Composer and conductor. Tweets by the team unless signed JR.
Cambridgeshire, UK
- Tweets 2,728
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- Followers 21,189
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If Latvia (pop. < 2 million) can support a thriving full-time professional chamber choir of 24 singers, is it too much to ask that in Britain (pop. ±70 million) our national broadcaster should be able to support the 18 members of the BBC Singers? JR
change.org/p/stop-the-planne…
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Gosh! I never expected the honour, and I never expected such a generous response to the news. I wish I could thank everyone individually, but please accept this message as heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all. I feel encouraged and uplifted. JR
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Music education isn’t a frill to be left to the private sector and open only to those who can pay, it’s at the heart of what makes us human and civilised. Any politicians reading this? JR bit.ly/2MhkxgV
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Choral music is not one of life's frills. It's something that goes to the very heart of our humanity, our sense of community, and our souls. JR
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Singing in a choir is a powerful expression of our culture and humanity, and it cannot be allowed to fade away. JR theguardian.com/music/2020/j…
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With thanks to all who raised their voice bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment…
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Gabriel Fauré died on this day, 100 years ago.
Exquisite songs and chamber music - and a Requiem that has been a companion on my life's journey, a vision of heavenly beauty. JR
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Some two million people in the UK engage in choral singing, and they are desperately missing this pillar of our national life. JR spectator.co.uk/article/sos-…
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A fond farewell to church music's only knight, an honour he so richly deserved. We are all in his debt, and must be grateful that his legacy is in such safe hands at King's College. Nunc dimittis, Stephen. JR
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Class singing at school when I was four was how it began. I didn’t just like it; I loved it. I looked forward to it so much and wondered why all school wasn’t like that. JR
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Choral music is not one of life's frills. It's something that goes to the very heart of our humanity, our sense of community, and our souls. JR
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For me one of the loveliest about Christmas is that the noise of the world is still for just a few days and we can focus on the things that really matter - family and friends, and for me, music, because music is what binds us all together. JR
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If you have a young niece, nephew or grandchild who has got some sort of spark in their eye and a musical gift, why not consider membership of a cathedral or collegiate choir? It is the best leg up in life which is available in the education system in this country. JR
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Even a mundane rehearsal, if done well, will cause you to leave the rehearsal walking on air. That, in such a troubled world is a very powerful thing.
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Choirs have a very special place in my life and in my heart, and the sound of choirs is always there in my head. JR
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I would recommend any composer to get out there and conduct. You soon learn as a conductor what works and what doesn’t work, in terms of acoustic balance, in terms of pacing and structure, in terms of how well you’re writing for your forces. JR
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Christmas is always a busy time for us musicians, but a happy time too, and I hope it is happy for all of you. Enjoy the music and the magic of Christmas! JR
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Choirs have a very special place in my life and in my heart, and the sound of choirs is always there in my head. JR
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A church or a school without a choir is like a body without a soul. ow.ly/eWTM30f0Gv2 #worldsingingday
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Prompted by the terrible events in the Ukraine, I composed a setting, for a cappella choir, of an anonymous Ukrainian prayer. I hope the meaning of the text will resonate in people's hearts and reach out to the people of Ukraine in their hour of need. JR piped.video/lJl3kVwl2-U
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I was delighted that 'The Lord bless you and keep you' was chosen to be a part of such a happy and joyous occasion as the #RoyalWedding. Here's the story behind its composition: bit.ly/2IBBowI JR
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In Cambridge, you can have a treat, any day of any week — just walk in off the street and listen to a choral evensong. JR
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The thing that strikes me most strongly when I go around the country taking Come and Sing days is how people feel in some way lifted up and their troubles have gone. They just feel more whole, somehow more complete. Walking on air at the end of the day. JR
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The thing that strikes me most strongly when I go around the country taking Come and Sing days is how people feel in some way lifted up and their troubles have gone. They just feel more whole, somehow more complete. Walking on air at the end of the day. JR
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Please sign this official petition NOW, even if you have signed another. This one will ensure a parliamentary debate, and expose the absurdity of the DCMS position on amateur choirs
petition.parliament.uk/petit…
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Music and singing should be at the heart of our educational system, not somewhere out on the margins. JR hamishogstonfoundation.org/n…
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I am immensely the richer for having been David Willcocks's student, assistant, and friend. JR
bit.ly/davidwillcocks
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To all professionals in the performing arts world, join & post a photo of you in your job. Just a picture, no description. The goal is to flood social media with our profession. Copy the text and post an image. #SaveTheArts #LetTheMusicPlay
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Keep up the pressure !
NEW LETTER:
The chief conductors of *ALL* the European radio choirs are uniting against the planned closure of the @BBCSingers!
We urge those responsible @BBC to reconsider. This world-class choir must be at the centre of any new strategy for choral music.
