Graham Ross (musician)

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Graham Ross
Born (1985-04-29) 29 April 1985 (age 38)
Surrey, England
NationalityBritish
Alma materClare College, Cambridge
Royal College of Music
Occupation(s)Conductor, composer
Websitewww.grahamross.com

Graham Ross (born 29 April 1985) is a British conductor and composer. Since 2010 he has been the director of Choir of Clare College, Cambridge.

Early life and education[edit]

Ross began his training as a treble, pianist, organist and violinist. He read music at Clare College, Cambridge, studying composition with Giles Swayne, and conducting at London's Royal College of Music,[1] studying with Peter Stark and Robin O'Neill. In 2004, whilst at Cambridge, he co-founded The Dmitri Ensemble,[2] a performing group based around a string ensemble, of which he is Principal Conductor.[3] Ross held a conducting scholarship with the London Symphony Chorus from 2008 to 2009.

Conductor[edit]

From 2008 to 2010 Ross was Musical Director of Concordia Chamber Choir and Kingston Choral Society.[4][5] In 2010, he made his BBC Proms debut, with opera work taking him to Jerusalem,[6] Aldeburgh, and Musique-Cordiale, Provence.[7] Since 2013 he has been principal conductor at the Musique-Cordiale International Festival in the Pays de Fayence, France each August and at its UK concerts in Kent each autumn.[8]

Ross has been Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master for Sir Roger Norrington, Diego Masson, Edward Gardner, Sir Mark Elder, Ivor Bolton, Richard Tognetti, Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Vladimir Jurowski and Sir Colin Davis.

Choir of Clare College, Cambridge[edit]

Since 2010 he has directed the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge,[9] with whom he has toured across Europe, the United States of America, Asia and Australia, including performances at Washington's Library of Congress[10] and Sydney Opera House. In the role he has established the Clare College Masterclass Series, Friends of Clare Music scheme and the Clare Choir Alumni Association.[11] In 2016 he appointed the college's first female organ scholar.[12]

Guest conductor[edit]

Ross has conducted the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra,[13] Ars Nova Copenhagen, Aurora Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra,[14] BBC Singers,[15] Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra,[16] London Mozart Players, London Philharmonic Orchestra,[17] Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment,[18] Set Norske Blåseenemble (Norwegian Wind Ensemble) and Southbank Sinfonia.

He has worked with soloists including Raphael Wallfisch, Richard Tognetti, Jennifer Pike,[19] Laura van der Heijden and Guy Johnston.

Premiere recordings and performances[edit]

Ross has conducted world premiere recordings by James MacMillan,[20] Giles Swayne, Judith Bingham, Nico Muhly, Brett Dean, Matthew Martin and Imogen Holst, and premiere performances of works by Toby Hession, John Rutter, Cecilia McDowall,[21] Gabriel Jackson, Jocelyn Pook and others.

Recordings[edit]

Ross's discography includes recordings with The Dmitri Ensemble and the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, for Naxos Records[22] and, since 2010, Harmonia Mundi USA.[23]

A selection of recordings by Graham Ross
Year Album Label Artists
2009 Seven Last Words from the Cross Naxos The Dimitri Ensemble
2010 Stabat Mater: The Silent Land Naxos The Dimitri Ensemble, Raphael Wallfisch
2011 Judith Bingham: Organ Music Naxos Tom Winpenny, The Dimitri Ensemble
2012 Imogen Holst: Choral Works Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, The Dimitri Ensemble
2013 Veni Emmanuel: Music for Advent Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge
2014 Lux de caelo: Music for Christmas Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, The Dimitri Ensemble
2014 Stabat Mater Dolorosa: Music for Passiontide Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge
2015 Ascendit Deus: Music for Ascensiontide & Pentecost Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge and The Dimitri Ensemble
2015 Chamber Symphonies: Shostakovich, Rudolf Barshai Harmonia Mundi The Dimitri Ensemble
2015 Requiem: Music for All Saints and All Souls Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge
2016 Cantica Sacra: Lydia Kakabadse Divine Art Choir of Clare College, Cambridge
2016 Remembrance: Duruflé, Tavener, Elgar Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge
2016 Haec Dies: Music for Easter Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, Matthew Jorysz
2016 Mater ora folium: Music for Epiphany Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, Michael Papadopoulos
2016 Music at Westminster: From Tallis to Britten Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge
2017 Pange lingua: Music for Corpus Christi Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge
2017 Reformation 1517-2017 Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, Clare Baroque Ensemble, Margaret Faultless
2018 O lux Beata Trinitas: Music for Trinity and Ordinary Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge
2020 A Ceremony of Carols: with Bridge, Holst, Ireland Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, Carter Eleanor, Ashley Show, Tanya Houghton
2020 Arvo Pärt: Pēteris Vasks, James MacMillan Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, The Dimitri Ensemble
2022 Iceland, The Eternal Music: S. Saevarsson, J. Leafs, A. Thorvaldsdóttir Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, The Dimitri Ensemble, Carolyn Sampson
2023 Rolling River: American Choral Harmonia Mundi Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, Iestyn Davies
2023 Vidi Speciosam Signum Classics The Bevan Family Consort

Awards and recognition[edit]

Composer[edit]

As a composer, Ross has written over one hundred works for a wide variety of genres that have been broadcast and performed by Aurora Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Barry Humphries, BBC Concert Orchestra, saxophonist Anthony Brown,[27] City of London Sinfonia, Covent Garden Chamber Orchestra,[28] National Youth Choir of Great Britain, Park Lane Group, Patricia Rozario, Solstice Quartet, and many choirs in the UK.

