The World of Michael Tippett
The Carice Singers and Hugh Cutting
Memory Unwrapped
| The Carice Singers | ensemble |
|---|---|
| Hugh Cutting | countertenor |
| George Parris | conductor |
Launching their new album, The Carice Singers and soloist Hugh Cutting reveal Sir Michael Tippett as a visionary of twentieth-century choral music.
Michael Tippett (1905-1998) created some of the most beautiful, daring, and transcendental soundscapes of the twentieth century. With an extraordinary imagination which worked slowly and on a large scale, it is no surprise that the handful of unaccompanied choral works he composed are themselves remarkable in their originality and virtuosity.
The concert’s first half pays homage to Tippett’s innovations not just as a composer but also as a choral conductor, offering the kind of invigorating programmes he brought to life with the choir at Morley College during the darkest days of the Second World War. Countertenor Hugh Cutting joins the group for a hauntingly beautiful lullaby originally composed for Alfred Deller, which captures Tippett in the middle of a major stylistic shift during the late 1950s.
The second half consolidates Tippett’s continued status as a beacon for today’s composers, with the first performance of a new piece by Alex Groves, inspired by Tippett’s friendships with Barbara Hepworth and the composer Priaulx Rainier.
The Carice Singers’ new recording of Tippett’s unaccompanied choral music will be released on the same day and will be available to buy at the concert.
This event will last for approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, including an interval.
Concessions & Under 30s tickets
Kings Place Concessions Tickets
We want to ensure that people who may be struggling financially to purchase a ticket can still enjoy visiting Kings Place. A limited number of tickets are allocated for certain events (if the ticket type does not show in the booking pathway, it means they are not available for this event or have all been sold). Concessions tickets are accessible for people on the following criteria (for more information visit our FAQs)
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Disability Benefit
- Income Support or Job Seekers allowance
- Students
£10 ‘Under 30s’ tickets
A limited number of £10 tickets are available for certain shows to attendees aged under 30. To access Under 30s tickets, your account needs to be updated with your Date of Birth. Please visit the account centre to add your Date of Birth and go to ‘Other Preferences’ to opt in to the Under 30s Scheme.
If £10 tickets are available, the ticket discount will apply automatically at checkout. If the discount does not apply, this means all ‘Under 30s’ tickets have sold out for the performance.
Please note that proof of age may be requested at the venue.
Plan your visit
Getting here
Kings Place is situated just a few minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, one of the most connected locations in London and now the biggest transport hub in Europe.
Our address is:
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.
The Venue
Our performance spaces are situated on the lower ground floor. Hall One, Hall Two and St Pancras are located in level -2, reached by stairs, escalator and lift from the ground floor entrance level.
Event Times
Door times indicate auditorium entrance times only. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the Kings Place seating areas, gallery-level art, canal-side terrace, café, restaurant and bar throughout the day and evening.
- Our events begin promptly at the advertised start time. Typically, there is no support unless otherwise stated.
- We recommend arriving in good time before the performance. The Hall doors will open 30 minutes before the performance to allow time to take your seats, or to choose a space for standing shows.
- Latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance where possible
Access
We aim to make your visit to Kings Place as comfortable as possible. For more information about the accessibility of Kings Place, including details about our Access Scheme, please visit this page.
If you would like to discuss your access requirements with a member of our team, please get in touch with the Box Office team at info@kingsplace.co.uk.
Food & Drink
Rotunda Bar & Restaurant
Rotunda, situated on the ground floor of Kings Place, offers a unique dining and drinking experience alongside Regent’s Canal. The concert bar in the venue foyer will also be open for select events.
Green & Fortune Café
Recently re-furbished and now open with a new look, the Green & Fortune Café is open for selected concerts. Serving hot and cold food and drinks, including sandwiches, salads, soup, stew and a pie of the day, alongside a choice of cakes made by the on-site bakery team. See here for selected concert dates and standard opening hours.
About The Carice Singers
Recently described as “one of the UK’s most adventurous and accomplished choirs” (The Guardian) and “going where other choirs don’t” (The Arts Desk), The Carice Singers is committed to performing contemporary choral music and tracing its roots through musical history. Named after Elgar’s daughter, the choir offers new ways to honour the UK’s rich choral heritage in a way that frequently reaches out to other cultures and regularly collaborates with other performers as well as today’s composers.
About Hugh Cutting
Celebrated for the expressive power of his voice and adventurous musical choices, British countertenor Hugh Cutting is redefining the possibilities of his voice type on both opera and recital stages. A BBC New Generation Artist (2022–24) and the first countertenor to win the Kathleen Ferrier Award, he combines luminous vocal artistry with an instinct for musical storytelling. In the 2025/26 season, he makes house debuts as Arsace (Partenope) at English National Opera, Unulfo (Rodelinda) at Santa Fe Opera, and Tolomeo (Giulio Cesare) at The Grange Festival. He received the Rising Star Award at the 2025 International Opera Awards.
About George Parris
George Parris is a leading exponent of modern choral music, working internationally as a conductor, chorus-master and singer in a wide variety of repertoire. As founding director of The Carice Singers, he has championed the richness and variety of British music and brought to the UK a plethora of previously unheard works, especially from the Finno-Baltic region, including UK premieres of works by Arvo Pärt, Lotta Wennäkoski, Matthew Whittall, Galina Grigorjeva and Evelin Seppar.
He has a key role in the development of emerging composers and choral conductors through his teaching and mentoring, giving masterclasses at MTU Cork School of Music and the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki. He is also an Associate Conductor of Birmingham-based Ex Cathedra, Principal Conductor of the North Cotswold Chamber Choir and leads workshops for the UK’s network of Early Music Forums.
Reviews
‘going where other choirs don’t’ The Arts Desk
‘one of the UK’s most adventurous and accomplished choirs’ The Guardian
‘each song that Hugh Cutting sings – his voice sumptuous, with plummy tones throughout – feels overheard rather than performed, intimate yet precise, resisting conclusion and commanding attention’ New York Times
The Carice Singers are very grateful to the Vaughan Williams Foundation and the Porthmeor Fund for supporting the commission from Alex Groves.
