| Biography | W.H. Brereton, a bass, was born in Bedford in 1858, the son of the curate (later Rector) of St Mary's church and his Russian-born wife. He was a student Garcia of the Royal Academy of Music where he won a Certificate of Merit in 1879. He began his career in 1882 and until 1894 sang at all the Birmingham, Leeds, Three Choirs and Handel festivals. A well-known church singer, he was appointed principal bass at the Foundling Hospital in 1882, when to St Pauls in 1886, and in 1887 became a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, St James, where he remained for 34 years.
In 1894 he joined the Westminster Singers, a male voice quartet with membership taken from London's leading church choirs.
He retired from his post as professor of singing at Trinity College of Music in 1935 and retired from from the Westminster Singers at the same time. |