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Salt Lakers love the king'singers
Beloved sextet to offer everything from madrigals to movie tunes
By Edward Reichel
Deseret News music critic
The king'singers certainly need no introduction. For more than 30 years now, the British group has been doing what it does best — entertaining its audiences with everything from Renaissance madrigals to movie tunes, and all done in the group's unique style.
And though the spelling of "king'singers" has been updated and all of the original members have long gone their separate ways, some things have remained constant for the past three decades — the quality of the performances and the group's desire to give audiences what they want to hear.
"We have very high standards, never sit back on our laurels (and) constantly sing new music alongside the classics," countertenor Robin Tyson said during an e-mail interview.
Tyson, who along with fellow countertenor David Hurley, tenor Paul Phoenix, baritones Gabriel Crouch and Philip Lawson, and bass Stephen Connolly comprise the king'singers, added that the group tries to cater to all tastes. "We try to make what we do appealing to classical music fans, jazz aficionados, pop junkies — those who just want a good night out, young, old, everyone. But the No. 1 thing is, we have fun, and this comes through to the audiences . . . we hope!"
Salt Lake City fell under the spell of the king'singers many years ago. And on Saturday, Feb. 23, local concertgoers will once again have the chance to see these vocal magicians, when they appear with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. "Everyone always looks forward to coming as a real highlight," said Tyson. "Salt Lake City ranks as one of our major fan bases in the States," partly because of the group's past concerts with the choir.
For Tyson, who joined the king'singers a year ago, Saturday's concert will be the first time he'll be singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which he said has "built up a great reputation for polished performances, and are without doubt one of the best large choirs around. I can well imagine what it's like to have them behind you as you sing."
Saturday's concert, which is part of the Cultural Arts Festival, will feature a program mirroring the international character of the Olympic Games. Tyson said the king'singers will be collaborating with the choir and orchestra in excerpts from "An Atlantic Bridge,"arranged by Mormon Tabernacle Choir assistant-conductor Mack Wilberg, and in "Canticle of Praise," by Rene Clausen. The king'singers will also perform some traditional jazz pieces with the orchestra. "And we will, of course, sing on our own in some jazz and folk-song arrangements, which reflect the global nature of the Olympics," Tyson said.
The king'singers have a vast repertoire from which to chose, and finding the appropriate music for a specific concert usually isn't too hard. "(Our) library has around 2,000 pieces of music," Tyson said, "and we have a large enough repertoire to be able to sing in many different styles."
For the king'singers, having a huge body of works comes in handy, allowing the group to tailor its concerts to a specific locale or occasion. "We try to predict what type of person will be coming to the concert," Tyson said. "(And) the venue is important, too. We will obviously sing different music if we sing in a church one night, theater the next and the Hollywood Bowl the next."
The king'singers are one of the busiest groups around, performing well over 100 concerts a year. The group recently returned home to England from a tour of France, Italy, Germany and Holland, "getting to grips with the new Euro currency," Tyson said. And the Salt Lake concert marks the start of a three-week U.S. tour that'll take them through West and Midwest.
Before joining the king'singers in January 2001, Tyson was a much sought-after singer in Europe, performing baroque operas and oratorios as well as contemporary music. But since signing on as the newest member of what unquestionably qualifies as one of the most popular vocal groups ever, Tyson has had to leave all that behind. But he doesn't mind. "It's wonderful to work in a group of intelligent, like-minded and dynamic musicians," he said.
Saturday's concert, which is free, is already completely booked, but standby tickets will be made available 15 minutes prior to the performance. The concert will be simulcast on KBYU-TV.
The king'singers will also sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on the "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast Sunday, Feb. 24.
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com
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February 17, 2002
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