Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum
Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum is the choir of men and boys which sings the weekday services in Tewkesbury Abbey. The choristers moved to Dean Close Preparatory School, Cheltenham in September 2006 when The Abbey School closed. Dean Close, the choir school for Tewkesbury Abbey, is a full member of The Choir Schools’ Association.
Over the last few years, the choir has been involved in a number of collaborations – Bach’s Mass in B minor with the Orchestra of St John, Mahler’s Third Symphony with Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s St Matthew Passion and Britten’s Spring Symphony with Cheltenham Bach Choir and Honegger’s Cantata de Noel with the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales. Since 2000, the choir has undertaken eight foreign tours, including two lengthy visits to the USA, four visits to France and trips to Italy and Germany. The choir has broadcast regularly from the Abbey, and in September 2006 broadcast Choral Evensong from St Michael’s Church Tenbury Wells, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the foundation of St Michael’s College. In the front rank: flair, acumen, versatility, and poise’.
The choir has made numerous recordings on the Delphian, Guild, Naxos, Priory, Regent and Signum labels. ‘The Three Kings’ was released in November 2007 to great critical acclaim. The Church Times wrote ‘I doubt whether there are many more admirable choirs outside Westminster, Oxford and Cambridge than the Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum. Nicholas’s choir give proof yet again of the qualities that place them firmly in the front rank: flair, acumen, versatility, and poise’. In December 2007 the choristers recorded Honegger’s Cantate de Noel on the Hyperion label, and in May 2008 the choir recorded a disc of Weelkes’s choral music for Delphian. This will be released in October 2008.
The choir has also been active in commissioning new works and in Christmas 2007 gave the first performance of Bob Chilcott’s The night he was born. Gabriel Jackson, Mark Blatchly, John Caldwell and Graytson Ives have all written for the choir.New Release
The Three Kings is the first CD recording of the Schola Cantorum.
Press
‘I doubt whether there are many more admirable choirs outside Westminster, Oxford and Cambridge than the Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum. On Tewkesbury’s new Christmas disc, “The Three Kings”, Nicholas’s choir give proof yet again of the qualities that place them firmly in the front rank: flair, acumen, versatility and poise.’
Church Times, December 2007
‘It is very hard not to use superlatives when speaking of Ben Nicholas and his choir at Tewkesbury Abbey, and once again I fail. This is yet another quite outstanding disc of the highest standard.’
Choir Schools Today 2008
‘The angelic purity of Tewkesbury Abbey’s Schola Cantorum…’
Guardian, December 2007
Also available
The last CD of The Abbey School Choir called Choral Evensong from Tewkesbury Abbey
has now been released. The music includes Gabriel Jackson's Tewkesbury Service, Tallis's Sancte Deus, Vaughan Williams's Valiant for Truth and Howells's Te
Deum. To order a copy, please send a cheque for £12.50, made payable to
Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum, to:
Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum
Dean Close School
Shelburne Road
Cheltenham
GL51 6HE
Press
“Benjamin Nicholas reveals that he has trained the men and boys into a choir of exceptional quality” International Record Review
“They sing splendidly” Gramaphone
“their singing was of a high order throughout, with immaculate tone, exemplary diction and a good range of expression” Gloucestershire Echo
Enquiries and links
For further information on the Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum link with Dean Close school click below
For any enquiries involving Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum please email Ben Nicholas on the link below.
To view the recording history of The Abbey School Choir please
click below.
To view the forthcoming calendar of Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum please click below.
To view the Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum music list please click below.
