Nigel Short: Introduction

The Artistic Director, Nigel Short

TENEBRAE is a dream realised for Nigel Short. Growing up in the Midlands (UK) Nigel began his musical life as a chorister at Solihull Parish Church going on to study singing and piano at the Royal College of Music in London. As a young counter-tenor he was soon working with various opera companies, was in demand as an oratorio and early music soloist, sang at Westminster Cathedral, with the Tallis scholars and various other specialist choral groups.

In 1993, Nigel joined the world-renowned vocal ensemble the King’s Singers. Whilst touring the world with them Nigel began to seriously consider the possibility of starting up a new choral group which would combine a larger force of singers with movement around the performance venue as well as considerations of lighting, ambience, time and space. It would not only mean that the singers were more physically involved in the performance but also that the audiences could become caught up in the experience. This would be a team that had all the discipline and precision of a world-class ensemble yet with the dynamic power and range of a large choral group. Such a team would be able to use ecclesiastical buildings as a performance space, combining his love of traditional choral repertoire with a more “theatrical” style of performing.

Like many such ideas, the realisation of the dream eventually came about through discussions with like-minded musicians, singers and friends, who together realised the formation of TENEBRAE – a combination of talented composers and arrangers, pianists and organists, specialists of jazz and renaissance, instrumentalists and singers.

In 2001 Nigel started working with writer Richard McDonald in Switzerland to create a work that could be the vehicle with which to launch TENEBRAE. The result was Nigel’s own composition ‘The Dream of Herod’, a production that captured not only the sound of Tenebrae but also incorporated strong visual images, movement and lighting effects in beautiful performance spaces. A CD recording and a DVD of the work were made and the group gave it’s debut performance and the world premiere of piece at St. Bartholomew the Great in London (the church featured in the films ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ and ‘Shakespeare in Love’).

In 2004 TENEBRAE commissioned Joby Talbot (of ‘Divine Comedy’ fame) to write a work based upon the annual Spanish pilgrimage ‘Santiago de Compostella’. After months of careful research and writing, Joby delivered an a cappella work in 17 voice-parts employing a dazzling array of textural effects and calling for some rare and exciting vocal techniques. This challenging new masterpiece was premiered to critical acclaim at the City of London Festival, once again in the church of St. Bartholomew the Great.

Since then, Nigel has continued the touring life with TENEBRAE as they perform in many of the worlds most prestigious music festivals. USA, Bermuda, Spain, Switzerland, France, Germany and the UK are countries where the group is particularly renowned and the list of destinations continues to grow.

TENEBRAE has also performed a number of times with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis, with whom they made two live recordings on the LSO Live label, Handel’s ‘Messiah’ and Berlioz ‘L’Enfance du Christ’. In 2003 Nigel directed TENEBRAE and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at St. John’s Smith Square for a performance and live recording (for Warner Classics) of the Mozart Requiem. The choir has also performed several times with the English Concert.

More recently, Nigel has been appointed Director of Music at St Bartholomew the Great, London. He has co-produced Tenebrae’s own CDs (on the Signum Records label) and has been an occasional chorus-master for the London Symphony Chorus and the Royal College of Music Chorus. Nigel also works with the amateur choir Vox Coelestis who do regular charity performances. He vocal coaches and teaches singing, runs workshops and masterclasses for schools, small choral ensembles and large choirs. Nigel is married to the soprano Grace Davidson and together they try to keep up with their overly energetic two year-old Ella!