Preces and Responses
These are live recordings of two movements of Preces and Responses by Simon Brown. They were performed at St Pancras Parish Church on Monday 11 May 2015 by The Choir of St Pancras Parish Church directed by Christopher Batchelor.
Simon Brown has been the Director of Music at King’s College School in Cambridge since 1999 and was the director of King’s Voices from 2001 to 2013. He was a choral volunteer in King’s College Choir in the late 1970s, and since then has sung in the choirs of New College, Oxford, Winchester Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal at St James’ Palace. His teaching career began at Bradford Grammar School in Yorkshire, and was followed by 12 years as Head of Academic and Choral Music at the Purcell School. His time at the Purcell School included conducting the youngest ever choir to sing the 40-part motet Spem In Alium by Thomas Tallis.
Brown’s work with King’s Voices included evensongs in King’s College Chapel on Mondays during term, visits to Ely Cathedral and St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and tours to Venice, Florence, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Copenhagen, Bologna, Rome, Malta, Barcelona, Toulouse and Berlin. Simon is a keen composer; his introit Thee We Adore, O Hidden Saviour, Thee was premiered on BBC Radio 3 in 2006 and his new carol There is no rose was sung in the Advent Procession at York Minster. He also enjoys playing many instruments including recorder, viola, clarinet and harp, and is a piano teacher and accompanist.
The LFCCM is a precious and unique opportunity for the annual showcasing of new sacred works at the highest possible level. It thoroughly deserves its important place in the spectrum of contemporary music in London.
