many of the UK’s leading professional choirs and vocal ensembles including Alamire, Ex Cathedra, Gallicantus and The King’s Singers.
Tenebrae reveals itself as one of those exceptional choirs whose individual singers have been moulded into a single superbly sensitive and responsive musical instrument.
– The Telegraph
YouTube recording of Tenebrae performing Allegri's Miserere
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