Benedict Hymas will be joining The King’s Singers from September 2014, taking over from Paul Phoenix who has been with the group for almost seventeen years. Paul announced his retirement from the group in January with auditions for his successor starting in April.
Benedict’s first performance with the group will be a charity concert on Thursday 25 September in the Parish Church of St. Dunstan’s, Mayfield, UK, before touring across Europe and the United States. Prior to Christmas Benedict will find himself performing in several of the world’s most beautiful venues including Dresden Frauenkirche, Washington National Cathedral and the Budapest Palace of Arts.
Born in 1985, Benedict graduated from King’s College, London in 2008 with a degree in music. Since graduating, he has pursued a busy career as a tenor and haute-contre, working with the Gabrieli Consort, The Tallis Scholars, Polyphony and Tenebrae. In addition to this, he has been a core member of twelve-voice ensemble Stile Antico, recording seven albums, one of which won a Gramophone Award in 2012. Alongside his ensemble work, Benedict has also appeared as a soloist for many leading conductors including Eric Whitacre, Paul McCreesh and Stephen Layton.
On hearing the news Benedict said “I’m thrilled to be joining this fantastic group, which I’ve always admired. I’m about to receive a huge amount of music to learn for the first concerts but I can’t wait to get started!”
In response to the appointment, The King’s Singers said:
“We’re delighted to be welcoming Benedict to the line-up from September. He has a truly beautiful voice, and has impressed us throughout the audition process with his thorough preparation and his thoughtful approach to our wide repertoire. We look forward to sharing the stage with him, and to revealing our new line-up as we start our 2014/15 season.”