“Dazzling … under its founder-director Freddie Crowley, Corvus Consort is always full of fresh thinking.”
BBC Music Magazine
“One of the most innovative and adventurous vocal ensembles presently performing”
Tortoise Media
“Clean, clear voices, impeccable intonation and a direct, engaged way with the texts.”
Limelight Magazine
“an innovative and top-drawer ensemble”
The Arts Desk
Welcome Joy
A CELEBRATION OF WOMEN’S VOICES
our second album on Chandos Records
in collaboration with Louise Thomson (harp)
released 27 September 2024
★★★★★ BBC Music Magazine
“a jewel-box of glinting, shimmering choral gems” – BBC Music Magazine
“beautifully sung by the Corvus Consort” – Gramophone Magazine
“an ideal vocal balance … immaculately accompanied” – British Music Society
“clean, clear voices, impeccable intonation and a direct, engaged way with the texts” – Limelight Magazine
“Revoiced”: music for voices and saxophones
our debut album
in collaboration with the Ferio Saxophone Quartet
released July 2022 on Chandos Records.
“a bold and fascinating recording” – Tortoise Media
“a gloriously enjoyable noise” – Tempo Quarterly Review
“intriguing and strikingly effective” – BBC Radio 3 Record Review
Founded and directed by Freddie Crowley, Corvus Consort is a UK-based vocal ensemble comprising some of the country’s finest young professional singers. Described as “dazzling” and “always full of fresh thinking” by BBC Music Magazine, Corvus’s combination of musical excellence, passionate performance and imaginative presentation makes them hugely popular with audiences nationwide.
In addition to frequent appearances as an a cappella ensemble, Corvus places emphasis on its instrumental collaborations. Ongoing projects include upper voices and harp with Louise Thomson, voices and saxophones with the Ferio Saxophone Quartet, and contemporary explorations of Renaissance soundworlds with instrumental duo Music on the Edge. This season they look forward to a new collaboration with violinist Fenella Humphreys to present ’Shared Ground’, an exploration of artistic responses to the poetry of George Herbert, featuring a new commission for voices and violin by Alec Roth.
In collaboration with Ferio Saxophone Quartet, Corvus Consort released its debut CD ‘Revoiced’ in 2022 on Chandos Records, to great acclaim across press and radio. ‘Revoiced’ explores the magical blend of voices and saxophones and brings new colours to early music with a set of Baroque and Renaissance works uniquely reimagined by Freddie Crowley, described by BBC Radio 3’s Record Review as “intriguing and strikingly effective arrangements”. Four works by living composers nestle amongst these early music gems: a new piece by Owain Park re-interpreting Allegri’s iconic Miserere, together with newly-created versions of existing works by Sarah Rimkus, Roderick Williams and James MacMillan.
Corvus’s second disc for Chandos, ‘Welcome Joy’, was released in 2024, and sees the Consort’s upper voices join forces with harpist Louise Thomson to present glorious music for upper voices and harp in celebration of visionary women’s voices, both as singers and composers. The disc immediately caught the attention of critics and has since been broadcast on international radio. It was selected as BBC Radio 3 Essential Classics ‘Album of the week’ and by BBC Music Magazine as both ‘Recording of the Month’ and as one of the 13 best classical albums of 2024 in its year-end review.
Alongside their dynamic performances of core vocal repertoire, Corvus has quickly developed a strong track record for championing new music and commissioning some of the most exciting composers in the UK and beyond. For Christmas 2020, twelve emerging composers were commissioned to write twelve miniature carols for twelve voices based on the well-known song The Twelve Days of Christmas, as part of a festive project entitled “Twelve Composers Composing”. In 2023, “Byrd Takes Flight” commemorated William Byrd’s 400th anniversary with four new commissions for voices and instruments in collaboration with Music on the Edge, placing Byrd’s compositional voice into direct dialogue with some of today’s brightest artistic voices. “Byrd Takes Flight” saw its premiere at the 2023 Whiddon Autumn Festival and was performed on tour in the summer of 2024, including a sold-out concert at the Three Choirs Festival. Corvus’s latest album ‘Welcome Joy’ featured a pair of commissions for upper voices and harp from Indian-American composer Shruthi Rajasekar, responding to Gustav Holst’s use of ancient Sanskrit texts in his famous Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda.
Highlights of recent seasons have included Corvus’s debut at the Three Choirs Festival, Rachmaninov’s All Night Vigil at Exeter Cathedral, and a Bach programme alongside violinist Rachel Podger. Since its inception in 2020, Corvus has also enjoyed performances for series and festivals across the UK including London’s Kings Place, Chiltern Arts Festival, Dorchester Arts, Little Missenden Festival, Kings Lynn Festival, Music on the Quantocks and Summer Music in City Churches, as well as an ongoing position as Ensemble-in-Residence at Devon’s Whiddon Autumn Festival since the inaugural festival in 2021.
“The Corvus Consort is a marvel: glorious voices, expressive singing, highly creative and imaginative programming, inspired direction!”
Simon Carrington
founder member The King’s Singers
“Close of harmony, cool of rhythm, and totally stirring of spirit.”
Michael Chance CBE
Artistic Director of The Grange Festival
“Since its inception, Corvus Consort has impressed me with their programming which is both creative and very imaginative … they are an ensemble with a very exciting future; everything they do is well thought out and of a very high artistic standard.”
Harry Christophers CBE
Founder & Conductor of The Sixteen
photo by Ben Reason