Polyphony

The Yale Institute of Sacred Music hosts guest artists Polyphony for a concert in Woolsey Hall. Free and open to the public.

Conductor: Stephen Layton 

Contact: Jeff Hazewinkel

Revered as "one of the best small choirs now before the public" (Telegraph) and "possibly the best small professional chorus in the world" (Encore Magazine, USA), Polyphony has performed and recorded regularly worldwide to great critical acclaim since it was founded by Stephen Layton in 1986.

In a poll by Gramophone Magazine they were named as one of the world’s leading choirs. "Stephen Layton's choir have become renowned for both their sound and versatility – whether in early music, or contemporary works such as those of Eric Whitacre, they embody the remarkable tradition of British choral excellence at its finest."

Polyphony is broadcast widely and has an extensive discography comprising numerous important recordings of works by Bach, Britten, Bruckner, Cornelius, Grainger, Grieg, Handel, Jackson, Jenkins, Lauridsen, Łukaszewski, MacMillan, Pärt, Poulenc, Rutter, Tavener, Walton, and Whitacre.

Recent and forthcoming diary highlights for the choir include an eight concert tour of the United States;  appearances at the Oslo International Church Music Festival, performing a programme of Palestrina, Esenvalds and Browne; at the new Polish Sacred Music Festival in London "Joy and Devotion", giving no less than seven UK premieres; several appearances at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, as part of their ZaterdagMatinee series, including Faure’s Requiem with Britten Sinfonia; performances of Bach’s St John Passion, with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris, and the Theater an der Wien, Vienna; and a performance of Mozart’s Requiem, with the City of London Sinfonia, at the BBC Proms. Other notable appearances have included the Belfast Festival as part of their 50 year celebrations; Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh, to mark the start of their Britten celebrations; and the Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester with the Philharmonia Orchestra.