The Purcell Singers

One of London’s leading chamber choirs, The Purcell Singers was formed in 1994 by conductor and organist Mark Ford. The group has performed extensively in London venues including St Martin-in-the-Fields, Southwark and St Paul’s Cathedrals, St John’s Smith Square, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Royal Festival Hall, as well as outside London in Birmingham Symphony Hall and St Albans Cathedral, and at the Brighton, Hurst and Howden Festivals. Internationally, they have been invited to perform in Langen, Germany, in Perugia, Italy, and several times in Northern France in Rouen and Amiens. The choir has been awarded ‘Best Classical Performance’ at the Brighton Festival. The choir’s President is Sarah Walker CBE.

The group has a wide repertoire, ranging from Gibbons to Tavener, via Bach, Howells, Poulenc, Barber and Britten, and has developed a particular reputation for championing unusual late romantic works, notably those of the German composer Georg Schumann.

The choir has so far recorded six classical albums, including two première discs of works by Georg Schumann, the first of which was Gramophone Magazine’s Critics’ Choice in January 2002, and the second also described as a “hugely impressive disc” (Gramophone). Its recordings have been frequently broadcast on the radio, and the group has appeared on television.

The Purcell Singers are also active in session work, and can be heard on the cast album of Mary Poppins (the original West End production) and the RuneScape Dragonwilds soundtrack. They have recorded several discs for film and television at Angel Studios, as well as numerous film trailers at Abbey Road and Air Studios, and Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack for Madagascar 2.