Bob Chilcott

Robert Chilcott(born 9 April 1955) is a Britishchoralcomposer,conductor,andsinger,based inOxfordshire,England.He was a member of theKing's Singersfrom 1985 to 1997, singingtenor.He has been a composer since 1997.

Bob Chilcott
Chilcott in 2009
Background information
Born	(1955-04-09)9 April 1955 Plymouth,England
Genres	Choral
Occupations	Choralcomposer conductor singer (tenor)
Years active	1967–present

Early life and early career

Chilcott was born inPlymouth,Devonin 1955. While still young he relocated with his family to a new home nearWatford,Although his family was not musical, he joined the local church choir where the assistant organist wasAndrew Davis.He sang in theChoir of King's College, Cambridge,both as a boy and as a university student, when he conducted the voluntary Choral Society, which included many singers from other colleges. He performed thePie Jesuof Fauré'sRequiemon the 1967 King's College recording.

Composer

Chilcott is well known for his compositions for children’s choirs, includingCan You Hear Me?,which he has conducted in theUnited States,Canada,Australia,Japan,Estonia,Latvia,Germany,and theCzech Republic.He is associated with the New Orleans Children’s Chorus and the Crescent City Festival inNew Orleans,for which he wroteA Little Jazz Mass,Happy Land,This Day,Be Simple Little Children,and for the 2009 festival,I Lift My Eyes.

Chilcott wroteThis Day,a setting of five poems, for a 2006 choral festival inNew Orleans;however, that festival was cancelled afterHurricane Katrina.The work eventually premiered on 25 June 2007 atSt. Louis Cathedralin New Orleans, by 210 singers from around the United States.

HiscantataforchoirandpercussionThe Making of the Drumhas been performed by theBBC Singers,theNew Zealand Youth Choir,the World Youth Choir (under his direction), the Chamber Choir of Europe, and the Taipei Chamber Singers. Chilcott wrote two larger sacred works,Canticles of LightandJubilate.The Addison singers performedCanticles of Lightin London in 2004 andJubilatein 2005, both in London and inCarnegie Hall.In 2008, Oxford University Press published hisAesop's FablesforSATBand piano ( "The Hare and the Tortoise"; "The Mountain in Labour"; "The Fox and the Grapes"; "North Wind and the Sun"; "The Goose and the Swan" ).

Chilcott’sRequiemwas premiered on 13 March 2010 at theSheldonianin Oxford by the Oxford Bach Choir and theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra,conducted byNicholas Cleobury.Chilcott conducted the premiere of hisOn Christmas Nighton 12 December 2010 at the UniversityChristian ChurchofAustin,Texas.The UK premiere ofOn Christmas Nightwas given on 28 November 2011 in Rugby School by the Arnold Singers conducted by Richard Dunster-Sigtermans.Christmas Nightreceived its Scottish premiere on 14 December 2011 at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh performed by the Dollar Academy Combined School Choirs.

His setting of theSt John Passionis an hour-long work premiered by Wells Cathedral Choir in 2013. It follows the format established by Bach, with the story narrated in recitative by a tenor evangelist interspersed with interjections from the chorus (as the crowd) and from Pilate and Jesus, the whole being interleaved with chorales and meditations sung by the choir. Many of the chorales are new settings of popularhymns.

In 2016, his piece "Ophelia, Caliban, and Miranda" premiered at picfest inEugene, Oregon.Chilcott conducted the festival choir and the accompanying instrumentalists theYellowjackets.HisChristmas Oratoriowas commissioned by the Three Choirs Festival and first performed in Gloucester Cathedral on 1 August 2019.In 2021 he composed a motet,The Sleeping Child,for the vocal ensembleVoces8.

Conductor and music administrator

Chilcott was the conductor of the chorus at theRoyal College of MusicinLondonfor seven years, and is Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Singers. He is also President of Southend Boys' Choir, a choir fromSouthend-on-Seawhich regularly performs at London venues such as theRoyal Albert Hall.

Chilcott currently conducts the Birmingham University Singers, one of three auditioned choirs at the University of Birmingham.

External links

• Bob Chilcottwebsite
• Bob ChilcottAllmusic
• Bob ChilcottRIAS Kammerchor
• Bob Chilcottsingers.com