Tuesday, March 14 the Westminster Choir will embark on its first concert tour of England in 76 years.  Led by interim conductor Timothy Brown, who is also conductor of the Clare College Choir in Cambridge, the ensemble will perform in Ely, Cambridge, Windsor and London.  They’ll also participate in evensong services in several historic churches and a master class with renowned conductor Sir David Willcocks.
 
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our students,” says Westminster Dean Robert Annis.  “Tim Brown has brought to our community a glimpse of the richness of the British choral tradition.  It gives me great pleasure that the members of Westminster Choir will be able to share something of our own rich choral tradition with British audiences and to serve as our community’s ambassadors. ”

Setting the standard for choral excellence for 80 years, the Westminster Choir has been the chorus-in-residence for the Spoleto Festival USA since 1977, performing both in concert and as the opera chorus.  It was also the chorus-in-residence for the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, for 23 years. 

The Choir’s 2005-5006 season has also included several performances with the New Jersey Symphony and performances in Princeton.  Recent seasons have also included tours of Korea and Taiwan, as well as a series of performances at the Colmar (France) International Music Festival.

Its newest recording, Heaven to Earth, has been released internationally on the AVIE label.  Praised by Classical Music Web for its “expert choral artistry” and by Classics Today.com as “a thought-provoking and multi-faceted exploration,” the recording originated with the ensemble’s 2002 PRI radio broadcast reflecting on the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  It includes Agnus Dei, a choral setting of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings and Arnold Schoenberg’s demanding Friede auf Erden.

Acclaimed by critics for its “full-bodied, incisive singing” (The New York Times), the Westminster Choir also forms the core of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, which has performed and recorded with the leading conductors and orchestras of our time. 

Timothy Brown began his musical training as a chorister at Westminster Abbey.  He later was an alto choral scholar at King's College, Cambridge, under Sir David Willcocks.  After some years as a teacher, he succeeded John Rutter as director of music at Clare College of Cambridge University in 1979, where he is also academic director of studies in music.  His discography with the choir is extensive and includes the best-selling recording of Rutter’s Requiem and a more recent release of Stainer’s Crucifixion (both on the Naxos label).