| Biography | The English tenor, Joseph Cornwell, studied music at York University and singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Joseph Cornwell began his career with The Consort of Musicke and the Taverner Consort, making his Proms solo debut singing Monteverdi Vespers 1610 under Andrew Parrott, which he later recorded for EMI. He is a long-standing early music specialist, who has sand with many of the leading conductors in the field, such as William Christie, Harry Christophers, Eric Ericson, John Eliot Gardiner, Robert King, Hervé Niquet and Andrew Parrott.
Joseph Cornwell's international engagements have since then taken him throughout Europe, North America and the Far East. He performed the title role in Monteverdis Orfeo, a pivotal role in his career, for the Boston Early Music Festival, Oslo Summer Festival and in Brazil. Other engagements have included Monteverdis Ulysses for Lisbon Opera under Harry Christophers and a tour and CD of the Vespers with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants. He has recently performed Finzis Dies Natalis and Schumanns Dichterliebe in New Zealand and Purcell Odes in France and the USA with Les Arts Florissants. Joseph enjoys performing chamber music with, amongst others, the Consorte of Musicke, the New London Consort and Pro Cantione Antiqua. As a soloist Joseph has just completed George Frideric Handels Oreste in the Linbury Theatre, Covent Garden.
Recent engagements included the role of Eumete in Monteverdis Ulisse at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, G.F. Handels Theodora in Montpellier and Nimes and several performances of the Evangelist in J.S. Bachs Passions. In June 2005 he participated in performances of J.S. Bachs Johannes-Passion (BWV 245) with the New London Consort conducted by Philip Pickett at the Israel Festival Jerusalem.
Joseph Cornwell's many recordings include G.F. Handels Messiah for EMI, the Evangelist in J.S. Bachs St Matthew Passion (BWV 244) under Eric Ericson, Boyces Pelius and Thetis, Monteverdi Vespers 1610 with the Taverner Consort, Acis & Galatea and Mozart Mass in C Minor with Les Arts Florissants, and programmes with The Consort of Musicke, the New London Consort and Pro Cantione Antiqua. His most recent CD is Fairest Isle with The Parley of Instruments. These recordings have established him as one of Great Britains leading Early Music tenors. |