The Jorgensen Welcomes The King’s Singers 3/17

There are certain sounds meant for cathedrals, and the best of men's a cappella is one. It's pure. It's distinct. And it's godly. The King's Singers, who for decades have handsomely lived up to their regal name in concert halls around the globe, will make music worthy of a cathedral at Jorgensen on Thursday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m.

"...Every edge was bevelled smooth, every chord was bang in tune, every word perfectly audible," The Daily Telegraph of London emoted in a review of this ensemble that is made up largely of former choirboys who, one day, got the call to audition. Before the dream descended, they worked as freelance singers, prep school teachers, ad men and lawyers.

At Jorgensen, an engagement just before the tour travels to Europe for the spring and summer, The King's Singers will perform a program of London street songs, starting with the commissioned work of Steve Martland, drawing on traditional English children's street rhymes sung through the ages, and splicing in works from the 15th to 20th centuries and composed by the likes of Thomas Ravenscroft, John Ireland, HerBert Howells and, yes, King Henry VIII himself.

The second half will feature pieces with close harmonies that will draw from folk, spirituals, evergreen standards and pop, including music by the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beach Boys and songs from the new album Swimming over London, the follow-up album to the Grammy-winning Simple Gifts.

The King's Singers have performed in venues ranging from Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, New York's Carnegie Hall and London's Royal Albert Hall. A favorite of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the ensemble appeared with that group at the 2002 Winter Olympics and at its Christmas concert before a live audience of 80,000, broadcast by PBS.

The latest of the group's more than 150 recordings include a world premiere of music for Vespers by Pachelbel and an album with Concordia College Choir that includes commissions by Eric Whitacre and Bob Chilcott. The King's Singers have commissioned more than 200 works by composers such as Ned Rorem, John Rutter and Toru Takemitsu, and have sold more than 2 million pieces of their arrangements in sheet music.

The King's Singers' level of performance is the dream of every English choirboy, and that awe doesn't falter even when the pinnacle is achieved. Their newest and youngest member, bass Jonathan Howard, 23, says, "Hopefully, I'll learn to relax my face so I don't look manic on stage but, needless to say, I reckon it'll take a while for my excitement at performing with the group to subside."

The concert is sponsored by 88.5 FM WFCR/WNNZ 640 AM.

Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts is located at 2132 Hillside Road on the UConn campus in Storrs. Regular tickets are $30 and $28, with some discounts available. For tickets and information, call the Box Office at 860.486.4226, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., or order online at jorgensen.uconn.edu. Convenient free parking is available across the street in the North Garage.

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