In this video Hannah Nepilova talks to Suzi Digby, artistic director of ORA singers, ahead of their performance at Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall on September 16th, in which they perform Thomas Tallis’s Spem in Alium, along with the the world premiere of Vidi aquam, a specially commissioned choral work by Sir James MacMillan, Ave verum corpus by William Byrd (who was Tallis’ student and later colleague) and Ave verum corpus re-imagined by Roderick Williams. The performance will be livestreamed on Tate’s YouTube and Facebook channels.
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ORA Singers is an award-winning vocal ensemble and commissioner of choral music, directed by Suzi Digby. In its first six years the group has released 10 albums, performed in the UK, the USA and Europe, had its music and music videos broadcast across the globe (and in every continent including Antarctica) and commissioned over 70 new choral works. It has also launched a Young Composers’ programme aimed deliberately at UK state-schools, selecting 50 students to receive professional mentoring. In 2018 it launched a recording project for emerging composers providing them with a free recording for promotional purposes.
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Suzi Digby is a British choral conductor and music educator. Born in Japan as Susan Elizabeth Watts, she attended Francis Holland School, Baker Street, before studying music, including piano and singing, at King’s College London. She lived in Mexico and the Philippines, and then spent 12 years in Hong Kong where she had a television series as well as radio broadcasting, teaching and performing.
To watch the ORA performance at the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, click here.
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This is the second in a series of video interviews with artists putting on unusual performances throughout the COVID-19 crisis