Stephen Cleobury

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Stephen Cleobury (2009)

Sir Stephen John Cleobury CBE (born December 31, 1948 in Bromley , Kent ; † November 22, 2019 in York ) was a British organist and choir director who was director of church music at the Chapel of King's College in Cambridge from 1982 to 2019 and thus headed the traditional Choir of King's College . During his long tenure in office, he made the choir, which has been broadcasting the BBC on Christmas Eve since 1928 , even better known through recordings and concert tours. He gave orders for new compositions, including since 1984 for an annual new Christmas carol . Cleobury was also the choirmaster for the BBC Singers from 1995 to 2007 . He has received many awards, including being Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2009 . In 2019 he was ennobled for his services to choral music .

Life

Early years

Stephen John Cleobury was born in Bromley , Kent in 1948 to John F. Cleobury and Brenda J. Randall. He sang as a choirboy at Worcester Cathedral , conducted by Douglas Guest and later Christopher Robinson. He was organ scholar at St John's College , Cambridge, where George Guest was music director, and sub-organist at Westminster Abbey . In 1979 he became the first Anglican music director at Westminster Catholic Cathedral .

King's College, Cambridge

Choir stalls and Great Organ in King's College Chapel

In 1982 he became director of music for the Choir of King's College , Cambridge, where he also taught music. He directed the traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in the chapel on Christmas Eve, which was established in 1918 and broadcast live by the BBC since 1928. In 1984 he began to commission an annual composition for a new Christmas carol for this occasion. Composers such as Thomas Adès , John Tavener and Mark-Anthony Turnage took part. Harrison Birtwistle's The Gleam, which required the choir members to stamp their feet and shout, was met with controversy. The 100th Anniversary Nine Lessons of 2018 were recorded, with a new song by Judith Weir .

Cleobury set up the Festival of Easter at King’s , and also the concert series Concerts at King’s . He led the choir on concert tours, in radio recordings and many recordings, since 2012 under the choir's own label.

Cleobury's main innovation was to perform new works with the Choir of King's College, often commissioned compositions. His last major project in 2019 was Bach's St. Matthew Passion , which he performed alternately with the St. John Passion . The choir sang with the Academy of Ancient Music and James Gilchrist as an evangelist . Cleobury retired on September 30, 2019. His successor at King's College was Daniel Hyde.

Outside of Cambridge

Cleobury was President of the Royal College of Organists from 1990 to 1992. He was chief conductor of the BBC Singers from 1995 to 2007, and subsequently their conductor laureate. He performed thematic radio concerts with them, for example Shostakovich, Stalin and Soviet Russia 2014, Creation Songs 2015, Tallis Lamentations 2016, and on Remembrance Day 2017 Songs of Farewell.

family

Cleobury lived in York with his second wife, Emma, ​​whom he married in 2004, and two retired daughters . He died there of cancer on November 22, 2019.

Cleobury's brother Nicholas is also a conductor. His cousin Stephen Dean is a composer.

Awards

In 2008 Cleobury became an honorary fellow at the Royal School of Church Music. He received an honorary doctorate in music from Anglia Ruskin University . In 2009 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was knighted in 2019 for his services to choral music .

Recordings

CD

As a choir director

  • 2019: Evensong Live 2019: Anthems and Canticles
  • 2019: Howells : Cello Concerto & An English Mass
  • 2019: The Music of King's: Choral Favorites from Cambridge
  • 2018: 100 Years of Nine Lessons and Carols
  • 2018: Byrd : Motets
  • 2018: 再别康桥 (Second Farewell to Cambridge)
  • 2017: Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem & Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
  • 2017: Bach: St John Passion
  • 2016: Evensong Live 2016
  • 2016: Hymns from King’s
  • 2015: 1615 Gabrieli in Venice
  • 2015: Evensong Live 2015
  • 2015: English Hymn Anthems
  • 2014: Favorite Carols from King’s
  • 2014: Fauré Requiem
  • 2013: Britten: Saint Nicolas (Choir of King's College, Cambridge)
  • 2013: Mozart: Requiem Realizations (Choir of King's College, Cambridge)
  • 2012: Nine Lessons & Carols (Choir of King's College, Cambridge)
  • 2007: I Heard a Voice - Music From the Golden Age, Works by Weelkes, Gibbons and Tomkins (Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Oliver Brett, Peter Stevens)
  • 2006: Brahms: A German Requiem (Choir of King's College, Cambridge, with Susan Gritton , Hanno Müller-Brachmann , Evgenia Rubinova and Jose Gallardo)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Paul Brackley: Sir Stephen Cleobury, who directed the famous choir at King's College in Cambridge, dies at 70 (English) . In: Cambridge Independent , November 23, 2019. 
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Barry Millington: Sir Stephen Cleobury obituary (English) , The Guardian . November 24, 2019. 
  3. ↑ a b Sir Stephen Cleobury: Former King's College choir conductor dies aged 70 ( English ) BBC . November 23, 2019. Accessed November 23, 2019.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Sir Stephen Cleobury (1948–2019) ( English ) King's College (Cambridge) . November 23, 2019. Accessed November 23, 2019.
  5. ↑ a b 100 Years of Nine Lessons and Carols ( English ) Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  6. ↑ Alec Spencer: Final Passion for director of music at King's (English) . In: Cambridge Independent , March 26, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019. 
  7. ^ Performances of Stephen Cleobury at BBC Singers . BBC. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  8. ^ Life Outside Cambridge . Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  9. ^ Evensong Live 2019: Anthems and Canticles .
  10. ↑ Andrew Clements, Howells: An English Mass; Cello concerto; Te Deum etc review - Cleobury's distinctive final offering (en-GB) . In: The Guardian , June 13, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019. 
  11. ↑ The Music of King's: Choral Favorites from Cambridge .
  12. ↑ Byrd Motets . June 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  13. ^ Music video for Chinese poem that celebrates Cambridge The Telegraph
  14. ↑ Peter Quantrill: VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Dona Nobis Pacem BERNSTEIN Chichester Psalms . In: Gramophone . December 20, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  15. ↑ David Vickers: JS BACH St John Passion (Live) Gramophone 2017
  16. ↑ Evensong Live 2016 .
  17. ↑ Hymns from King’s .
  18. ↑ 1615 Gabrieli in Venice .
  19. ↑ Evensong Live 2015 .
  20. ↑ English Hymn Anthems .
  21. ↑ Favorite Carols from King’s . December 2014. Accessed November 24, 2019.
  22. ↑ John Quinn: Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) / Requiem musicweb-international.com October 2014
  23. ^ Britten Saint Nicolas | King's College Cambridge .
  24. ↑ Mozart Requiem: Realizations .
  25. ^ Nine Lessons & Carols .
  26. ^ I Heard a Voice: The Music of the Golden Age - Stephen Cleobury, Fretwork, King's College Choir of Cambridge | Releases .
  27. ^ Brahms: A German Requiem - Stephen Cleobury, King's College Choir of Cambridge | Credits .
personal data
SURNAME Cleobury, Stephen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cleobury, Stephen John (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British organist, conductor and choir director
DATE OF BIRTH December 31, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Bromley , Kent
DATE OF DEATH 22nd November 2019
Place of death York