The world-renowned Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, is due to perform various classical choral pieces at Seongnam Arts Center on Aug. 8.
Led by conductor Stephen Cleobury, the choir will be performing for the third time in Korea.
The choir has a history of more than 500 years. After King Henry VI founded King’s College in 1441, he established and designated an official choir for daily mass at the university.
Choristers sing in the chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, England. (King’s College, Cambridge)
Cleobury, the choir’s music director, has been conducting the choir since 1982. The members of the prestigious group includes 16 choristers, 14 choral scholars, and two organ scholars, making up a diverse pool of different backgrounds and ages.
The choir is known for its annual Christmas Eve performances on the BBC titled, “Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols” and “Carols from King’s,” which started airing in 1928. Every year, millions of people all over the world tune in to listen to the choir’s celestial harmonies.
The choir has a strict policy of limiting off-campus performances to 20 per year as the majority of the members are full-time students. The choir’s most recent performance in Korea was in 2011.
The program for the performance at Seongnam Arts Center features Mozart’s “Veniti Populi” and “Ave Verum Corpus,” Schubert’s “Psalm 23,” Haydn’s “Agnus Dei,” and Vivaldi’s “Gloria.” The grand finale of the performance, “Gloria” will feature prominent chamber ensemble Camerata Antiqua Seoul and soprano Suk Hyun-soo.
The performance will begin at 8 p.m. at Seongnam Arts Center’s Concert Hall. Tickets range from 40,000 won to 140,000 won and are available through Interpark at 1544-8117. For more information call (031) 783-8000.
By Cha Yo-rim (
yorimcha@heraldcorp.com)