Brian Kay

Until a few years ago, Brian Kay was best known as the bass singer, and founder member, of the internationally renowned King's Singers. Since severing his association with that group, his career has diversified greatly.

He appears regularly on television, including presenting the 1987 Sainsbury's Choir of the Year Competition and the 1987 Cardiff Singer of the Year Competition, both for BBC T.V. He is also heard frequently on Radio 2, 3 and 4 as performer and presenter.

Recently he was both presenter and conductor of Yorkshire Television's Christmas programme 'Rejoice', in which the Huddersfield Choral Society also played a major part. The programme was shown on Christmas Day throughout the United Kingdom, and also in the U.S.A.

As a Narrator and Stage Presenter he works frequently with many of Britain's leading orchestras and ensembles.

In Huddersfield, however, Brian Kay is best known as Chorus Master of the Huddersfield Choral Society, a post he has held for just over 4 years. In that time, his rigorous insistence on firm musical discipline both in rehearsal and on the concert platform, has ensured that the traditionally high standards of the 'Choral' have been maintained.

His musical activities in Huddersfield have extended to include being Patron of the 1987/88 season of the Polytechnic's concert series "Mondays at St. Paul's", as well as guest appearances with the Huddersfield Glee and Madrigal Society, and Holmfirth Choral Society.

Last year Brian became chairman of the newly-formed ABCD - the Association of British Choral Directors. One of the principle aims of this body is to encourage cl:1oral singing among people of all ages, and Brian is especially interested in nurturing a love of choralism in the young. To this end he accepted an invitation to direct the British Federation of Young Choirs' Singing Day at York University on 13th March 1988, in which our Youth Choir is to participate.

Brian Kay was a guest at the Youth Choir's inaugural concert in St. Paul's Hall in January 1987 when he spoke of his "joy of what the evening represents" and prophesied that "youth choirs similar to this, but not as good, will start springing up all over the country simply because of what is happening here this evening". He had travelled specially for that concert from his home in the Cotswolds, where he lives with his wife, the soprano, Gillian Fisher. Both have a special interest in a number of charitable organisations, including the Stars' Organisation for Spastics, the Young Person's Concert Foundation and the Clement Wheeler-Bennett Memorial Trust. This Trust, formed to combat a rare form of soft-tissue sarcoma from which a 20 year old friend of Brian and Gillian died, is to benefit in part' from the proceeds of tonight's concert.