Director of Music
Stephen Cleobury CBE
Stephen Cleobury is a highly versatile musician who relishes the opportunities he has to operate in a variety of roles and across a broad range of repertoire.
At the centre of his musical life, for over a quarter of a century, has been his work as Organist and Director of Music at King’s College, Cambridge. This has been complemented and refreshed by the many other activities in and beyond Cambridge in which he engages.
Work at King's
At King’s, he has sought to maintain and enhance the reputation of the world-famous Choir, widening the daily service repertoire, commissioning new music from leading composers, principally for A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, and developing its activities in broadcasting, recording and touring.
He has conceived and introduced the highly successful annual festival, Easter at King’s, from which the BBC regularly broadcasts, and, in its wake, a series of performances throughout the year, Concerts at King’s.
In 2010 Easter at King’s featured the first ever live simultaneous transmission of a concert (Handel's Messiah) direct to cinemas across Europe and North America.
The BBC Singers
Between 1995 and 2007 he was Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers, and since then has been Conductor Laureate.
This ensemble, the only full-time professional choir in the UK, is especially renowned for its performances of contemporary music. Amongst the premières that Stephen has given with the group are Giles Swayne Havoc, Ed Cowie Gaia, and Francis Grier Passion, all these with the distinguished ensemble, Endymion. His recordings with the BBC Singers include albums of Tippett, Richard Strauss and Bach.
Cambridge University Musical Society
From 1983 to 2009 he was Conductor of the Cambridge University Musical Society, one of the UK’s oldest music societies, a role in which he has not only conducted many orchestral works, but most of the major works for chorus and orchestra.
Highlights have included Mahler Symphony No. 8 in the Royal Albert Hall, and Britten War Requiem in Coventry Cathedral on the 50th anniversary of its bombing. His recordings with CUMS include Verdi Quattro Pezzi Sacri and Goehr The Death of Moses.
As part of the 800th anniversary celebrations of Cambridge University last year, he gave the première of The Sorcerer’s Mirror by Peter Maxwell Davies, commissioned by CUMS.
Organist
Performances as an organ recitalist also find him travelling the world. Lately he has played in locations as diverse as Houston and Dallas, Leeds and Birmingham Town Halls, Westminster, Lincoln and St David’s Cathedrals, the Performing Arts Centre in Hong Kong, Haderslev Cathedral in Denmark, and Salt Lake’s huge LDS Conference Center, where he played to an audience of several thousand people.
At the American Guild of Organists’ Convention in Minneapolis-St Paul in 2008, he gave the première of Judith Bingham’s organ concerto, Jacob’s Ladder; in the Messiaen centenary year he performed La Nativité du Seigneur in King’s Chapel, inaugurating a complete Messiaen cycle he had designed, which was carried forward by recent and present organ scholars at King’s.
He has recorded Bach Clavierübung Pt 3 and the Leipzig Chorale Preludes for BBC Radio 3; discs of on the organ of King’s include albums of music by Howells and Elgar and a DVD of mixed repertoire was released in 2009 by Priory Records. To watch an excerpt from the DVD see the Chapel organ page.
Musical organisations and honours
Stephen has played his part in serving a number of organisations in his field. From his teenage years until 2008 he was a member of the Royal College of Organists, serving this organisation as a Council member, Honorary Secretary, President and Vice-President.
He has been Warden of the Solo Performers’ section of the Incorporated Society of Musicians and President of the Incorporated Association of Organists. He is currently Chairman of the IAO Benevolent Fund. He was appointed CBE in last year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours.
You can find further information on Stephen Cleobury's website.
