John Rutter reflects on ways of working with amateur choirs

John Rutter was born in London in 1945, received his first musical education as a chorister at Highgate School and went on to study music at Clare College, Cambridge. His compositional career has embraced large and small-scale choral works, orchestral and instrumental pieces, a piano concerto, two children’s operas, music for television, and specialist writing for such groups as the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and the King’s Singers.

In 1981, John Rutter formed the Cambridge Singers, a professional chamber choir primarily dedicated to recording. He now divides his time between composing and conducting and has guest-conducted amateur and professional choirs all round the world. Most of John Rutter’s music is published by Oxford University Press.

Music: ‘Chanson’ from Suite Antique for flute, harpsichord and strings by John Rutter. Performed by Duke Dobing (flute) and Wayne Marshall (harpsichord). Used by kind permission of Collegium Records.

© Oxford University Press