David Hill

David Hill is Director of Music at St John’s College, Cambridge and Chief Conductor Designate of The BBC Singers.

He also holds the posts of Musical Director of The Bach Choir, Chief Conductor of The Southern Sinfonia and Music Director of Leeds Philharmonic Society. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate by the University of Southampton in 2002 in recognition of his services to Music.

Born in Carlisle in 1957 and educated at Chetham’s School of Music he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at the age of 17. David Hill took an organ scholarship to St John’s College, Cambridge under the direction of Dr George Guest. Alongside organ studies with tutors including Gillian Weir and Peter Hurford he conducted the University Opera Society and Cambridge University Music Society’s orchestra. David Hill’s previous posts have included Master of the Music at Winchester Cathedral (1987-2002), Music Director of The Waynflete Singers (1987-2002) Master of the Music at Westminster Cathedral, Musical Director of the Alexandra Choir (1980-87), Associate Conductor and then Artistic Director of the Philharmonia Chorus (1986-1997). He regularly gives choral training workshops and summer schools in the UK and overseas: His handbook on the subject Giving Voice was published in 1995 and he is a choral advisor to music publishers Novello for whom he has edited a number of publications. As an organist, David Hill has given recitals in most of the major venues in the UK and has toured extensively abroad. In February 2005 he gave one of the last recitals on the organ at the Royal Festival Hall before the venue closed for refurbishment.

He has a broad-ranging discography of over 70 recordings for Decca/Argo, Hyperion, Naxos and Virgin Classics. Conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Brandenburg Consort, City of London Sinfonia, Parley of Instruments and BBC Singers as well as the choirs of Westminster and Winchester Cathedrals and St John’s College, Cambridge. His recordings cover repertoire from Thomas Tallis to John Tavener and include the Fauré Requiem, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius and Finzi’s Intimations of Immortality. His recording of Victoria’s O Quam Gloriosum won a Gramophone Award and the same composer’s O Magnum Mysterium, Requiem and Tenebrae Responsories are Gramophone Critic’s choices. He received a Grammy as Chorus Master for Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast.

David Hill has long-standing relationships with The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers with whom he has conducted a wide range of repertoire. He has also appeared with The London Philharmonic, The Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Zagreb Philharmonic, Ulster Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra, The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Sinfonia 21, the Northern Sinfonia, The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Choir and RIAS Kammerchor, Berlin. He made his BBC Proms debut with the world premiere of Sir John Tavener’s Song of the Cosmos with The Bach Choir and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in 2001. His commitment to new music has led to him commissioning works from Judith Bingham, Francis Pott, Patrick Gowers, Jonathan Harvey, Philip Moore and Naji Hakim amongst others.