Special Announcement:
We are delighted to announce the winners of “The King’s Singers Competition” for 2011. Congratulations to:
Leanne Johnson (Sydney) and
Annabelle Casey (Melbourne)
We will be sending you tickets and / or details for the shows in the coming days.
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Folks, we’re delighted to announce that THE KING’S SINGERS are heading our way, and Vocal Australia has some FREE DOUBLE PASSES to give away to some very lucky people.
If you haven’t heard of The King’s Singers, or for that matter HEARD these delightful lads sing a tune, your life is, quite frankly, far from complete. These guys have set the standard for small group choral a cappella for some years now, and have won just about every accolade available.
So… want to win yourself some tickets? We have a very limited number of comps to give away for their Melbourne show on Wednesday 15 February, 2012 and their Sydney show on Thursday 16 February, 2012, and all you have to do is send us an email, following these simple guidelines:
1) Send the email to events@vocalaustralia.com by November 14, 2011.
2) In the “subject” line, put “I want The King’s Singers Tickets”, followed by “Melbourne” or “Sydney”
3) In the message, please state your name (first and last), email address, phone number and postal code.
4) Tell us what year The King’s Singers won a Grammy award, and for what album they won it.
5) Grovel for 20 words or less about why you deserve the tickets more than someone else.
Winners will be notified by email or phone on November 15, 2011.
INFORMATION
Adelaide:
10th February 2012: Adelaide Festival Centre (details)
11th February 2012: Adelaide Festival Centre (details)
(with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra)
Melbourne:
14th February 2012: Melbourne Recital Centre (details)
15th February 2012: Melbourne Recital Centre (details)
Sydney:
16th February 2012: Sydney Opera House (details)
Brisbane:
18th February 2012: Queensland Performing Arts Centre (details)
19th February 2012: Queensland Performing Arts Centre (details)
(with Queensland Pops Orchestra)
AND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE KING’S SINGERS:
The world’s most acclaimed vocal ensemble, The King’s Singers, has just announced an Australian and New Zealand tour for February 2012, their first visit to these shores since 1984.
With a vast repertoire that ranges from medieval to renaissance, romantic to contemporary, folk and pop, The King’s Singers are instantly recognisable for their spot-on intonation, their impeccable vocal blend, the flawless articulation of the text and incisive timing. Described by Gramophone Magazine as ’enchanting the ear from first to last note’, The King’s Singers are renowned as consummate entertainers; a class-act with a delightfully British wit.
With a prolific discography of over 150 recordings and with over two million pieces of sheet music in circulation, The King’s Singers have garnered both awards and significant critical acclaim. Their studio album Simple Gifts was awarded a Grammy in 2009 and they won Best Concert DVD at the MIDEM Classical Awards in 2010. The groups new CD titled High Flight will be released in October this year.
Performing at the Southern Hemisphere’s most prestigious venues, with both orchestra’s and in an A Capella mode, The King’s Singers will present three magnificent programs;
The A Cappella Program will feature KS ‘favourites’ from the lighter side of their repertoire, consisting of early music, arrangements of English and Australian and New Zealand folk songs, spirituals, contemporary pop songs and a recently commissioned work by Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin.
The Orchestral Program promises to be lively and cheerful and features popular contemporary songs from the groups recent release Swimming Over London, and a jazz set that includes arrangements of Gershwin and Ellington.
A special Valentine’s Day Program – A Lover’s Journey, is scheduled for Melbourne Recital Centre on February 14th, with The Kings Singer’s presenting songs of love, yearning and romance from throughout the ages.
Since their formation at King’s College Cambridge in 1968, the group has had only 20 members. This very low turnover, has, as The London Times puts it, allowed this ‘quintessentially English answer to the barber-shop tradition to stay in character over four decades, yet retuned itself to the times’.
Now, the current line up of David Hurley (countertenor), Timothy Wayne-Wright (countertenor), Paul Phoenix (tenor), Christopher Gabbitas (baritone), Jonathan Howard (bass) and Philip Lawson (baritone), will undergo another transformation. After 18 years with the group, Lawson will retire, performing his last concert at his home city of Salisbury in January 2012.
There is growing excitement around the auditions for his replacement, which begin next month in the UK. Australian and New Zealand audiences will be the first in the world to hear the ensemble with the new baritone, who will be announced in November 2011.
It has been 27 years since The King’s Singers last graced our shores, and the ensemble are extremely excited by the opportunity to perform for Australian and New Zealand audiences.
“They are still unmatched for their sheer musicality and ability to entertain.” The London Times
“Fusing forms, timbres and styles, they turn education and entertainment into art and back again.” The New York Times
“…the clarity, control and communicativeness of The King’s Singer’s performance remains unparalleled.” Los Angeles Times
