“Ingeniously programmed and impeccably delivered, with that undefinable excitement that comes from a group of musicians working absolutely as one.” – Gramophone (2020)
The Gesualdo Six is an award-winning British vocal ensemble comprising some of the UK’s finest consort singers, directed by Owain Park. Praised for their imaginative programming and impeccable blend, the ensemble formed in 2014 for a performance of Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories in Cambridge and has gone on to perform at numerous major festivals across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. Notable highlights include a concert as part of the distinguished Deutschlandradio Debut Series, and collaborations with the Brodsky Quartet, London Mozart Players, Luxmuralis, William Barton and Matilda Lloyd.
The ensemble integrates educational work into its activities, regularly holding workshops for young musicians and composers. The Gesualdo Six has curated two Composition Competitions, with the 2019 edition attracting entries from over three hundred composers around the world. The group have recently commissioned new works from Joanna Ward, Kerensa Briggs, Deborah Pritchard, Joanna Marsh, and Richard Barnard alongside coronasolfège for 6 by Héloïse Werner.
Videos of the ensemble performing a diverse selection of works filmed in Ely Cathedral have been watched by millions online. The group released their debut recording English Motets on Hyperion Records in early 2018 to critical acclaim, followed by a festive album of seasonal favourites in late 2019, Christmas and an album of compline-themed music titled Fading which was awarded Vocal & Choral Recording of the Year 2020 by Limelight.
I felt something click when we came together to rehearse for the first time, and I don’t think we’ve looked back since then! The special feeling of hyper-engaged music-making, coupled with a good deal of enjoyment in each other’s company, has meant that this group has stuck together and embarked on an exciting journey.
I was born in Bristol, and started my musical training with piano lessons before becoming a chorister at St Mary Redcliffe Church. I then took up the organ and the trumpet, finding a love for improvisation in both. My organ playing took me to Wells Cathedral as Senior Organ Scholar and then to Trinity College Cambridge, where I studied music, learning orchestration with John Rutter before undertaking a Masters degree in composition.
My compositions are published by Novello, and I am privileged to have my music performed all around the world by ensembles including the Tallis Scholars and the Aurora Orchestra.
As a conductor, I work with ensembles including the BBC Singers, the Academy of Ancient Music, Cappella Cracoviensis, and Cambridge Chorale. I also enjoy teaching, and frequently give workshops and masterclasses for composers and singers alike.
I am a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists (FRCO), and was a Tenebrae Associate Artist for two seasons, and regularly work with ensembles including The Sixteen and Polyphony. www.owainpark.co.uk
Guy JamesCountertenor
Hello – I’m Guy, and I’m proud to be a founding member of The Gesualdo Six. Raised in Dursley in Gloucestershire, I am now based in London. Alongside my work with The Gesualdo Six I have developed a passion for the music, language and history of Italy, and thoroughly enjoy performing regularly with the Italian Ensemble Odhecaton.
I enjoy working with a range of other choirs and ensembles including Amici Voices and the RUPA ensemble and I deputise regularly with many London choirs including those of Westminster Cathedral, the Temple Church, and Westminster Abbey. I’m proud to have contributed to over 25 commercial CDs of choral music.
I have recently founded a new music project: Chapel Perilous, which debuted in 2019 with a programme of chamber works by John Tavener, Arvo Pärt, Hildegard von Bingen, and Giacinto Scelsi. Other recent solo appearances have included Bach’s ‘Mass in B minor’ with Solomon’s Knot, works by Purcell and Blow in Turin, and a recital of Gloucestershire songs for Remembrance.
When I’m not to be found reading or singing it’s likely that I will be practising or watching cricket, a pass-time I’ve enjoyed firmly establishing in the group’s culture in conjunction with group batting coach and baritone Michael Craddock.
Joseph WicksTenor
I have been singing with The Gesualdo Six ever since the first concert back in March 2014. At that time, I was Organ Scholar st St John’s College, Cambridge, where I was later to become Assistant Organist. I played the organ there for the world famous college choir for four years, enjoying tours, broadcasts and recordings alongside the daily pattern of services.
In 2017, I was appointed Assistant Director of Music at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall. During my time there, I accompanied the cathedral choir in a concert performance of Duruflé’s ‘Requiem’ live on BBC Radio 3 and recorded two CDs.
I carried on singing with G6 as much as possible, recording two CDs and touring widely during my Truro holidays. Having moved away from Cornwall in the summer of 2019, I am now able to fully commit to the group’s expanding diary while maintaining my career as an organist and choir trainer.
Aside from G6, I have sung for other groups including Alamire and Tenebrae, having graduated from The Sixteen’s training scheme Genesis Sixteen in 2013. I am now on the London circuit and continue to give organ recitals across the UK. I have my own choir called The Beaufort Singers who sing at the Boxgrove Choral Festival which I founded in 2018.
