Nine Lessons & Carols

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge Directed by Stephen Cleobury Ben-San Lau Organist Released 22 October 2012 2CD

The essential Christmas tradition for families all over the world.

With a TV and radio audience of millions, the annual broadcast of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge is an essential Christmas tradition for families all over the world. This double album faithfully recreates the magic of the service, opening with a lone treble singing ‘Once in royal David’s city’ and closing with a rousing chorus of ‘Hark! the herald angels sing’. Each year the Director of Music at King’s, Stephen Cleobury, commissions a new carol. Several of these are included on the album, including carols by Einojuhani Rautavaara, Gabriel Jackson, Brett Dean, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Dominic Muldowney and Tansy Davies. In addition, John Rutter has written the new carol ‘All Bells in Paradise’ especially for this album. The album reached #2 on the UK’s specialist classical chart in December 2012. “Glorious” – Gramophone Magazine **** – BBC Music Magazine

 

recordings
The Choir's latest recordings are released on the College's own label and available to buy or download online.
Listen to some of our recent recordings of services and performances from the Chapel of King's College, free and online.

Choir News

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King's commissions a new carol for Christmas Eve

This year’s carol has been written by composer and Cambridge alumna Cheryl Frances-Hoad. ‘The Cradle’ is a setting of an English translation by Robert Graves of an anonymous seventeenth century Austrian text.

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Remembering David Briggs

Sunday's Evensong was in memory of David Briggs (KC 1936), the former Headmaster of the King's College School who died in 2020 at the age of 102. 

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Sermon Before the University delivered by Nicola Reindorp

King's alumna and CEO of Crisis Action, Nicola Reindorp, gave the annual address on 'the importance of doubt'.