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The choir’s founder conductor was the late Simon Johnson, one of the leading choral
conductors of his generation. He was succeeded by Julian Williamson in 1973, who
concentrated on extending the choir’s repertoire. Sarah Tenant-Flowers took over the
baton in 1992. Her seven years at the helm saw a steady rise in the choir’s standards
of performance as well as a broadening of its repertoire. Both she and her successor,
Mark Shepherd (1999) introduced the choir to a variety of lesser known secular and
sacred works ranging from the Renaissance to the 20th century.
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The current Musical Director, JanJoost van Elburg, took up his appointment in November
2003 and has introduced the choir to new repertoire and new musical challenges. RBC
performances under JanJoost have included sacred works by Bach (Mass in B minor),
Howells (Requiem), Stravinsky (Mass), Bruckner (E minor Mass), and Martin (Mass),
lighter secular works and folk music from around the world, a performance of Italian
Renaissance music in the Venetian tradition, and a programme of Shakespeare settings
by composers old and new.
In November 2005 the choir participated in the first International Bach Choral Festival
in Leipzig.
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