The Choir

Acclaimed for performances and recordings that sparkle with fresh insight and vibrant musicality, The Ebor Singers has earned a reputation as one of the most exciting professional vocal ensembles in the north of England.

What makes The Ebor Singers different from other choirs?

The singers rehearse and perform without a conductor. In rehearsal, they exchange ideas freely while exploring their own musical creativity. In performance, they engage the audience with a spontaneity and freshness all their own.

Education and Outreach

The group is also committed to making music widely accessible throughout the community, and is working on a number of projects which take music and singing into schools, hospitals and hospices.

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The Ebor Singers was formed in 1995 by music students at the University of York to perform concerts and services in York Minster, much of their inspiration coming from the thriving early music and singing scene prevalent in York. The group includes past and present music students at the University, some of whom also pursue solo careers. When performing works requiring instrumental accompaniments, the choir draws on high-calibre early-music specialists. Now well-established in the North of England as a versatile chamber group, the choir sings its regular concert series in York Minster to capacity audiences.

Since 1997 the choir has frequently performed in the York Early Music Festival to critical acclaim and has toured in both Britain and Europe. At the invitation of York Minster, The Ebor Singers regularly sings services, including Compline during Lent and Holy Week and other occasions when the Minster Choir is unavailable. The group has also recently broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Dr Paul Gameson, the choir's founder and director, has devoted his studies to sacred music from seventeenth-century France, particularly the works of Guillaume Bouzignac and Marc-Antoine Charpentier, on which he has also given talks and masterclasses. His research has defined the choir's focus. Performances explore all aspects of historically-informed interpretation, including pronunciation and ornamentation, and are based on Dr Gameson's own scholarly editions. Where possible, the choir also uses facsimiles of original partbooks or manuscripts to create an increased awareness of ensemble. Consequently, Gameson often sings within the group rather than conducting, which results in a heightened appreciation of other musical lines. This style, without the usual barriers of a concert performance, creates a greater sense of rapport with the audience.

A distinctive feature of The Ebor Singers' concerts is its consideration of the musical and historical context of the repertoire, drawing on Gameson's work in this area. Recent performances have included Bouzignac: A Christmas Story, 'intelligent programming… a concert of real imagination' (The Church Times, December 2002), Music for Troubled Times, a sequence of music and readings from the English Civil War, 'an imaginative, well-researched presentation' (The Times, July 2003), and A la venue de Noel: Music celebrating Christmas and the Virgin Mary by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, 'on terrific form… a scrumptious evening' (York Evening Press, December 2004). The choir’s most recent recording Cantate Domino, Omnis Francia! is its first disc exclusively exploring French sacred music of the seventeenth century, and over the next few years a series of further recordings exploring this repertoire is planned.