David is able to coax performances from singers that they never thought possible themselves. He is the very best kind of expert – one who wants to share the gift of communal singing with as many people as possible, to the peak of their potential.
Howard Goodall, composer, conductor and broadcaster
A highlight of my recent European tour was the outstanding performance of several of my works by the distinguished British conductor David Wordsworth. He has long been a champion of music of our own time with the Addison Singers and other choirs and those performing under his direction or participating in his frequent choral workshops, are experiencing the guidance of a choral master.
Morten Lauridsen, composer, teacher and pianist
I have had the pleasure of working with David over the past few years on a varied repertoire. I have always been impressed with the standard of David’s choirs as they are well-drilled, very musical and as near to a professional standard as you can get. David himself is a joy to work with – being clear and a real singer’s conductor, a rarity, as he always breathes with the singers and the whole process of rehearsing and performing is a great collaborative experience.
Gareth Dafydd Morris – tenor soloist
Having worked with David for so many years, it is again and again a surprise, almost a miracle, how he manages to make a wonderful choir out of so many individual singers. Not only that he, not a surprise, knows the music extremely well, but he manages to deliver much more than simply music to the singers. Recently, when doing the big ‘Messiah Sing Along’ in St Stephen’s Cathedral Vienna, with almost two hundred singers and orchestra, the miracle happened again.
Not only did David guide the choristers through the most difficult parts of ‘Messiah’, but he also gave valuable background information on the piece, quite apart from matters of expression, the right moment to breath etc…
Many of the choristers reported that they have never worked so fruitfully on ‘Messiah’ before as they did with David during these few days. We very much look forward to our further collaboration with music historian and conductor David Wordsworth.
Kunst und Kultur – ohne Grenzen
Herbert Konrad – Managing Director
www.kunstkultur.com
As a publisher and independent agent, David was the friend that every composer needs. He has a deep love of choral music and a wry understanding of today’s music. He makes a virtue out of reticence, revealing himself through his musicianship, through the strength and imagination of his conducting.
Howard Skempton, composer
David Wordsworth led the Addison Singers for some 26 years from 1997 and had overall responsibility for the four choirs and the standards of the group. Under David the Addison Singers grew in its numbers and more importantly in its standards. It gained an enviable reputation both for the work of its auditioned (Chamber Choir) and un-auditioned (Oratorio Choir) groups. The classical choirs delivered a minimum of 3 concerts per year, though in reality this increased to several performances a year and included concerts at significant London venues, for the Brandenburg Festival, Open Rehearsals and tours abroad to Vienna, Paris, Salzburg, New York, Krakow etc..
David’s dedication, musicianship and enthusiasm for great choral singing gave the group ambition and the classical choirs have been unusual in embracing not only traditional repertoire but a great deal of contemporary music and new commissions. David’s knowledge of the music industry and friendship with today’s leading composers led to him commissioning works for the Addison Singers from Gavin Bryars, Howard Skempton, Cecilia McDowall, Howard Goodall, William Bolcom and Dame Judith Weir, as well as providing the chance to work with composers such as Bob Chilcott, Will Todd, Stephen Montague, Jill Jarman and the late Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.
David’s final concert with the Addison Singers in 2022 included the premiere of ‘O Sweet Spontaneous Earth’ by Dame Judith Weir, then Master of the Queen’s/King’s Music, a work that was dedicated to David. Dame Judith later wrote her blog that it was a ‘wonderful premiere’ and that David’s successor had inherited ‘a splendid amateur choir ….. thoroughly attuned to both classical and contemporary repertoire.
Fran O’Brien, Chair of The Addison Singers
I have known David and worked with him for over 25 years. We met initially when he worked at the London office of my publisher Schott and in addition, he was involved with many of my performances as their representative. But I learned that he as a very good choral conductor and so responded with enthusiasm for a commission, a setting of one of Petrarch’s
‘Sestine’. I had written sonnet settings for small groups of a Capella voices, but this was the first time I had tried a full choral setting of Petrarch, a poet whose work I have set many times since.
It was a very happy and successful collaboration, and I saw at first hand, and admired, the way he demonstrated the combination of professionalism, friendship and rigour needed to direct a choir. He ran the Addison Singers in different configurations for many years, and they took part in several of my performances. He also conducted other works of mine with great success. Recently, as part of my 80th birthday celebrations, David conducted at the Barbican, the UK premiere of ‘Duets from Doctor Ox’s Experiment’, a substantial work for two solo voices and large ensemble lasting some 45 minutes.
We have plans for a number of projects in the future including among others, the first UK professional performance of my opera ‘Marilyn Forever’. He has also written about my work with intelligence and insight, and in 2023 edited a major study of my works for Kahn & Averill.
I should add that, in addition to our many projects together through the years, we have become good friends, and have developed a strong personal friendship that I value greatly.
Gavin Bryars, composer
David is a fantastic supporter of contemporary composers and their music and has commissioned extensively over the years. The consummate musician, he has an innate understanding of all he performs and I have found him to be a true joy to work with
Cecilia McDowall, composer