English Voices

Artistic director

Timothy Brown is one of the leading choir directors of his generation and renowned for the versatility of choral sound and interpretation he elicits from his choirs. He is in great demand as both a vocal clinician and a director of singing weeks with amateur singers. His work encompasses music of all periods, though in recent years he has been particularly associated with the preparation of baroque and classical choral music, and has trained choruses in this repertoire for, amongst others, Ivor Bolton, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, René Jacobs, Nicholas McGegan, and Sir Roger Norrington.

He enjoyed his initial musical training as a chorister at Westminster Abbey under the legendary Sir William McKie, and later sang as an alto choral scholar at King's College, Cambridge under another legend in English choral music, David Willcocks. He subsequently was a lay clerk at New College, Oxford, and became a founder member of 'The Scholars' vocal ensemble, an early rival from the King's College stable to 'The King's Singers'.

In 1979, after ten years in school teaching, Timothy Brown became Fellow and Director of Music at Clare College, Cambridge. With the Clare College Choir he has toured world-wide, and has made many broadcasts and recordings, including most recently the bestselling Naxos recording of Rutter's Requiem and a highly-acclaimed performance of Stainer's Crucifixion, also on the Naxos label. As a conductor Timothy Brown has had extensive experience in a wide range of repertoire. For many years he conducted a community chorus in Cambridge, as well as the Cambridge Philharmonic Society, with which he explored the whole gamut of choral-orchestral repertoire. In 1986 he re-founded the Cambridge University Chamber Choir, which he directed in annual performances of all the major Bach and Handel oratorios, appearing with the Choir in a number of prestigious festivals, including the triennial Cambridge Festival and the London Bach Festival. He has worked with the RIAS Kammerchor in Berlin, and, more recently, with RAM, the National Male Voice Choir of Estonia. He has worked frequently with René Jacobs as a chorus master for operatic productions (in Berlin and Ghent). This year he was chorus master for a European concert tour of Rossini's Tancredi, using period instruments, and assisted Jacobs in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo at Aix-en-Provence. Further collaborations with René Jacobs are planned for 2008/9. He founded his own professional chamber choir, English Voices, in 1994, with whom he has explored a range of a cappella and accompanied choral music of all periods and styles, including works specially composed for the group.

Tim Brown has always had a keen interest in commissioning new music, and has been responsible for the establishment of the position of 'Composer-in-residence' at Clare, a position currently held by Giles Swayne. Among those who have written for Clare College Choir and for English Voices are Christopher Brown, Andrew Carter, Nico Muhly, Julian Phillips, and John Rutter. A recently-established College carol competition has elicited some very successful pieces from Clare undergraduates, amongst them Graham Ross, a former member of Clare Choir who is now rapidly making a name for himself as a composer/conductor in London. A collaboration with the award-winning composer Tarik O'Regan, while Tarik was a postgraduate student at Corpus Christi College, led in 2005 to the first CD recording of O'Regan's choral music.

In addition to his work as a choral director, Tim Brown holds the position of Praelector at Clare College, and is the academic Director of Studies for music. He is an Affiliated Lecturer in the University Faculty of Music, specialising in the teaching of harmony, counterpoint and composition. A contributing editor to the complete Walton edition published by Oxford University Press, he has edited the smaller choral works; a further volume of the choral works with orchestra is due for publication shortly. He has edited a number of volumes of collected music for Faber Music, and is himself a composer of choral music.

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Home Choir Choir Artistic Director Performances Membership Support Contact details	Artistic director Timothy Brown is one of the leading choir directors of his generation and renowned for the versatility of choral sound and interpretation he elicits from his choirs. He is in great demand as both a vocal clinician and a director of singing weeks with amateur singers. His work encompasses music of all periods, though in recent years he has been particularly associated with the preparation of baroque and classical choral music, and has trained choruses in this repertoire for, amongst others, Ivor Bolton, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, René Jacobs, Nicholas McGegan, and Sir Roger Norrington. He enjoyed his initial musical training as a chorister at Westminster Abbey under the legendary Sir William McKie, and later sang as an alto choral scholar at King's College, Cambridge under another legend in English choral music, David Willcocks. He subsequently was a lay clerk at New College, Oxford, and became a founder member of 'The Scholars' vocal ensemble, an early rival from the King's College stable to 'The King's Singers'. In 1979, after ten years in school teaching, Timothy Brown became Fellow and Director of Music at Clare College, Cambridge. With the Clare College Choir he has toured world-wide, and has made many broadcasts and recordings, including most recently the bestselling Naxos recording of Rutter's Requiem and a highly-acclaimed performance of Stainer's Crucifixion, also on the Naxos label. As a conductor Timothy Brown has had extensive experience in a wide range of repertoire. For many years he conducted a community chorus in Cambridge, as well as the Cambridge Philharmonic Society, with which he explored the whole gamut of choral-orchestral repertoire. In 1986 he re-founded the Cambridge University Chamber Choir, which he directed in annual performances of all the major Bach and Handel oratorios, appearing with the Choir in a number of prestigious festivals, including the triennial Cambridge Festival and the London Bach Festival. He has worked with the RIAS Kammerchor in Berlin, and, more recently, with RAM, the National Male Voice Choir of Estonia. He has worked frequently with René Jacobs as a chorus master for operatic productions (in Berlin and Ghent). This year he was chorus master for a European concert tour of Rossini's Tancredi, using period instruments, and assisted Jacobs in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo at Aix-en-Provence. Further collaborations with René Jacobs are planned for 2008/9. He founded his own professional chamber choir, English Voices, in 1994, with whom he has explored a range of a cappella and accompanied choral music of all periods and styles, including works specially composed for the group. Tim Brown has always had a keen interest in commissioning new music, and has been responsible for the establishment of the position of 'Composer-in-residence' at Clare, a position currently held by Giles Swayne. Among those who have written for Clare College Choir and for English Voices are Christopher Brown, Andrew Carter, Nico Muhly, Julian Phillips, and John Rutter. A recently-established College carol competition has elicited some very successful pieces from Clare undergraduates, amongst them Graham Ross, a former member of Clare Choir who is now rapidly making a name for himself as a composer/conductor in London. A collaboration with the award-winning composer Tarik O'Regan, while Tarik was a postgraduate student at Corpus Christi College, led in 2005 to the first CD recording of O'Regan's choral music. In addition to his work as a choral director, Tim Brown holds the position of Praelector at Clare College, and is the academic Director of Studies for music. He is an Affiliated Lecturer in the University Faculty of Music, specialising in the teaching of harmony, counterpoint and composition. A contributing editor to the complete Walton edition published by Oxford University Press, he has edited the smaller choral works; a further volume of the choral works with orchestra is due for publication shortly. He has edited a number of volumes of collected music for Faber Music, and is himself a composer of choral music.	News English Voices have started rehearsal for Don Giovanni and Alceste at the Festival of Aix-en-Provence!

E N G L I S H V O I C E S

Artistic director

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