He is published by Novello & Co,[29] Oxford University Press,[30] Encore Publications[31] and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.[32]

Other work[edit]

Ross is Artistic Director of Fringe in the Fen, a biennial music and arts festival in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire, raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.[33] He is a Patron of the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music.[34] Ross has worked extensively in outreach projects, including projects for Wigmore Hall,[35] BBC Singers, Sue Perkins, and Turtle Song, a song-writing project with Alzheimer's and dementia sufferers for English Touring Opera.[36] In 2015, he represented the UK as adjudicator for the Malta International Choir Festival.[37] In 2017 he was one of 50 signatories on a letter asking for a reversal of a ban on external hirers of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, the "Musician's Church".[38]

See also[edit]

  • Gramophone magazine interview, December 2016, p16-18 [1]
  • Choir and Organ magazine interview, January 2020, p15-18 [2]
  • Crosseyed Pianist interview, May 2020 [3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Will Gore (8 October 2002). "Expect good conduct". Kingston Guardian. London, UK. p. 30.
  2. ^ Fiona Maddocks (7 December 2014). "Carols from the Old & New Worlds Vol 3 CD review – gleaming clarity". The Observer. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Graham Ross Interview - CompositionToday.Com". Compositiontoday.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  4. ^ "About us | Kingston Choral Society". Kingstonchoralsociety.org.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  5. ^ Will Gore (8 October 2002). "Expect good conduct". Kingston Guardian. London, UK. p. 30.
  6. ^ "Choir of London - About". Choiroflondon.org. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  7. ^ "What made Così fan tutte unforgettable? The arrival of a singing dog". Blogs.telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010.
  8. ^ "Summer Festivals 2015". Gramaphone magazine. London, UK: MA Publications. April 2015. p. 39.
  9. ^ "Graham Ross the director of music". Clare.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  10. ^ Anne Midgette (7 December 2014). "More than just Fine: Clare College choir offers packed program to end LoC festival". The Washington Post.
  11. ^ "Graham Ross the director of music". Clare.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  12. ^ Graham Ross (January 2020). "Life within life". Choir and Organ (No. 1 ed.). London: MA Music. p. 18.
  13. ^ "PÅSKEKONCERT: HAYDN - AFLYST". aalborgsymfoni.dk. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  14. ^ "At the foot of the cross". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Performances of Graham Ross at BBC Singers". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Christmas Concert: Handel's Messiah". gso.se. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  17. ^ "The Lark Ascending". brightondome.org. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  18. ^ "HANDEL DIXIT DOMINUS AND BACH MAGNIFICAT". oae.co.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Past concerts". hertfordshirechamberorchestra.org.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  20. ^
  21. ^ Cecilia McDowell. "Archive events". ceciliamcdowall.co.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  22. ^ "Graham Ross- Bio, Albums, Pictures – Naxos Classical Music". Naxos.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  23. ^ Graham Ross (24 March 2016). "Music for Easter – 10 of the best". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Graham Ross". Classical-music.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  25. ^ "HMmobile". www.harmoniamundi.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Graham Ross conductor". ikonarts.com. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  27. ^ John Lewis (5 May 2023). "Adjunct Ensemble: Sovereign Bodies/Ritual Taxonomy review – a disorientating act of resistance". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  28. ^ "About us". cgco.org.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  29. ^ "Catalogue". wisemusicclassical.com. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  30. ^ "The Oxford Book of Flexible Carols". global.oup.com. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  31. ^ "Publications Introduction". encorepublications.com. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  32. ^ "Spectrum for Piano Duet". shop.abrsm.org. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  33. ^ "Fringe in the Fen 2011 - Festival of music and art". www.fringeinthefen.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 November 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  34. ^ "London Festival of Contemporary Church MusicPatrons". London Festival of Contemporary Church Music. 4 March 2013.
  35. ^ "Graham Ross". wigmore-hall.org.uk. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  36. ^ "Turtle Song". rcm.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  37. ^ "Malta International Choir Festival". Maltachoirfest.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  38. ^ "Reverse this concert ban at our musicians' church". The Guardian. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2023.

External links[edit]

Preceded by Director of Music,
Clare College, Cambridge
2010– 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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