Nigel Short

Versatile countertenor and conductor Nigel Short established himself as artistic director and founder of the a cappella chamber choir Tenebrae. He began as a soloist in opera and oratorio while participating in multiple ensembles such as the Tallis Scholars and the King's Singers. In 2023 he and Tenebrae released the album Bach, MacMillan: Motets & Sacred Songs.

Born in Solihull, England, on August 16, 1965, Short sang as a chorister at Solihull Parish Church during his youth. He later studied voice and piano at the Royal College of Music in London. His focus on sacred music spanning pre-Renaissance eras to the present led him, after leaving the Royal College, to appear with the choirs of Westminster Abbey and Cathedral, the Tallis Scholars, and the King's Consort. He also performed in oratorios and operas with Opera North and the English National Opera. In 1994 he became a member of the King's Singers, contributing to acclaimed performances and recordings that included Nightsong, Renaissance, and Circle of Life, the last of which earned a Grammy nomination. He stayed with the group until 2000.

While performing with the King's Singers, Short conceived the idea of a larger ensemble dedicated to sacred repertoire from the Renaissance through the 21st century. He and Barbara Pollock created Tenebrae in 2001, with Short serving as artistic director from the outset. The choir's debut program introduced his composition The Dream of Herod (2002), scored for baritone, organ, and choir. Signum issued that work in 2003 together with Christmas pieces, traditional songs, and music by Peter Wishart, Howells, Gruber, and additional composers. Tenebrae's programming reaches from Hildegard von Bingen to John Tavener, incorporates traditional and Christmas repertoire, and extends to choral-orchestral scores by Mozart, Berlioz, Poulenc, and others. Short and the choir have collaborated in this repertory with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the London Symphony Orchestra. He commissioned Joby Talbot to compose Path of Miracles, which Tenebrae premiered successfully in 2005, and has since toured the ensemble across Europe and the United States.

Short has recorded for EMI, RCA, and Warner Classics throughout his career. Short and Tenebrae together have produced more than thirty albums, among them What Sweeter Music: Songs & Carols for Christmas in 2009, Music of the Spheres in 2016 that received a 2017 Grammy nomination, and A Walk with Ivor Gurney in 2018. In 2022 they issued two further recordings, When Sleep Comes, which features music for saxophone and voices, and the Christmas collection In Winter's House. The following year brought their account of sacred songs and motets by Bach and James MacMillan.