John Potter (musician)
| John Potter | |
|---|---|
 John Potter performs with Trio Mediæval | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | England |
| Genres |
Classical Vocal Contemporary Early music Extended vocal techniques |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer Author Academic |
| Years active | 1970s - present |
| Labels | Hyperion, ECM |
| Associated acts | Hilliard Ensemble, The Swingle Singers, Gavin Bryars, Trio Mediæval, John Surman |
| Website | www.john-potter.co.uk/ |
John Potter is an English tenor and academic.
Life
John Potter's musical education began as a chorister at King's College, Cambridge, after which he became a scholar at The King's School, Canterbury and exhibitioner at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. His coaches included Lieder specialist Walter Gruner, accompanist Paul Hamburger, and the tenor Peter Pears.
He currently resides in York with his wife, Penny.
Performance
Potter specialises in early and contemporary vocal music. In addition to his solo work, he has performed with many acclaimed vocal ensembles including the Hilliard Ensemble, The Swingle Singers, The Dowland Project, the Gavin Bryars Ensemble, and Red Byrd, of which he is a co-founder. His discography includes over 100 recordings encompassing his eclectic musical interests including Léonin and Led Zeppelin.[1] He has received a fifth gold disc for the Hilliard Ensemble's Officium album.
He is in high demand as an ensemble coach, mentoring groups such as Trio Mediæval from Norway, The Kassiopeia Ensemble from the Netherlands, and Juice from the United Kingdom. His recent collaborations include Being Dufay with electronic music composer Ambrose Field[2] and the lutenist and vihuela player Ariel Abramovich.
Academic work
Potter is a reader emeritus for the Music Department at the University of York; before retirement he was the director of the Vocal Studies postgraduate program. His research interests include the sociology of vocal music and vocal repertory, especially Renaissance and contemporary music.[3]
Publications
Potter is the author of numerous academic publications, including articles and his book Vocal Authority (Cambridge University Press). He edited The Cambridge Companion to Singing, also for Cambridge University Press.
In his book Tenor: History of a Voice,[4] published by Yale University Press, John Potter includes a unique Tenorography,[5] which contains bibliographical and discographical/video information on several hundred tenors. Forthcoming publications include History of Singing written with Neil Sorrell, to be published by Cambridge University Press in January 2012.[6]
References
External links
- John Potter's Homepage
- John Potter's Profile at the University of York
- Biography at Bach-Cantatas.com
- John Potter at Hyperion Records
- The Cambridge Companion to Singing at Google Books
- Tenor: History of a voice at Yale University Press