#WeAreTheBBCSingers
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I’m not sure we will be travelling a straight and shining road back to musical normality – there may be bumps in that road and wrong turnings – but we, the musical community, must not be daunted. JR bit.ly/JRreasonstobecheerful
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An email into the office today enquiring about the next 'Come and Sin' day. I wonder what they're expecting...
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You always go out of a choir rehearsal charged up with energy. Your stresses will melt away when you sing. ow.ly/qIVb30g7ZxG
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An inspiring launch for a premier-league choir that will be a cornerstone member of the great Cambridge family of choirs. The next challenge is to build an endowment to secure its long-term future. JR
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Yippee, my new website has just been launched! A phenomenal design team has worked tirelessly to make it easy to use, elegant, and comprehensive - everything you might want to know about me, my music, my recordings and myevents. Dip in and browse . . . johnrutter.com
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The boy choristers of York Minster, after a transcendent performance of my new Missa Brevis at the morning Eucharist under the inspirational leadership of Robert Sharpe, with gloriously played accompaniment from Ben Morris.
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To this day tears come to my eyes when I conduct the 'In paradisum' from Fauré's Requiem. JR bit.ly/2yYrFd1
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Reflections on a royal funeral from a musician’s-eye view. JR bit.ly/RoyalFuneralJohnRutte…
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Music has extraordinary powers. I hope it remains at the heart of all of our worship in this country and that it has an honoured place in our concert life. JR
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#Choralmusic is not one of life's frills. It's something that goes to the very heart of our humanity. ow.ly/wGQV30f0SLb
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Bach's music has an absolutely perfect balance of head, heart and spirit. JR
On this day in 1750, the world lost its greatest composer. J.S. Bach was just sixty-five when he died and was still composing despite the illnesses that blighted his final years. To think of the treasures lost to the world by his untimely death! #jsbach
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My advice to budding composers is to write the music that’s in your heart and never stop seeking to improve your technique. JR
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Christmas may be the one time when some people hear choirs at all, which makes Christmas music so important in the same way that film music can open a window into orchestral music for those who wouldn't normally venture into a concert hall. JR bit.ly/2Sa4RxW
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The biggest project of my entire career is about to come to fruition with the publication in November of Sacred Choruses, a 384-page volume I have been working on as editor for the past two years. JR bit.ly/2OU3K4s
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I’m not sure where the intervening years have all gone, but in a way I’m still that kid doodling at the piano with his inventions, only now I get paid for it. JR bit.ly/2Jt3yKW
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Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without carols. Turkey and Christmas pudding are fine but, for me, what makes Christmas perfect is the music. JR theguardian.com/lifeandstyle…
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When I first heard 'In paradisum' from Fauré's Requiem, I remember experiencing an uncanny feeling that it would be a dear friend and companion on my life’s journey (it is). JR bit.ly/2F9pl8F
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We asked students: "Does school choir matter?" Watch the video and share if you like their answers! thndr.me/gRyuPp
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Melody is important to me – I think music should be rooted in the two fundamental human activities of song and dance – and so I would describe myself as half composer, half songwriter. JR
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It was an unexpected pleasure to be invited earlier this year by my young colleague @annalapwood to serve as recording producer for her new album with the excellent Pembroke College Girls' Choir. It's full of good things! JR
annalapwood.lnk.to/TheWaitin…
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"Music tuition should be a blessing for all, not simply the preserve of the blessed." - Patrick Gale
bit.ly/2LVWrvq
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Christmas is a glorious mish-mash of sacred and secular and I wouldn’t wish it any other way. JR
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An inspiring Choral Evensong today from the choir of @SKDKennington at Selwyn College chapel, Cambridge
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This needs to be widely read and considered. JR
Unbelievable but all too true account of astonishing ineptness and downright toxicity @bbc that led to the axing of the BBC Singers and slashing of BBC orchestras. You couldn’t make it up. slippedisc.com/2023/03/leake…
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Looking forward to listening to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, from King's College, Cambridge on @BBCRadio4. Wishing @SJCleobury well as he conducts this special service - in its centenary year - for the final time before he retires.
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My friend John Tavener died on this day in 2013. We remember him and his music with profound gratitude. His gifts were extraordinary. JR bit.ly/37728xQ
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"Who were your early teachers and influences?"
