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Stephen Cleobury

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Sir Stephen John Cleobury Template:Post-nominals (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; 31 December 1948 – 22 November 2019)<ref name="BBC">Sir Stephen Cleobury: Former King's College choir conductor dies aged 70 BBC 23 November 2019</ref><ref name="King's College">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> was an English organist and music director. He worked with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, where he served as music director from 1982 to 2019, and with the BBC Singers.<ref name="BBCMus2018">Template:Citation</ref>

King's College has worldwide fame for its Christmas music, having performed a live broadcast on the BBC on Christmas Eve since 1928. During his long tenure as Director of Music, Cleobury made the singers even better known by tours and recordings. From 1984 he introduced the commission of a new Christmas carol annually. Among many honours, he was honorary fellow of the Royal School of Church Music, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2009 before he died of cancer that November at the age of 70.

LifeEdit

Early yearsEdit

Stephen John Cleobury was born in Bromley, Kent, the son of John F. Cleobury and Brenda J. Randall.<ref name="Brackley">Paul Brackley: Sir Stephen Cleobury, who directed the famous choir at King’s College in Cambridge, dies at 70 Cambridge Independent 23 November 2019</ref> He sang as a chorister at Worcester Cathedral under Douglas Guest then Christopher Robinson.<ref name="Brackley" /> He was organ scholar at St John's College, Cambridge, under the musical directorship of George Guest, and sub-organist of Westminster Abbey before becoming the first Anglican master of music at the Catholic Westminster Cathedral in 1979.<ref name="Brackley" /><ref name="Millington19"/> In the 1970s, he was head of music at both St Matthew's Church, Northampton, and Northampton Grammar School,<ref name="Brackley" /> where he taught music for four years.<ref name="Eco">Template:Cite news</ref>

King's College, CambridgeEdit

In 1982 Cleobury succeeded Philip Ledger as Director of Music for the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, where he also taught music.<ref name="Brackley" /> He led the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at the King's College Chapel on Christmas Eve, which was established in 1918 and broadcast live by the BBC from 1928.<ref name="BBC" /> Cleobury's most notable contribution was, from 1984, the incorporation of specially commissioned modern works to complement the traditional carols.<ref name="King's College" /> Among the composers contributing were Thomas Adès, John Tavener and Mark-Anthony Turnage. Harrison Birtwistle's The Gleam, which requires the choristers to stamp their feet and shout, caused some controversy.<ref name="Millington19">Template:Cite news</ref> The high-profile performance of these commissions allowed the widespread dissemination of sophisticated contemporary choral music.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Cleobury introduced singing lessons for the choristers and expanded the repertoire to include more singing in Latin,<ref name="Eco" /> and composers such as Kodály, Janáček and Arvo Pärt.<ref name="Millington19" /> He established the Festival of Easter at King's and also Concerts at King's, a concert series throughout the year.<ref name="BBC" /><ref name="King's College" /> Recordings were made by the choir's own label beginning in 2012.<ref name="Millington19" />

He was conductor of Cambridge University Musical Society (CUMS) from 1983 to 2009, and made many recordings with that group including Verdi's Quattro Pezzi Sacri and Goehr's The Death of Moses. As part of the celebrations of the 800th anniversary of Cambridge University, he premiered Peter Maxwell Davies' The Sorcerer's Mirror.<ref name="Brackley" />

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Choir stalls and Great Organ, viewed from the east end, at King's College Chapel

His last major project there was Bach's St Matthew Passion in 2019, in a sequence of performing it alternating with the St John Passion every year. The choir performed with the Academy of Ancient Music and James Gilchrist as the Evangelist.<ref>Alec Spencer: Final Passion for director of music at King's Cambridge Independent 26 March 2019</ref> He retired on 30 September 2019, and was succeeded at King's College by Daniel Hyde.<ref name="Brackley" /><ref>Martin Cullingford: King's College Cambridge names Daniel Hyde as new music director Gramophone 23 May 2018</ref>

Beyond CambridgeEdit

Cleobury was president of the Royal College of Organists from 1990 to 1992. He was chief conductor of the BBC Singers from 1995 to 2007, and was then their conductor laureate.<ref name="Brackley" /> He performed with them themed concerts such as Shostakovich, Stalin and Soviet Russia in 2014, Creation songs in 2015, Tallis Lamentations in 2016, and for Remembrance Day 2017, Songs of Farewell.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The latter was given at the King's College Chapel, and combined the world premiere of Thomas Simaku's The Scream with Hubert Parry's Songs of Farewell, and Duruflé's Notre Père and Requiem.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the concert celebrating the choir's 90th anniversary on 24 September 2014, he was one of four conductors to lead compositions written for the group.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cleobury served as a visiting fellow at the Louisiana State University School of Music for 2013–2014.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Cleobury's brother Nicholas is also a conductor and his sister is a musician and teacher. His cousin Stephen Dean is a composer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cleobury lived with his second wife, Emma Disley, whom he married in 2004, and their two daughters.<ref name="Brackley" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He died of cancer in his hometown of York, on 22 November 2019, the liturgical feast day of Saint Cecilia, patron saint of organ players and musicians.<ref name="King's College" /><ref name="Millington19"/> He also had two children from his first marriage to Penny Holloway.<ref name="Millington19"/>

Honours and awardsEdit

Cleobury was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music (D.Mus.) from Anglia Ruskin University in 2001.<ref>Honorary award holders: Dr Stephen John Cleobury (1948 - 2019) CBE - website of Anglia Ruskin University</ref> In 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal School of Church Music.<ref name="Brackley" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and was knighted in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to choral music.<ref name="King's College" /><ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

RecordingsEdit

CDEdit

As conductorEdit

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  • 2019 – Evensong Live 2019: Anthems and Canticles<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2019 – Howells: Cello Concerto & An English Mass<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • 2019 – The Music of King's: Choral Favourites from Cambridge <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2018 – Byrd: Motets<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2016 – Hymns from King's<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2015 – 1615 Gabrieli in Venice<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2015 – Evensong Live 2015<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2015 – English Hymn Anthems<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2014 – Favourite Carols from King's<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2013 – Mozart: Requiem Realisations (Choir of King's College, Cambridge)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2012 – Nine Lessons & Carols (Choir of King's College, Cambridge)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2007 – I Heard a Voice – Music From the Golden Age, Works by Weelkes, Gibbons and Tomkins (Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Oliver Brett, Peter Stevens)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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As organistEdit

  • 2019 – Herbert Howells’ An English Mass <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2017 – The King of Instruments: A Voice Reborn <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2009 – The Grand Organ of King's College<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2007 – Organ Classics from King's<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2004 – British Organ Music from King's<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 1993 – Organ Favourites from King's College, Cambridge<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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DVDEdit

As conductor:

  • 2014 – Carols from King's (Choir of King's College, Cambridge)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2002 – Anthems from King's (Choir of King's College, Cambridge)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 1996 – Bach: "Johannes-Passion" (Choir of King's College, Cambridge)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 1993 – Handel: "Messiah" (Choir of King's College, Cambridge)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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