The Fairhaven Singers is a chamber choir based in Cambridge, UK, directed by Ralph Woodward. The choir is a mixed ensemble of about 48 amateur singers singing choral repertoire from the 15th century to the present. Among the major works it has performed are Bach's St John Passion and St Matthew Passion, Mozart's Requiem, Brahms' Requiem, James MacMillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross and (in collaboration at Ely Cathedral in 2026) Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. It has commissioned and premiered new works from composers that have included Jonathan Dove, Will Todd, Bob Chilcott, Carl Rütti and Cecilia MacDowall.
It performs mainly in Cambridge, most often in Trinity College Chapel, St John's College Chapel and Queens' College Chapel. It has also appeared at Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Suffolk, including concerts at the Aldeburgh Festival and Britten's War Requiem at the Britten Festival; at Ely Cathedral; at venues in London, including St Martin-in-the-Fields and St John's Smith Square; and at concert venues in Europe, including St Mark's Basilica, Venice. It has also been featured on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, and Classic FM.
The choir was founded in 1980, and is under the patronage of Lord Fairhaven of Anglesey Abbey.
Commissions and premières
Will Todd, Magnificat, 1997 Richard Lloyd, A Garland of Praise, 1998 Jake Howarth, Pied Beauty, 2008 Graham Lack, Sanctus, 2009 (UK premiere) Will Todd, Requiem, 2009 Bob Chilcott, Ave Maria, 2010 Carl Rütti, Amen, 2011 Will Todd, Songs of Peace, 2012 Joseph Phibbs, Lullay, lullay, thou lytil child, 2012 Will Todd, Te Deum (string-orchestra version), 2013 Thomas Hewitt Jones and Andrew Motion, Formation, 2013 Somtow Sucharitkul, ClareVoyance, 2014 Ēriks Ešenvalds, The Time Has Come Ralph Woodward, Summer Happiness, 2016 Cecilia McDowall, God is Light, 2016 Ola Gjeilo, LUX, 2017 Geoff Page, Battle Cries, 2018 Jonathan Dove, Sappho Sings, 2019 Alan Bullard, Beauty, Joy, 2021 Cecilia McDowall, A tree is a song, 2023
Discography The Blue Skies that Sparkle (2007) Will Todd, Requiem (2009) - awarded five stars by Choir and Organ magazine Alan Bullard, Choir & Organ, Mar/Apr2010, Vol. 18, Issue 2, p71. Full of Grace: Songs to the Virgin (2011) Into the Stars (2015) - music composed for the Fairhaven Singers Sappho Sings (2022) - music commissioned from Jonathan Dove
References
External links Official website Conductor Ralph Woodward