Role

:

Ensemble

Period

:

Romantic

 

 

Modern

Genre

:

Choral

 

 

Opera

 

Richard Hickox Singers was a British classical music ensemble founded by the renowned conductor Richard Hickox in 1971. The group was known for its exceptional performances of choral music, particularly the works of British composers. Richard Hickox was born on March 5, 1948, in Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire, England. He showed an early interest in music and began playing the piano at the age of five. He later studied music at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he specialized in conducting. After completing his studies, Hickox worked as a freelance conductor, leading performances with various orchestras and ensembles. In 1971, he founded the Richard Hickox Singers, which quickly gained a reputation for its outstanding performances of choral music. The group's repertoire included a wide range of works, from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary compositions. However, they were particularly known for their interpretations of British choral music, including the works of composers such as Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and William Walton. One of the highlights of the Richard Hickox Singers' career was their performance of Britten's War Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1989. The performance was widely praised for its emotional intensity and musical precision, and it cemented the group's reputation as one of the finest choral ensembles in the world. Over the years, the Richard Hickox Singers collaborated with many of the world's leading orchestras and conductors, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Sir Simon Rattle. They also recorded extensively, releasing over 100 albums on various labels, including Chandos, EMI, and Hyperion. In addition to his work with the Richard Hickox Singers, Richard Hickox was also a highly respected conductor of orchestral music. He served as the music director of the City of London Sinfonia from 1979 to 1991, and he was the principal conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales from 2000 until his death in 2008. Throughout his career, Hickox received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to classical music. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2002, and he was awarded the Queen's Medal for Music in 2007. Despite Hickox's untimely death in 2008, the Richard Hickox Singers continue to perform and record under the direction of various conductors. Their legacy as one of the finest choral ensembles in the world lives on, and their recordings remain a testament to the beauty and power of choral music.

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