ABOUT US

The Burgate Singers was founded in 1977 when a group of people got together to raise money to restore the church tower of St Mary’s, Burgate, with a performance of Handel’s Messiah.

They were led by Alain Judd, a professional singer who lives in the village. They enjoyed the experience so much that the following year they staged a music festival and decided to get together on a regular basis. Over the years the choir has drawn members from all over Norfolk and Suffolk. Current singers travel from as far afield as Framlingham and Lakenheath, attracted by the lively rehearsals and the quality of music.

The Burgate Singers aim for professional standards and engage the services of professional musicians for concerts. We often perform with the London Gala Orchestra (Patron, John Lill). Soloists include Ruth Kerr, Fiona Hammacott, David Knight and Stephen Alder. Hiring musicians of this calibre costs several thousand pounds per concert, so the support of sponsors and the Friends of the Burgate Singers is always very much appreciated. For more details, see our Contact Us page.

ALAIN JUDD studied with Dame Eva Turner at the Royal Academy of Music, then went to Glyndebourne and thence to the Royal Opera House as a contract artist.
He won a scholarship, funded by the Friends of Covent Garden, to study in Geneva with Herbert Graf (Production Intendant at the Metropolitan Opera, New York), then returned to England to freelance. He established the Burgate Singers in 1977. They perform regularly under his direction in Suffolk, Norfolk and London.
He sings with the London Sinfonietta and London Voices. Recent work has included Mozart's Requiem in Birmingham and London with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Christoph von Dohnanyi; Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex at the Royal Festival Hall with the London Symphony Orchestra and the recording of the soundtrack for the Lord of the Rings. At the Lucerene Festival, in the splendid surroundings of New Concert Hall, he sang in Gyorgi Ligeti's Requiem and Thomas Tallis' forty part motet, Spem in Alium, which had the unusual distinction of being performed by forty solo opera singers.
Alain took part in a series of performances of Handel's Messiah in Paris and of the Lord of the Rings Suite at the Royal Albert Hall. He worked with the LSO on the sound tracks and recordings of the Harry Potter music, and recently travelled to Shanghai and Beijing to perform in Britten's War Requiem and Peter Grimes. 
At present he is working on a film score at the Abbey Road Studios. A double CD of his 1970s recordings has recently been re-issued.

Listen to a short extract of the Burgate Singers performing the Verdi Requiem:

Play Audio - Libera me Domine (Requiem), 1Mb, 1 Min 12 Secs