Musical Director David Hill

“Probably the finest independent choir in the world”
(Evening Standard)
David Hill

David Hill Widely recognised as one of the leading conductors in the UK, David Hill became The Bach Choir's ninth Musical Director in 1998 .

Born in Carlisle in 1957 and educated at Chetham's School of Music, David Hill was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at the age of 17. His education continued at Cambridge, where he was organ scholar at St John's College under the direction of the late Dr George Guest. Since Cambridge, David has held the posts of Sub-Organist at Durham Cathedral, Master of the Music at Westminster Cathedral, Master of the Music at Winchester Cathedral, Musical Director of the Waynflete Singers and Director of Music at St John's College, Cambridge. In September 2007 he took up the post of Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers; he is also Associate Guest Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor of the Southern Sinfonia and Music Director of Leeds Philharmonic Society.

David gives choral training workshops and summer schools all over the world; his handbook on the subject, Giving Voice, was published in 1995 and he is a choral adviser to the music publishers Novello, for whom he has edited the Noël carol books. As an organist he has given recitals in all the major venues in the UK, and has toured extensively abroad.

David has made more than 80 recordings covering repertoire from Thomas Tallis to Sir John Tavener, including Fauré's Requiem and Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. His recording of Victoria's O quam gloriosum won a Gramophone Award and he received a Grammy as Chorus Master for Walton's Belshazzar's Feast. Recent CD releases with The Bach Choir include Delius's A Mass of Life with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the third in a series of recordings of English music for Naxos.

At the 2012 BBC Proms David Hill conducted The Bach Choir, BBC Singers, National Youth Choir of Great Britain, and children from The Bach Choir's Outreach Project in The Angry Planet, a Bach Choir commission from leading contemporary composer, Bob Chilcott. His future plans include a busy season of concerts, recordings and tours with The Bach Choir and the BBC Singers.