EXAUDI
‘…one of the most sensationally gifted vocal groups performing in the UK at the moment’ Gramophone
Since its debut in 2002, EXAUDI has emerged as one of Britain’s leading contemporary music ensembles. With a repertoire that encompasses Ockeghem and Ferneyhough, Tallis and Xenakis, EXAUDI has performed to great acclaim throughout the UK and in Europe, and established a ground-breaking and much-praised discography.
Founded by James Weeks (director) and Juliet Fraser (soprano), EXAUDI is based in London and draws its singers from among the UK’s brightest vocal talents. The ensemble typically works as a consort rather than a choir – usually one voice to a part, ranging from three to eighteen voices – and draws inspiration for its sound from that of early music ensembles, a strong but focused tone that is ideal for the performance of harmonically intricate contemporary music. Many EXAUDI programmes combine the new with the old, and the ensemble is equally in demand for its performances of music of the High Renaissance and early Baroque.
The newest new music is at the heart of EXAUDI’s repertoire, and it has given national and world premières of Sciarrino, Rihm, Finnissy, Skempton, Richard Ayres, Gérard Pesson, Enno Poppe, Christopher Fox and James Saunders among many others. Through its new commissioning scheme, EXAUDI is particularly committed to the younger generation of composers currently in their twenties and early thirties, and is proud to champion the work of major emerging voices including Evan Johnson, Amber Priestley, Matthew Shlomowitz, Joanna Bailie, Stephen Chase, James Weeks and Claudia Molitor.
EXAUDI has appeared at many leading UK venues and festivals, including Spitalfields, Aldeburgh, Soundwaves Brighton, City of London, Vale of Glamorgan, Bath MusicFest, FuseLeeds and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festivals, Dartington International Summer School, King’s Place and the South Bank. EXAUDI broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio 3 and other European radio stations, and has released critically acclaimed recordings of Michael Finnissy, Elisabeth Lutyens, Howard Skempton and Christopher Fox on NMC. A further Fox recording (Catalogue irraisonné) was released on Divine Art/Metier in 2009. This is EXAUDI’s first recording for Mode.
EXAUDI is also in increasing demand internationally: recent engagements include IRCAM Agora Festival (Paris), Festival d’Automne (Paris), Bucharest, MAfestival (Bruges), CDMC Madrid, Mito Settembre (Milan/Turin) and ConTmpo (Girona). The ensemble has also collaborated with many leading soloists and ensembles including London Sinfonietta (Birtwistle The Last Supper), CBSO (Stravinsky Threni, Boulez cummings ist der Dichter), Ensemble L’Instant Donné (Pesson, Cantate=pays) and Ensemble InterContemporain (Poppe Interzone). EXAUDI has twice been shortlisted in the Ensemble category of the RPS Awards, Britain’s leading awards for live classical performance, in 2006 and 2007. EXAUDI gratefully acknowledges support from the PRS Foundation.