Brian Christopher Kay (born 12 May 1944Debrett's People of Today - Brian Kay, Esq, authorise biography. Accessed 7 December 2012
/ref>) is an English radio presenter, conductor and singer. He is well-known as the

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

the King's Singers The King's Singers are a British a cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the ...

during the group's formative years from 1968 to 1982, and as such is to be heard on many of their 1970s recordings. He was also the voice of Papageno in the film '' Amadeus'' and the lowest frog in the

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

song "

We All Stand Together "We All Stand Together" (sometimes referred to as the Frog Song or the Frog Chorus) is a song by Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus. History "We All Stand Together" is from the animated film '' Rupert and the Frog Song'' and reached number thr ...

" ("The Frog's Chorus"). He is noted as a choral conductor, being the former conductor (and now president) of the Leith Hill Musical Festival and former director of the Huddersfield Choral Society. He is principal conductor of

the Really Big Chorus The Really Big Chorus (TRBC) is Britain's largest choral society, made up of singers from hundreds of different choirs all over the UK as well as thousands of individuals. It was founded by Don Monro, an Electrical Engineering lecturer (and clarinet ...

. On radio, he has been a presenter of '' Friday Night is Music Night'' on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

and until 2006 presented ''3 for All'' and ''Brian Kay's Light Programme'', a weekly programme about

light music Light music is a less-serious form of Western classical music, which originated in the 18th and 19th centuries and continues today. Its heyday was in the mid‑20th century. The style is through-composed, usually shorter orchestral pieces and ...

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

. In 1996 he won the

Sony Radio Award The Radio Academy Awards, started in 1983, were the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. For most of their existence, they were run by ZAFER Associates, but in latter years were brought under the control of The Radio Academy ...

as Music Presenter of the Year. He is a patron of

Bampton Classical Opera Bampton Classical Opera is an opera company based in Bampton, Oxfordshire and founded in 1993. It specialises in the production of lesser known opera from the Classical period. Performances are always sung in English. ''Opera today'' called the ...

and president of The English Arts Chorale, the Harrogate Choral Society and the Bristol Bach Choir. Kay is the vice president of the

Royal School of Church Music The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is a Christian music education organisation dedicated to the promotion of music in Christian worship, in particular the repertoire and traditions of Anglican church music, largely through publications, tr ...

and of th
Association of British Choral Directors

References

External links

Article about the cancellation of Brian Kay's Light Programme
1944 births Alumni of King's College, Cambridge BBC Radio 3 presenters British radio DJs British television presenters English conductors (music) British male conductors (music) Living people The King's Singers members 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century British male musicians Choral Scholars of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge {{UK-radio-bio-stub