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The English conductor and organist, David Hill, was educated at Chetham’s School of Music, where he is now a Govenor, he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at the tender age of 17. He took an organ scholarship to St John’s College, Cambridge under the direction of Dr George Guest.
David Hill’s posts have included Sub-Organist at Durham Cathedral, Master of the Music at Winchester Cathedral (1987-2002), Music Director of The Waynflete Singers (1987-2002), Master of the Music at Westminster Cathedral, Musical Director of the Alexandra Choir (1980-1987), Associate Conductor and then Artistic Director of the Philharmonia Chorus (1986-1997), Director of Music at John’s College, Cambridge (2003-2007, in succession to Christopher Robinson). He was assumed the presidency of the Incorporated Association of Organists, succeeding Catherine Ennis. He was succeeded at St John's by Andrew Nethsingha.
Renowned for his fine musicianship, David Hill is widely respected as both a choral and orchestral conductor. His talent has been recognised by his appointments as the 9th Musical Director (Chief Conductor) of The BBC Singers (from September 2007, succeeding Stephen Cleobury), Musical Director of The Bach Choir (from April 1998), Music Director (Chief Conductor) of Southern Sinfonia, Music Director of Leeds Philharmonic Society and Associate Guest conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate by the University of Southampton in 2002 in recognition of his Services to Music.
David Hill has appeared as guest conductor with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Zagreb Philharmonic, Ulster Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Sinfonia 21, Northern Sinfonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra and Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg as well as the Netherlands Radio Choir and RIAS-Kammerchor, Berlin. His commitment to new music has led to his conducting first performances of works by Judith Bingham, Carl Rütti, Francis Pott, Patrick Gowers, Jonathan Harvey, Philip Moore and Naji Hakim, Sir John Tavener and Philip Wilby amongst others.April 2012.
David Hill is in great demand for choral training workshops worldwide and his handbook on the subject Giving Voice was published in 1995. He is a choral advisor to music publishers Novello, for whom he has edited a number of publications. As an organist, David Hill has given recitals in most of the major venues in the UK and has toured extensively abroad.
David has made more than 80 recordings, including many award-winners, can be found on the for Decca/Argo, Hyperion, Naxos and Virgin Classics labels. The discs span repertoire from the Renaissance to the present day., from Thomas Tallis to Sir John Tavener, including Gabriel Fauré's Requiem and Edward Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. His recording of Victoria's O quam gloriosum won a Gramophone Award and he received a Grammy as Chorus Master for William Walton's Belshazzar's Feast. Recent CD releases with The Bach Choir include Delius's A Mass of Life with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the third in a series of recordings of English choral music for Naxos. With The Bach Choir David Hill has also contributed to the film sound tracks of Kingdom of Heaven, The Chronicles of Narnia and Shrek the Third.
At the 2012 BBC Proms David Hill conducted The Bach Choir, BBC Singers, National Youth Choir of Great Britain, and children from The Bach Choir's Outreach Project in The Angry Planet, a Bach Choir commission from leading contemporary composer, Bob Chilcott. His future plans include a busy season of concerts, recordings and tours with The Bach Choir and the BBC Singers. |
