The history of Cambridge Voices

Cambridge Voices was founded by Ian de Massini, former choral scholar of King’s College, Cambridge, following a meeting with the eminent 20th-century French composer, Maurice Duruflé with his wife, Marie-Madeleine Duruflé Chevalier.

 

Together, they created a new chamber choir of twelve highly experienced singers based in Cambridge; former choral scholars from King’s, Trinity, St John’s, Clare, plus former members of The Monteverdi Singers and The Bach Choir.

 

Since its foundation, the choir’s concert diary always includes annual performances in the elegant church of St Étienne-du-Mont, Paris - with its unique early 17th-century Jubé upon which the choir would stand and sing - the church where the Duruflés had been the Titular Organists for most of the 20th-century.

 

Since the choir’s debut in Paris on August 15th 1987, they have gone on to record all of Duruflé’s unaccompanied choral music twice over for French and British recording companies, as well as Duruflé’s celebrated Requiem, all of which were recorded within that elegant Parisian church, recordings which were awarded the coveted Prix d’Or from the French classical music magazine, Diapason.

For many years, the choir has also championed the choral music of the contemporary Swiss composer, Carl Rütti, including his monumental 40-part motet, written specifically for Cambridge Voices.

 

The choir has gone on to record over 14 CDs, as well as radio broadcasts for Austrian Radio ORF, and a television show for the American company PBS.

Currently the choir works as a consort of voices, rehearsing and performing without a conductor, with the founder, Ian de Massini, acting as their mentor and advisor.

Venues in which the choir has performed include St Peter’s Basilica, Rome (in the presence of The Pope), Westminster Abbey, King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, Ely Cathedral, Einsiedeln Abbey in Swtizerland, St Eustache Church and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and Propstei Sankt Gerold in Austria.