Friday, February 6, 1998
A capella group belts out show fit for ‘Kings’
MUSIC: Singers boast 2,000-song repertoire, changing
performance
By Jammie Salagubang
Daily Bruin Contributor
Job requirement: must have excellent voice and an even better
ear. Perks: world travel (but must be willing to cope with
11-concerts-in-14-days schedule). Also note: applicant must be
willing to wait several years for a position.
If one can fulfill these requirements, they might just make it
into the King’s Singers, a six-member a capella singing group from
Britain noted for their tight vocal harmonies.
"We are singing in an ensemble, so no matter how good a soloist
you are, no matter how good your voice is, (if) you can’t actually
sing in a very close song, it’s no good," says Stephen Connolly,
who has sung bass in the King’s Singers for 10 years. "The
listening part of the job is probably sometimes above the part of
the voice."
For those who just want to listen to their voices, the King’s
Singers will perform Sunday at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater.
Their sound is like Take 6 with a British twist.
"It’s a very floaty, easy sound. They sing very light," says
Kari Windingstad, an adjunct professor of voice from UCLA. "Their
sounds come out of the echoey churches; it’s a cathedral
sound."
And Take 6 usually doesn’t sing madrigals. The King’s Singers
perform a wide variety of songs from Renaissance music to the
Beatles and movie music of today. With such a selection of time
periods and music to choose from, it’s no wonder that going to a
King’s Singers’ concert is a different experience each time.
"We’ve got this huge repertoire, a big library of about 2,000
pieces," says Connolly. "So we don’t like to repeat anything."
Group effort takes on a whole new meaning for the King’s
Singers. Not only must they sing and listen to each other onstage
but offstage as well.
"There’s no leader in the group," Connolly says. "We all have to
basically agree on what to sing, and the music has to be
music."
One piece that has made the cut is "Timepiece," a song about
Adam and Eve, which they will perform at their concert.
"It’s modern music without the pain," Connolly says. "It’s very
good, very funny and very approachable."
Many people believe that such accessibility to different kinds
of music has contributed to their acclaim and longevity.
"They’re not afraid of any kind of music, and they don’t limit
themselves," Windingstad says. "They’re unique in that they’ve been
able to bring their talents to such a wide variety of music."
The King’s Singers will celebrate their 30th anniversary this
May. The group formed at King’s College (hence the name), and the
original members were all choral scholars. However, aside from
singing in cathedrals, they also displayed an interest in many
kinds of music by singing at parties.
After continuing long after college, the last two original
members retired in 1993. In fact, for some parts, they’ve only
changed singers once and thus contributed greatly to their
continuity in sound. The group is now made up of countertenors
(male altos) David Hurley and Nigel Short, tenor Paul Phoenix,
baritones Philip Lawson and Gabriel Crouch and bass Stephen
Connolly.
But there’s an easier description.
"It’s a bunch of guys up there having a really good time,"
Winkingstad says. "Putting some music out for an audience that
loves them."
MUSIC: The King’s Singers will perform Saturday at 8 p.m. in the
Veterans Wadsworth Theater. Tickets are $40, $37 and $10 for UCLA
students with a valid I.D. For more information, call UCLA at (310)
825-2101.
IMG Artist
The King’s Singers will perform a wide variety of songs on
Saturday at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater.