Philip Lawson is a British choral conductor, composer and arranger. For 18 years he was a

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

with the

King's Singers The King's Singers are a British a cappella Choir, vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College, Cambridge, King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six Choir of King's College, Cambridge, chor ...

and the group's principal arranger for the last fifteen years of that period. In 2009 the group's album "Simple Gifts", on which Lawson arranged 10 out of 15 tracks, won the

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

award for "Best Classical Crossover Album". In February 2012, he left the King's Singers to concentrate on his writing career.

Background

Philip Lawson was born in

Crawley Crawley () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a populat ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

, England, and attended

Hazelwick School Hazelwick School is a co-educational comprehensive school with academy status for pupils aged 11 to 18, located in Crawley, West Sussex, England. Its alumni include former footballer and England manager Gareth Southgate and comedian Romesh Ranga ...

. He was not from a musical family but a chance meeting introduced him to the boys' choir of Worth Church which sparked his interest in music. He went on to study music at the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...

under

Wilfrid Mellers Wilfrid Howard Mellers (26 April 1914 – 17 May 2008) was an English music critic, musicologist and composer. Early life Born in Leamington, Warwickshire, Mellers was educated at the local Leamington College and later won a scholarship to Dow ...

and to sing counter-tenor in the choir of

York Minster York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...

, under Francis Jackson.Official website CV

Singing career

Lawson switched from

counter-tenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a sp ...

to baritone in 1978 at the age of 21. He moved to London upon graduating and worked for 3 years as a soloist and with choirs including The

BBC Singers The BBC Singers is a professional British chamber choir, employed by the BBC. Its origins can be traced to 1924. One of the six BBC Performing Groups, the BBC Singers are based at the BBC Maida Vale Studios in London. The only full-time profes ...

, The Taverner Choir,

Opera Rara Opera Rara is a London-based opera company and recording label which specialises in recording and performing forgotten operatic repertoire from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1970 by bel canto enthusiasts Patric Schmid and Don Whi ...

and the choirs of

St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, and

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ), formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, is a Church of England cathedral in Southwark, London, near the south bank of the River Thames and close to London Bridge. It is the mother c ...

. From 1982 to 1993, Lawson was a Lay Clerk in

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...

Choir under Richard Seal and from 1989 was Director of Music of Chafyn Grove Preparatory School. During this time he also performed many times with

The Sixteen The Sixteen (previously known as the Symphony of Harmony and Invention) are a British choir and period instrument orchestra. Founded by Harry Christophers, they started as an unnamed group of sixteen friends in 1977, giving their first bille ...

, the

English Concert The English Concert is a baroque orchestra playing on period instruments based in London. Founded in 1972 and directed from the harpsichord by Trevor Pinnock for 30 years, it is now directed by harpsichordist Harry Bicket. Nadja Zwiener has ...

and CM90, and worked as pianist and arranger for a local dance band. In June 1993, Lawson successfully auditioned for the part of second baritone with The

, replacing founder-member Simon Carrington. In 1996 he volunteered to fill the vacancy for first baritone, and continued to sing this part until his departure in February 2012.King's Singers Official Website. Former singers section.

Composing and arranging

Lawson contributed over 50 arrangements to the repertoire of The King's Singers. He has 10 arrangements on the group's

winning album "Simple Gifts", recorded in 2008 at the studio of

Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

lead guitarist

Francis Rossi Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, (born 29 May 1949) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, lead singer, lead guitarist and the sole continuous member of the rock band Status Quo. Early life Rossi was born on 29 May 1949 in Fo ...

. In 2000, Lawson was nominated for a Grammy for Best Classical Crossover Album "Circle Of Life" (Kiss From A Rose; Kokomo; It Had To Be You, Etc.) (Album). Eight years later in 2008, he won a Grammy for the album "Simple Gifts", winning Best Classical Crossover Album at the Grammy Award Ceremony held in Los Angeles in February 2009. Lawson also wrote the lyrics to "Born on a New Day", the highly successful Christmas version of the King's Singers hit arrangement of "You are the New Day". Lawson is also a composer of choral music in his own right with more than 250 published titles. Most of his works are in print with

Hal Leonard Corporation Hal Leonard LLC (formerly Hal Leonard Corporation) is an American music publishing and distribution company founded in Winona, Minnesota, by Harold "Hal" Edstrom, his brother, Everett "Leonard" Edstrom, and fellow musician Roger Busdicker. Cur ...

in the US, but he also has works published by

OUP Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second-oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were foun ...

Boosey and Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher, purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and woodwind musical instruments. Formed in 1930 throu ...

Walton Music GIA Publications, Inc. is a major publisher of hymnals, other sacred music, and music education materials that is currently located in Chicago. The organization was initially the publishing arm of the Gregorian Institute of America (1941–1965); ...

Peters Edition Peters may refer to: People * Peters (surname) * Peters Band, a First Nations band in British Columbia, Canada Places United States * Peters, California, a census-designated place * Peters, Florida, a town * Peters Township, Kingman County, Ka ...

The Lorenz Corporation The Lorenz Corporation, previously known as Lorenz Publishing Company, is a music publisher located in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It is best known for its publication of church music Church music is a genre of Christian music written for ...

Morningstar Music Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...

Pavane Publications The ''pavane'' ( ; , ''padovana''; ) is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century (Renaissance). The pavane, the earliest-known music for which was published in Venice by Ottaviano Petrucci, in Joan Ambrosio Dalza's ...

, Alliance Music, Banks Music,

Alfred Music Alfred Music is an American music publishing company. Founded in New York in 1922, it is headquartered in Van Nuys, California, with additional branches in Miami, New York, Germany, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. History In New York Cit ...

, Encore Publications and Schoolplay Productions.

Conducting

Since September 2016 Philip Lawson has been musical director of The Romsey Singers, a chamber choir based in Romsey, near Southampton, and in 2022 was appointed musical director of The Farrant Singers, a chamber choir in Salisbury founded by Richard Lloyd in 1958.

Teaching

Philip Lawson teaches choral singing, composing and arranging, working with choirs and a cappella groups in Europe and the US, and on an individual basis with young composers and arrangers. He spent ten years on the staff of the Vocal Department of

Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Bath and Wells and the mother church of the diocese of Bath and Wells. There are daily Church of England services in ...

specialist music school. He is a voice teacher at the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

. In 2014 and 2016, he was one of two lecturers at the European Seminar For Young Composers held in

Aosta Aosta ( , , ; ; , or ; or ) is the principal city of the Aosta Valley, a bilingual Regions of Italy, region in the Italy, Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel and the G ...

, Italy, sponsored by the Italian national choral foundation Feniarco, and by

Europa Cantat Logo The European Choral Association - Europa Cantat is a European choral organisation founded in 1963. It is the biggest European choral organisation with members in 40 European countries and 10 countries outside of Europe. It is a network of ch ...

. He has been described by ''Choir & Organ'' magazine as a "choral polymath".

Discography

Philip Lawson appears on all King's Singers recordings from 1994 to 2012:King's Singers Official Website.CDs/DVDs

As second baritone

* English Renaissance * Sermons and Devotions * Ligeti Nonsense Madrigals (part of the Sony Complete Ligeti collection) * Spirit Voices (includes guest artists

Bruce Johnston Bruce Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter and musician who is a member of the Beach Boys. He also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher (his bandmate in Bruce & Terry, the Rip Chords, and ...

Mike Love Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who is one of the vocalists of the Beach Boys, of which he was an original member alongside his cousins Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Carl Wilson and their frien ...

Midge Ure James "Midge" Ure (; born 10 October 1953) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s in bands including Slik, Thin Lizzy, ...

, Dewey Bunnell,

Gerry Beckley Gerald Linford Beckley (born September 12, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician, and a founding member of the band America (band), America. Early life Beckley was born to an American father and an English mother. He began pla ...

and James Warren)

As first baritone

CDs * Runnin' Wild (as guests of the

Boston Pops Orchestra The Boston Pops is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symphony Orc ...

, conductor

Keith Lockhart Keith Alan Lockhart (born November 7, 1959) is an American conductor. He is the Conductor of the Boston Pops orchestra, and the Artistic Director of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. Keith Lockhart, the conductor, is the brother of ...

) * Circle of Life (with the Metropol Orchestra, conductor

Carl Davis Carl Davis (October 28, 1936 – August 3, 2023) was an American-born British conductor and composer. He wrote music for more than 100 television programmes, notably the landmark ITV series '' The World at War'' (1973) and BBC's '' Pride and P ...

) –

nomination 2000 * Nightsong (with pianist

Roger Vignoles Roger Vignoles (born 12 July 1945), is a British pianist and accompanist. He regularly performs with the world's leading singers, including Kiri Te Kanawa, Thomas Allen, Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Hampson, Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, Sarah Walker, ...

) * Streetsongs (with percussionist

Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire, in Scotland. The i ...

) * Firewater (with

Andrew Lawrence-King Andrew Lawrence-King (born 3 September 1959) is a harpist and conductor from Guernsey known for his work in early music. Career Lawrence-King received an organ scholarship to Selwyn College, Cambridge, following on his work as head chorister at t ...

and the Harp Consort) * Music of the Beatles (with the

Cincinnati Pops Orchestra The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is a pops orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, founded in 1977 out of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Its members are also the members of the Cincinnati Symphony, and the Pops is managed by the sam ...

, conductor

Erich Kunzel Erich Kunzel Jr. (March 21, 1935 – September 1, 2009) was an American orchestra conductor. Called the "Prince of Pops" by the ''Chicago Tribune'', he performed with a number of leading pops and symphony orchestras, and led the Cincinnati ...

) * The Triumphs of Oriana * Christmas * Gesualdo Tenebrae Responsories * Treason and Dischord (with Concordia) * Sacred Bridges (with Sarband Ensemble) * Spem in Alium * The Quiet Heart * Landscape and Time * The Golden Age * Simple Gifts –

win 2009 – Best Crossover album * Live at the BBC Proms * Reflections * Romance du Soir * From the Heart * Pachelbel Vespers (with Charivari Ensemble) * Swimming over London * In this quiet moment * Christmas Oratorio (with the

WDR Big Band WDR Big Band is the jazz big band of German public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) in Cologne, Germany. History Origins After World War II, the ''Kölner Rundfunk-Tanzorchester'' (''Cologne Radio Dance Orchestra'') was active from ...

) * Joy to the world * High Flight * Light and Gold (with Eric Whitacre) –

win 2012 * Royal Rhymes and Rounds DVDs * A workshop video * From Byrd to the Beatles (live at Cadogan Hall) * Live at the BBC Proms – Midem award 2010 – Best Concert DVD * Joy to the world

References

External links

Philip Lawson official website

Gard Books website

The King's Singers website

Romsey Singers website

Farrant Singers website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, Philip 1957 births Living people Alumni of the University of York British composers British male singers People educated at Hazelwick School People from Crawley The King's Singers members