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
C O N C E R T
Palestrina, Prince of Music
Celebrating the composer at 500
Saturday 15 February 2025, 7.30pm
Holy Sepulchre London,
Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2DQ
Conducted by David Allinson
Palestrina’s sacred music blazes with the spirit of the Counter-Reformation, the movement beginning in the second half of the 16th century by which the Catholic Church sought to recover and reinvent itself in response to rebellion, Protestant doctrinal challenge, and territorial losses across swathes of Europe.
Working in the great churches and chapels of Rome, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was Italy’s most famous and prolific native-born composer of the High Renaissance period.
U P C O M I N G C O N C E R T S I N 2 0 2 5
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Saturday 5 April 2025
Penitence and redemption
Conducted by Sally Dunkley
Distinguished singer, scholar and editor Sally Dunkley (The Sixteen, The Tallis Scholars, The Gabrieli Consort) is our guest conductor in a programme for Easter that explores contrasting settings of the Book of Lamentations and music by Jean l'Héritier, pupil of Josquin des Prez.
Saturday 28 June 2025
A Spanish Requiem
Conducted by David Allinson
The music of Sebastián de Vivanco has for too long been overshadowed by that of his contemporary, Victoria. Superbly crafted, and often a little more adventurous, the quality of his works is at last being recognised. We sing a new edition of his Mass for the Dead. Elegant, luminous and fluid, this work is little-known and deserves its place alongside other Iberian polyphonic Requiems. Our programme also includes penitential motets by Vivanco and his Iberian contemporaries.
Between rehearsals for our recent Christmas concert one of our singers, Barbara, told us what it's like to sing the soaring soprano lines we love.
J O I N U S
We are currently recruiting for all voice parts.
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
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