The Renaissance Singers is a specialist chamber choir that has brought the best in Renaissance vocal music to audiences in Britain for over 80 years.
Founded in London in 1944, the choir was a pioneer in the 20th century early music revival. Under its current Musical Director David Allinson, the choir maintains a busy schedule of performances, workshops and recordings.
Performing Renaissance music that others do not, and aiming to engage wider audiences, the choir strives for the highest musical standards in all it does. Its programmes offer unique paths of discovery for singers and audiences alike.
“Not only was the performance outstanding, but the choice of music, much of it being heard for the first time in the UK, was a brilliant choice by their inspirational musical director and conductor David Allinson… they are currently at the top of their game, with excellent and well-drilled singers.”
Andrew Benson-Wilson
R E C O R D I N G
CD Release
9 January
Our world premiere recording of Vivanco’s Missa pro defunctis
On 9 January our CD will be released worldwide by Toccata Classics. It helps the choir immensely if you buy a physical disc, rather than simply streaming the recording. And, of course, if you buy it from us you support future projects. It’s a beautiful object with an informative liner booklet.
On Continuo Connect, our Musical Director David Allinson and Producer Stephen Rice discuss Vivanco's overlooked genius, the mysteries surronding his Requiem, and how e made the first recording of this 'lost' music from the Spanish Golden Age.
In this short video David reveals more about Vivanco’s life, his setting of the Requiem, and the originality of his style. In the background the choir is rehearsing Bernardino de Ribera’s Dimitte me ergo and Vivanco’s Versa est in luctum.
C O N C E R T
On All Saints’ Day, 1755, an earthquake off the coast of Portugal shook Lisbon violently. The subsequent fires burnt one of the most important libraries of western music of all time, that of King John IV ‘the restorer’ of Portugal (1604-1656) which held a vast amount of polyphony from Portugal and further afield, and as the city reeled in horror, the tsunami which followed the fires sealed the total destruction of Lisbon.
There were, however, some surviving fragments of the Golden Age of polyphony ...
W O R K S H O P
Adrian Willaert - A New Prometheus
A workshop for voices, cornetts and sackbuts led by Gawain Glenton
Saturday 28 February, 10.45am - 4:30pm
St Michael and All Angels, Bath Road
London, W4 1TT
The appointment in 1527 of Adrian Willaert as maestro di cappella at San Marco heralded the start of a new era for music in Venice. His arrival from Rome meant the city’s music was led for the first time by a musician of genuine international repute ...
U P C O M I N G E V E N T S
Saturday 28 March, 7.30pm
St. George's, Bloomsbury, WC1A 2HR
Conductor: David Allinson
Marking the worldwide release of our Toccata Classics CD recording of Vivanco’s Missa pro defunctis, David Allinson conducts funerary and penitential music by Vivanco, Victoria and contemporaries of the Spanish Golden Age.
-----
Saturday 20 June
Stour Festival: Boughton Aluph church, near Ashford TN25 4EU
Conductor: David Allinson
We are proud to reprise Brean Hammond’s audacious immersive drama Master Byrd at the Stour Music Festival in Boughton Aluph, east Kent. If you missed our performances at Ingatestone Hall in October 2023, this is your only chance to hear us sing the work again.
-----
Saturday 4 July
St. Stephen's, Rochester Row, London. SW1P 1LE
Conductor: David Allinson
A relaxed summer afternoon of polyphony to close our season.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram or X, or join our mailing list for more information about our upcoming events.
J O I N U S
We are currently recruiting tenors.
If you're an excellent sight-reader and are confident singing in smaller groups, unaccompanied, we'd love you to hear from you.
J O I N O U R M A I L I N G L I S T
Click the button below and sign up if you would like to receive emails from the Renaissance Singers about our forthcoming events, offers and activities.