Gesualdo 6-Credit Ash Mills_1000

Gesualdo Six

St Mary the Virgin, Twickenham Riverside, TW1 3NJ

Photograph of Gesualdo Six by Ash Mills

A varied programme of 16th century and modern choral works by composers including Tallis, Byrd, Palestrina, Richard Rodney Bennett, James O’Donnell and Owain Park.

Sponsored by Reed Exhibitions

Director: Owain Park
Countertenor: Guy James
Tenor: Joseph Wicks
Tenor: Josh Cooter
Baritone: Michael Craddock
Bass: Sam Mitchell

The Gesualdo Six is an award-winning British vocal ensemble comprising some of the UK’s finest consort singers, directed by Owain Park. Praised for their imaginative programming and impeccable blend, the ensemble formed in 2014 for a performance of Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories in Cambridge and has gone on to perform at numerous major festivals across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. Notable highlights include a concert as part of the distinguished Deutschlandradio Debut Series, debut at Wigmore Hall in 2021, and collaborations with the Brodsky Quartet, London Mozart Players, Luxmuralis, William Barton and Matilda Lloyd.

The ensemble integrates educational work into its activities, regularly holding workshops for young musicians and composers. The Gesualdo Six has curated two Composition Competitions, with the 2019 edition attracting entries from over three hundred composers around the world. The group have recently commissioned new works from Joanna Ward, Kerensa Briggs, Deborah Pritchard, Joanna Marsh, and Richard Barnard alongside coronasolfège for 6 by Héloïse Werner.

Videos of the ensemble performing a diverse selection of works filmed in Ely Cathedral have been watched by millions online. The group released their debut recording English Motets on Hyperion Records in early 2018 to critical acclaim, followed by a festive album of seasonal favourites in late 2019, Christmas, and an album of compline-themed music titled Fading which was awarded Vocal & Choral Recording of the Year 2020 by Limelight. A programme celebrating the 500th anniversary of Josquin des Prez titled Josquin’s Legacy followed in late 2021, and Tenebrae Responsories for Maundy Thursday was released in Lent 2022.