They were the teachers at my school. Not coming from a musical family there was no music-making in our home – no family string quartet or singing around the piano – but there was plenty of music at school.
johnrutter.com/latest-blog/q…
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I was a member of the Highgate School Boys Choir in the original 1963 recording of the Benjamin Britten War Requiem. It's a cherished memory, and one that I'm very happy to be sharing with you now. JR
gramophone.co.uk/classical%2…
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Remembering David Willcocks on what would have been his 100th birthday: bit.ly/davidwillcocks
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I only thought the Shepherd's Pipe Carol would get one performance by my school chapel choir. I never thought that the shepherd would still be piping on in 2018. JR
YouTube: bit.ly/2C2CQTQ
Spotify: spoti.fi/2C47g8o
Apple Music: apple.co/2C2NIB4
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We wish you all a very merry Christmas. Here is a Christmas Day playlist for you to enjoy, wherever you are in the world:
buff.ly/4iTPCqr
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We shouldn’t have to use the term ‘classical’ almost like an apology. Classical music is our birthright and our heritage, and we should teach, value and nurture it. JR bit.ly/2MWOEdH
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The commitment and sense of sheer enjoyment from the choirs I have conducted around the world has been extraordinary. Are choral singers on to something that everyone else is missing? JR
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Over the years people have said to me "I'm like to play through some of your pieces just for solo piano. Would you do a set of transcriptions?" Taking advantage of the lockdown, that's exactly what I did. JR
bit.ly/JohnRutterPianoAlbum
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The extraordinarily beautiful acoustic of King's Chapel transforms any music sung in it. Here is 'All the stars looked down', sung by the @ChoirOfKingsCam.
buff.ly/4im2yoA
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As a Londoner born and bred, I always feel a particular connection with Handel as I walk past his house in Brook Street. Read more on my blog: bit.ly/Handelblogpost JR
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Choral singing transforms lives. It doesn’t just bring us face to face with a thousand-year tradition of great music, it has the power to make us whole, unlock our humanity, discover and express our souls. It gives us, literally, our voice in society. JR hamishogstonfoundation.org/n…
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The best advice I was ever given as a composer was “write the music that’s in your heart”. I’ve never forgotten that. JR ow.ly/NW3D30msNLW
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The carol which, for me, marks the start of Advent to perfection, in Vaughan Williams's unadorned and matchless arrangement. @ChoirOfKingsCam: ow.ly/fB2730gQ2gh #JRAdventCalendar
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Whilst many singers are likely to have sung from #CarolsforChoirs, it is unlikely that many know the story of its conception. blog.oup.com/2017/12/carols-…
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Music is a gift of nature, but it may well remain locked in a box until someone gives you the key to release it. JR bit.ly/2MhkxgV
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You never know who is going to stroll into a chapel and take away something that has changed their life and inspired them, brought light into darkness. JR
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Singing is a natural impulse, part of the fabric of our human corporate life, and we mustn’t discard it just because there are difficulties. JR theguardian.com/lifeandstyle…
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Carols are one of the oldest forms of English-language choral music because the 15th century church allowed them to be sung in the common tongue, at a time when religious services were conducted in Latin. bbc.in/2SWET1E
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People have often remarked that a lot of my choral writing is inspired by the idiom of the musical theatre, and I would absolutely put my hand up to that one. I think sacred music has always been nourished by music from the secular realm. JR
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It is imperative that we find a way for choirs in this country to resume as soon and as safely as we can. JR theguardian.com/music/2020/j…
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We've sent the score for A Ukrainian Prayer to over 1,400 choirs around the world. Contact the team if you'd like to receive it for free.
johnrutter.com/contact-us
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Where would we be without 'How lovely are thy dwellings' by Brahms? I had it at my wedding and I've loved it ever since, recently including it in Sacred Choruses (published by @OUPMusic). Listen on Spotify: spoti.fi/2DB8wBE JR
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The wheel of fashion needs a spin to rediscover music as the newest, brightest idea in education. It’s not a frill, it needs to be at the centre. JR bit.ly/2BYQ82X
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Two years in the making and finally published - Sacred Choruses, the latest volume I've edited in the Oxford Choral Classics series: bit.ly/2xKXGoh
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Choirs have a very special place in my life and in my heart, and the sound of choirs is always there in my head. ow.ly/ff7j30dS14u
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I have sung, conducted or just listened to 'The heavens are telling' from The Creation many times, and it still thrills me every time: music as fresh as the day it was written, filled with splendour, majesty, and excitement. JR bit.ly/30WWprm
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My first school report, kept for years by my parents, said ‘John sings well . . . if he sings softly’. JR johnrutter.com/latest-blog/q…
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Music exists in time, but ideas come in short blinding flashes, like lightning briefly illuminating a dark landscape. You have to stretch them out, like a ball of chewing gum pulled out to make a long string. JR
bit.ly/3aLwBTU
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Music brings together all the different bits of us in a way that I don't think any other art quite does. It speaks to everybody in a different way. I can't imagine one single day of my life without it. bit.ly/2q4Ol67
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Sacred and secular come together in a rather unique way at Christmas. There's nothing like it the whole rest of the year. JR
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It's always an exciting moment when a project that you've been working on for two years finally comes to fruition. #SacredChoruses is being published tomorrow by @OUPMusic: bit.ly/2xKXGoh
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