The Bach Choir
Patron His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
President Leopold de Rothschild CBE ·
Conductor Laureate Sir David Willcocks CBE MC
Vice Presidents Dame Janet Baker CH DBE, James Bowman CBE, Sir Philip Ledger CBE
Dame Felicity Lott CBE, John Rutter CBE, Robert Tear CBE
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Now in its 134th season, The Bach Choir has long been established as one of the world's
leading choruses. A succession of eminent musical directors, including Sir Charles Villiers Stanford,
Dr Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sir David Willcocks and now David Hill, has each ensured that the Choir performs to the highest
standards; excellence which has resulted in invitations to sing in prestigious venues, and with the very
best professional orchestras and soloists.
The Bach Choir has some 220 active members, talented singers from all walks of life, all of whom are
committed to a challenging schedule of up to twenty concerts in a season, as well as recordings, overseas
tours and special engagements. In April 2008 the Choir returned from a three-week tour to Sydney and
Melbourne, where it gave six concerts with the late Richard Hickox, Oleg Caetani and David Hill. In July 2009
the Choir was invited back for a third visit to Dresden, where it gave a performance of Haydn's The Seasons in
the city's beautifully restored Frauenkirche. The Bach Choir regularly undertakes film score work,
featuring prominently on the soundtracks of Kingdom of Heaven, Disney's Chronicles of
Narnia, Dreamworks' Shrek the Third and, most recently, Ridley Scott's new Robin Hood.
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David Hill has been Musical Director of The Bach Choir since 1998, and has earned enormous respect for his
musical acumen and high standards. Under his direction the Choir has extended its repertoire with new and
challenging works, including regular new commissions. The performance in February 2008 of Carl Rütti's
Requiem at Winchester Cathedral was The Bach Choir's fourth world premiere since 2001, and a further new commission is planned for first performance in 2012. In May 2009 the Choir
marked the 100th anniversary of the premiere of Delius's A Mass of Life
with a concert in the Royal Festival Hall.
The Bach Choir has many outstanding recordings to its name and has been very active in the recording studio in recent years, under David Hill's direction. A series of English choral music recordings for Naxos began in 2007 with a widely-acclaimed disc of music by
Howells; as well as Howells' masterpiece, Hymnus Paradisi, this includes the premiere recording of a
newly rediscovered work, Sir Patrick Spens. The second disc in that series - Vaughan Williams' Dona nobis pacem and Sancta Civitas - was released in March 2010.
The Choir's CD of Handel choruses on the BIS label - The People Shall Hear! - has received excellent reviews all over the world, as has the Choir's premiere recording of
Carl Rütti's Requiem, prompting the Observer to write "The Bach Choir sings magnificently".
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