President

Philip Langridge CBE

PHILIP LANGRIDGE CBE

As president of the Godalming Choral Society, Philip enjoys what he loves best: supporting, listening, and performing music.

As a supporter he led a singing day with the society and was thrilled with the sheer exuberance with which everyone responded.  It was a challenging day for all: they were singing for the whole day and he was conducting for the first time!

Normally he spends his life gallivanting around the world, singing operas and concerts, and has had some pretty scary experiences. One of them can be seen on DVD, recently released from the Metropolitan Opera in New York.  It is the Witch in “Hansel and Gretel”. Dressed as a fat old lady he  had to dance on the table, which was covered in food, some of it liquid.  A far cry from Godalming’s apparent gentility (although having met some of our members, I am not sure that image holds good any more!)

Philip was born in Hawkhurst, Kent and studied the violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Very soon he began singing and eventually he had no time left to play the violin.  At the beginning he sang with choral societies just like this all around the country as well as performing with small opera companies who often worked with piano accompaniment. There are still many young singers coming along the same route, but sadly there are fewer and fewer choral societies in our land. So Godalming Choral Society needs our support and admiration. Philip is now one of the world’s most distinguished singers, and he is in constant demand throughout Europe, the United States, Japan and Australia.
He was made a Commander of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours of 1994. He has also received a number of other awards, including the prestigious Olivier Award for Osud, the Singer of the Year Award from the Royal Philharmonic Society and The Worshipful Company of Musicians’ Santay Award. He was awarded the NFMS/Charles Groves Prize 2001 for his outstanding contribution to British Music, and the Helpmann award for his performances of Aschenbach in Britten’s “Death in Venice” in Sydney Opera House.

His remarkable versatility and command of a wide variety of styles is reflected in his extensive discography, ranging from the early classical period to the present day. These recordings have gained him two Grammy Awards (Moses und Aron, and Peter Grimes), the Gramophone Award (War Requiem) and a Classic CD Award (The Turn of the Screw). On video he can be seen in Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, Idomeneo, La Clemenza di Tito, From the House of the Dead, Wozzeck, Oberon, Jenůfa, the witch in “Hansel and Gretel”, Don Basilio in “Figaro” and Oedipus Rex, which won the Classical Music Award. 

International festivals and opera houses with which he is particularly closely associated include Salzburg, the Metropolitan Opera New York, La Scala Milan, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Glyndebourne, Edinburgh, the English National Opera and Opera Australia. In concert Philip has appeared with the world’s major orchestras and leading conductors, and given recitals with Andras Schiff and Maurizio Pollini, as well as with his regular duo partner David Owen Norris, making recordings of songs from many periods. Together with Mr Owen Norris he has formed a trio with his daughter Jennifer playing the ‘cello. They have recently recorded a CD of Georgian Songs.  The latest addition to his large list of CDs was a recording of children’s Nursery Rhymes with Jennifer. The songs were scored for Tenor, piano accordion, percussion, flute, alto flute, piccolo and ‘cello. They have been well received by the very youngest generation, and this gives hope for the future of music!

Philip is a local, and very happy to be president of such a fine group of people, who chose to spend their spare time singing together. Hearing and seeing them sing their hearts out gives us all real hope and joy. They are already of a high standard and it will be wonderful to see them grow in stature over the next few years.