English Motets

The Gesualdo Six is a vocal consort comprised of some of the UK’s finest young consort singers, directed by Owain Park. Formed in March 2014 for a performance of Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories for Maundy Thursday in the chapel of Trinity College, Cambridge, the group went on to give over 60 performances around the United Kingdom and abroad in its first three years. Over this time, The Gesualdo Six further developed a passion for ensemble singing that for many of them stemmed from formative years as choristers in churches and cathedrals around the country.

Whilst initially focusing on early music, concert programmes began to reflect a desire to include more modern repertoire and now renaissance polyphony is often juxtaposed with works by composers including György Ligeti and Joanna Marsh amongst others. In 2016 The Gesualdo Six successfully curated its first Composition Competition, supported by St John’s Smith Square and the Music Sales group of companies, attracting 174 entries from around the world. In 2019 over three hundred composers entered the second edition of the Composition Competition, with the winning works by Alison Willis and Jacob Beranek receiving their world premieres at Cadogan Hall in London.