Palatinate Voices was founded in 1996 by two members of Durham Cathedral Choir, as a way of bringing together singers from the Cathedral, the University and the City to form a chamber choir capable of tackling the most challenging repertoire.
The choir regularly performs in Durham Cathedral's Chapter House and at Elvet Methodist Church, and has sung elsewhere in the region, including St Brandon's Church at Brancepeth, St Michael and All Angels' in Houghton-le-Spring, Ushaw College and St George's, Cullercoats (as part of the 2006 St George's Early Music Festival). The choir has also sung services in Durham Cathedral and York Minster.
Performances are often accompanied by instrumental forces, from viol consorts and brass ensembles upwards. In recent years there have been many collaborations with the period-instrument orchestra, Durham Baroque. The choir has also at times joined forces with the choristers and gentlemen of the Cathedral Choir, and with a network of friends, in order to perform larger-scale repertoire (such as Widor's Mass for Two Choirs and Two Organs, and Tallis's Spem in alium).
Since 1997 the choir has been conducted by Durham Cathedral's Sub-Organist, Keith Wright (above). He was for four years Organ Scholar at Edinburgh University, then Assistant Organist at Wakefield Cathedral, before coming to Durham in 1991. He has played throughout Europe, and in the USA and Canada, in addition to broadcasting on BBC TV and radio over 30 times and making over two dozen recordings. He is a part-time member of staff in Durham University's Music Department, and is in demand as an accompanist and teacher throughout the region; when not making music, he enjoys a busy family life with three musical and sporting sons.