As far as hobbies are concerned, I share with my dad not just a passion for music, but also all things Formula One motor racing. www.joseph-wicks.co.uk
Josh CooterTenor
I have been singing with The Gesualdo Six since 2016 and love the variety that the group’s schedule brings. I started singing as a chorister at Chichester Cathedral, and later studied music at King’s College London. I now enjoy a busy ensemble career, enjoying singing for some of the UK’s most prestigious consorts such as The Sixteen and the Tallis Scholars.
I have also delved into the world of opera, with singing the title role in Rameau’s ‘Pygmalion’ at Brighton Early Music Festival a particular highlight. I also enjoy creating site-specific operas in venues like the V&A Museum (Tim Watts’s ’Kepler’s Trial’ with my G6 pals!) and at the Carinthia Hotel.
Never being one to say no to another portion of food, I am looking forward to our USA tour where hopefully I will also have time to curate my other two hobbies, climbing and trying to discover the newest bands to listen to.
Not just content with singing, I also teach the trombone and I would like to teach myself the harmonica in order to ultimately become the one man band I’ve always dreamed of…
Michael CraddockBaritone
In comparison to some of the other members of the group, some of whom practically came out of the womb singing, I came to music much later. I had fully intended to do something mathematical, but when I joined the choir at Trinity College Cambridge as an undergraduate, I totally fell in love with singing. I threw myself into everything musical I could find at university, and when I graduated I moved to London and started freelancing, working and touring with groups like Gabrieli and The Marian Consort.
It was around this time that we started The Gesualdo Six, and it has been a huge pleasure to watch it grow from a student project (with an average age of about 20) with no ambitions of doing anything beyond the next concert, to an outfit that does around sixty concerts a year, with tours and recordings and all that comes with it. I still count the members of this group as some of my closest friends, and it still feels like we are making music for the same reasons as six years ago, namely we had a piece we really wanted to sing, and a group of people we really wanted to sing it with.
In my non G6-related time I try and cast my musical net as wide as possible. I love singing opera, Bach, lieder and new music, and if you can’t find me singing I will be either watching the cricket or finding the next venue for G6 dining club, of which I am the enthusiastic (self-appointed) instigator. www.michael-craddock.com
Sam MitchellBass
My musical education began aged 11 as a chorister at Lincoln Cathedral. I was then awarded a music scholarship to Oundle School, and went on to read music at Manchester University. I spent some time as a choral scholar at Truro Cathedral, before joining the back row as a lay clerk in Manchester, Ely and Christchurch Cathedrals. I love playing the piano, and I’m proud to have gained a Distinction in my ABRSM Piano Performance Diploma.
My first performance with the group was, appropirately, music by Gesualdo in St John’s Smith Square in 2016. I also perform regularly with a variety of professional choirs both in the UK and abroad, including The Sixteen and the BBC singers. My stage roles have included Collatinus in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Seneca in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, and Aeneas in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.
I am currently completing my postgraduate studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance as the Kathleen Roberts scholar under the tutelage of Jon Christos.
In my spare time, I like to keep my piano skills to a reasonable standard, collect vinyls, and cook.
Past members
Andrew Leslie CooperCountertenor (Sept 2019 – June 2021)
Since arriving from the USA in 2019, Andrew has been a fantastic colleague and we miss not only his wonderful musicality, but also his sharp-witted one-liners, which always managed to light up rehearsals! In 2021 he moved back to the USA to be closer to his family and to focus a career in education and non-professional music-making. Read more here.
Alex graduated in 2015 having read Classics at New College, Oxford, where he was a choral scholar under the direction of Edward Higginbottom for three years. Many opportunities for solo performances came his way all over the world, most notably in Grace Cathedral, San Francisco where he sang the alto arias in Bach’s ‘St John Passion’. He works frequently with ensembles such as the Tallis Scholars and Vox Luminis. He is also a keen sportsman, and represented New College in both football and cricket, despite, in the case of the latter, often having to leave after the first innings to go and sing.
Hiroshi Amako was a Choral Scholar in Trinity College Choir, and is an avid singer of Bach, often appearing as the Evangelist in performances of Christmas Oratorio and the St John Passion. In his spare time, Hiroshi enjoys cooking and fiddling with computers – though both aren’t always successful.
Pat started singing as a chorister at Hereford Cathedral and was later a Choral Scholar in the Choir of King’s College. He enjoys editing and typesetting early music, with his editions used by performers including Carolyn Sampson, His Majesty’s Sackbutts and Cornetts and Ex Cathedra. To relax, Patrick enjoys performing magic tricks, drinking real ale, and attempting to ascend climbing walls – though not usually in that order. Pat is now a member of The King’s Singers.
Jonny started out as a chorister at Winchester Cathedral and was a founding member of The Gesualdo Six. He later read music at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a choral scholar under Stephen Layton, and is now a member of VOCES8.
