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The English mezzo-soprano, Catherine King, began her vocal studies as a choral scholar at Trinity College Cambridge followed by a period at the Guildhall in London, and later study with Josephine Veasey.
Catherine King regularly performs music covering a vast period from the present day back to the 11th century, and in many languages (often with period pronunciation). She has performed with many of the UK’s leading ensembles and orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Taverner Consort, Northern Sinfonia, Nash Ensemble, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Gothic Voices, London Baroque, Fretwork, Singcircle, New London Consort, Florilegium and The Academy of Ancient Music. She also makes regular appearances in Brirish and European festivals, including at the Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester, Edinburgh International Festival, the Lufthansa Festival at St John’s Smith Square and the Bruges Early Music Festival, Belgium.
Catherine King frequently performs from the full range of great oratorios throughout the country. As well as works by Georg Frideric Handel, J.S. Bach and W.A. Mozart, she has sung larger scale pieces such as Edward Elgar's Music Makers and Verdi’s Requiem. She performed and recorded G.F. Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus in Germany, J.S. Bach arias in Oslo and Lyon, given several performances of E. Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius in Britain, and a series of lute song recitals in the USA. Opera performances include Mercedes in Georges Bizet's Carmen and Diane in Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie, the latter under William Christie. She performerd Messiah with Robert King and the Stavanger Symfoniorkester in Norway.
Well known as a versatile early music specialist, Catherine King's duo with lutenist Jacob Heringman and the group Virelai seek to bring life to long forgotten music, performing it with a freshness which belies the years since its writing.
Catherine King has also recorded and premiered songs written for her by a number of composers, including at the Spitalfields Festival in London with Sing Circle with a commission by Andrew Keeling. Other Contemporary performances include Tippett's Crown of The Year with the Nash Ensemble, as well as premieres of specially commissioned songs performed in the USA , and on radio and CD.
Concerts range from Verdi in Symphony Hall Birmingham and E. Elgar in Krakow to medieval songs in the USA and Spain (in ancient churches and caves!), from J.S. Bach throughout Europe, and Italian Baroque arias in Genoa to Scottish 20th and 21st Century songs in Poland. She performs across the world with concerts in Italy and Germany (J.S. Bach motets), London’s Cadogan Hall and the Tower of London (Gothic Voices), Edinburgh’s Usher Hall (Verdi's Requiem), Snape Maltings (Benjamin Britten's Spring Symphony), Leominster Priory (Berlioz Les Nuits d’Été), Rochester Cathedral (E. Elgar's Sea Pictures), Oslo Cathedral (contemporary and medieval music) and Madrid (lute song recitals). Her opera appearances include roles in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen at Longborough Festival Opera and Vitige in G.F. Handel's Flavio with Christian Curnyn’s Early Opera Company.
Recordings include recitals for Radio Three and on CD with her duo partner lutenist Jacob Heringman, pianist Wayne Marshall, and with leading early music ensembles, including the GothicVoices, Fretwork, London Baroque, New London Consort, Consort of Musicke and Taverner Consort. The many CD's include the award winning ‘Airs de cour’ CD (Linn Records), lute songs by Mudarra and Milán (ASV), 20th century songs by Samuel Barber and a recording of music by Hildegard of Bingen and Jean Catoire (Virgin Classics), as well as the highly acclaimed "Galuppi: Forgotten Arias" (Gramophone Editor’s Choice), Alto Arias by J.S. Bach (Linn Records), madrigal songs by Philippe Verdelot (Linn Records). Her newest CD, Gothic Voices ‘The Dufay Spectacle’ was released by Linn Records in 2018 to great critical acclaim, 5 star reviews and a Gramophone Editor’s Choice.
Future concerts include Belgium, Germany, Oslo, Ireland and London, and the Hereford Three Choirs Festival.
Catherine King lives near Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire countryside where she also teaches singing, and enjoys swing dance and running. |
