DAVID ALLSOPP
David Allsopp, alto, was a choral scholar and subsequently lay clerk in the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge and then spent three years in Westminster Cathedral Choir, before going on to pursue a fully freelance career. He regularly sings with London-based consort groups including Tenebrae, The Gabrieli Consort and Polyphony in addition to frequent solo engagements.
David has appeared as a soloist for many of Handel’s oratorio works ranging from the well-known Messiah and Israel in Egypt through to less-performed works such as Joshua and Solomon. Last year, David performed Handel’s Susanna in Karlsruhe Opera House with Christian Curnyn and, in February, gave a performance of Tavener’s Lament for Jerusalem with David Hill and Leeds Philharmonic Chorus. Last winter, he appeared for the first time with Collegium Vocale Gent under the direction of Peter Kooij performing a programme of works by Schütz and gave two and a half performances of Messiah for Stephen Layton in St John’s Smith Square with Polyphony and the Britten Sinfonia, stepping out from the chorus after the interval of the first concert!
Earlier this year, David gave a performance of Messiah with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and David Hill and a concert including Handel’s sublime Eternal source of light with the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge in St David’s Hall, Cardiff. In April, he was a finalist in the London Handel Singing Competition and the following month joined Wayne Marshall and the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra for two performances of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. Highlights of this autumn have included Israel in Egypt in Maulbronn Monastery, Germany (which will be released on CD later this year) and a concert last weekend in St John’s, Smith Square to mark this year’s Purcell anniversary.
Next year will see performances of Bach’s St Matthew Passion starting in Canterbury and moving on to Holland for six concerts with the Noord Nederlands Orkest and Stefan Vladar as well as a return to the London Handel Festival for the opening concert which will be Handel’s Belshazzar’s Feast.
