Cantabile (group)

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Cantabile - The London Quartet

Background information
Origin Flag of EnglandLondon, England
Genre(s) A Cappella,Musical Theatre,Classical Music, Film, Television
Label(s) Signum Records,Spare Parts
Website www.cantabile.com

Cantabile - The London Quartet,is British A Cappella vocal quartet.

Contents

[edit] Biography

They were formed as a student group whilst studying at Cambridge University in 1977. Initially their influences were The King’s Singers and The Songs of Yale, but they soon developed their own unique style of musical comedy. They turned professional in 1982 shortly before appearing in Blondel, which ran for 399 performances in London’s West End.[1]

Even at their outset, they were more associated with the Cambridge Footlights than the chapel choirs, and theatricality and humour have always been a great part of their appeal. They won a Wavendon Allmusic Award from John Dankworth and Cleo Laine for breaking down the barriers between musical genres.[2][3]

[edit] Career

Their touring schedule continues to take them to Europe, North America & the Far East and sometimes further afield.

When Cantabile first visited Austria in the late 1970s, they were compared to German vocal group from the 1930s, The Comedian Harmonists.

In the UK, they have appeared in many theatres and concert halls, on BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV1, Channel 4, S4C and Channel 5 and on BBC Radios 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, as well as Classic FM.

They had a BBC Radio 2 series accompanied by the BBC Big Band, conducted by Barry Forgie, entitled ‘Cantabile sing, The Big Band Swing’ in the 1990s featuring music by George Gershwin, Harry Warren, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and Rodgers and Hart.

They recently underlined their long association with Tim Rice by appearing as the Consuls in Embassy Lament in Chess in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall May 12th and 13th 2008, alongside Josh Groban, Idina Menzel, Kerry Ellis, Adam Pascal and Marti Pellow.

[edit] Present membership

Richard Bryan (counter tenor): 1977-91, 1996-

Steven Brooks (tenor): 2005-

Mark Fleming (tenor): 1991-

Michael Steffan (baritone): 1977-

[edit] Quotes

"Outstanding" The Evening Standard

"These a cappella fellas are fun" The Observer

"A marked flair for sophisticated comedy" The Times

"Their music is a delight, their sense of humour irresistible" Die Welt

"Presented with infectious enthusiasm and superb technical command" The New York Times

"Splendidly Versatile" The Sunday Times

"Highly sophisticated and full of humour" The Guardian

"My favourite Vocal Group" Tim Rice

[edit] References

  1. Tim Rice,Cantabile and Blondel
  2. Angus Ross -December 2007
  3. "My favourite vocal group"- Tim Rice
  4. "Sophisticated comedy – a touch of class" – The Times
  5. Tim Rice article in "The Spectator"
  6. Cantabile and Simon Callow in The Independent

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Cantabile history
  2. ^ Cantabile a cappella vocal ensemble
  3. ^ astroh - A capella met een kwinkslag