The well-traveled a cappella ensemble will celebrate the season, Disney’s centennial and hallmarks of its history.
Ask anyone to name a male vocal group that’s been around for more than 50 years, has widely traveled and performed, and has dozens of recordings.
Most on this side of the pond would likely cite The Four Freshmen. But what about a counterpart from England?
That would be The King’s Singers, who are stopping off in Orange County on Friday night at the Irvine Barclay Theatre for a holiday-oriented concert titled “Christmas Time is Here.”
This marks the fifth time Barclay patrons have had a chance to see and hear the group – most recently in 2015 and, prior to that, in 1996, 2001 and 2003.
The close harmony, six-man a cappella ensemble officially formed in 1968, when six recent choral scholars from King’s College, Cambridge gave a concert at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.
By chance, that group was made up of two countertenors, a tenor, two baritones and a bass, and the group has stuck to this format ever since. The new ensemble took its name from the educational institution that was the birth of its existence.
The original group was comprised of countertenors Nigel Perrin and Alastair Hume, tenor Alastair Thompson, baritones Anthony Holt and Simon Carrington, and bass Brian Kay. Since and including that sextet, there have been a total of 25 member vocalists, for whom the average length of tenure is roughly 12 years.
Globetrotting Vocal Ambassadors
Johnny Howard has been the ensemble’s bass vocalist since 2010, making him the current member of longest standing. Culture OC caught up with Howard during a King’s Singers’ appearance in Japan in the week leading up to their Orange County concert.
“One of the interesting things about being in The King’s Singers is that we are so audible because we don’t need any equipment – just a few music stands. We just need a room and a light switch and some seats for the audience. It means we can go to lots of places where other people might not be able to go to.”
Howard said one of his favorite memories was the ensemble’s 2019 visit to Kosovo, the first show in a whirlwind three-day schedule starting in that small Southeast European republic. “The following day we traveled to Birmingham in the U.K. and the day after that we went to the Faroe Islands. I don’t think I know anyone who’s done that chain of concerts in such a short period of time.
“But then I guess it’s also just the global coverage. I think we’re really lucky that the group has had such an amazing global history. Recently, for instance, the group was in Taiwan, where we did two concerts, including one in Taipei. Then we went inland and worked our way into the aboriginal Taiwanese choir in the Nanhu Mountains. That was just unreal, and I can’t think of any other groups like us who have done that. We’ve had the benefit of performing at the huge venues that have been given us, like Carnegie Hall.
“But then we also go to these tiny, tiny venues all across the world, be they in Taiwan or South Africa or in Yellowknife in the north of Canada. I think that’s probably what’s so special is being in a collection of all of these different places.”
Howard cites a key example of an unexpected concert and location from a decade ago:
“You probably know that you can’t do religious music in China, because it’s not allowed by the state. But in 2014, we were invited to come to Beijing and come and give a workshop at the Wangfujing Cathedral (aka St. Joseph’s Cathedral), which is normally locked and which you’re not normally allowed in. But, we were invited by the Chinese government into this venue and do a workshop with three Chinese choirs that were all performing sacred music. And the whole room was just in floods of tears because we were able to do music that people aren’t normally allowed to do. So I’d say that that’s really important.
“I think to me the great gift is that you get to bind people together with music – people who are not normally bound together. So I feel very, very lucky that we’ve worked with these extraordinary choirs in Japan or South Africa or in Queensland, Australia, and all across Europe and all across North America in extraordinary places in Mexico and in Colombia.
“We were just in Colombia in September this year. We worked with this extraordinary national children’s choir where many of the singers were the children of people who had been involved in the peace talks of 2016 and it’s just, that kind of thing is crazy.”
Recordings and Educational Support
The King’s Singers’ website notes that the group has “set the gold standard in a cappella singing on the world’s greatest stages for over 55 years. They are renowned for their unrivalled technique, musicianship and versatility, which stem from the group’s rich heritage and its drive to bring an extraordinary range of new and unique works, collaborations and recordings to life.”
A total of 80 albums have been recorded and released from 1971 to 2023. The website says this “extensive discography has led to numerous awards, including two Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, and a place in Gramophone magazine’s inaugural Hall of Fame.”
The recordings represent a wide range of styles and themes. One celebrates their body of commissioned new works. Another is a double-album focused on The King’s Singers’ library of signature close harmony versions, while a third honors 100 years of Disney with 28 all-new arrangements of iconic Disney songs.
In addition to performing more than 100 concerts worldwide every year, the group leads educational workshops and residential courses across the globe, working with ensembles and guiding them in their approaches to group singing.
In 2018, to mark its 50th anniversary, the ensemble founded the U.S.-based The King’s Singers Global Foundation. Its purpose is to provide a platform to support the creation of new music across multiple disciplines, coach a new generation of performers, and provide musical opportunities to people of all backgrounds.
Gratitude to Spare
Many of the close harmony and Disney selections will be heard in Irvine during “Christmas Time is Here,” including seasonal songs that tie in with the Disney repertoire and, according to those at the Barclay, “brand-new surprises” from the group’s close-harmony library.
The King’s Singers will also perform festive music from the group’s recent travels across the world and selections that offer remembrances of the vocalists’ spiritual home at King’s College, as well as favorites such as “Silent Night” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Howard touts the Barclay as “a wonderful hall” and sings the praises of “wonderful California and a wonderful part of the world. I’m really excited to get back to it.”
As he’s leaving the ensemble at the end of this year, he told Culture OC that he defines the experience of his nearly 15 years with the group as “traveling the world with friends. It’s like a brotherhood, and I’m really grateful for it.”
His bio page on the group’s website outlines his reasons for the decision: “I’ve often thought that being in The King’s Singers is like being at a great party. I also believe that the key to having the best time at any party is not to stay too late.
“Leave while it’s still amazing, often by sneaking out the back door, and you’ll have the most extraordinary memories. It’s for this reason that I’ve decided to move on from my role in The King’s Singers at the end of 2024, after over 14 seasons of very happy music-making, travel and friendship.
“I will leave with the happiest memories and enormous gratitude.”
The King’s Singers: Christmas Time is Here
When: 8 p.m. Dec. 13
Where: Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine
Admission: $34-$115
Contact: 949-854-4646, thebarclay.org
