Ronald Corp
British composer, conductor and priest Ronald Geoffrey Corp was born (on 4 January 1951) and grew up in Wells, Somerset. He studied music at Oxford University.
He began to write music when he was very young, and produced a considerable number of pieces, much of it for voices. His works included his first major choral work, And All the Trumpets Sounded, the cantata Laudamus and the Christmas opera Wenceslas. Later, he became established as a composer of works for young voices, but also produced solo, chamber and symphonic works, including a symphony and a piano concerto. He also orchestrated Satie's Gnossiennes.
In 1988 he founded the New London Orchestra, beginning his conducting career. He aimed to perform nineteenth and twentieth century music that was rarely heard live, and was known for his spoken introductions from the stage. He made twenty recordings with the New London Orchestra for Hyperion Records, featuring composers such as Bacewicz, Foulds, Milhaud, Satie, Virgil Thomson and Elinor Remick Warren. He also recorded six albums of light music.
In 1991 he created the New London Children's Choir to introduce young people to the fun and challenges of singing different types of music. The choir became one of the UK's busiest children's ensembles, commissioning and performing extensively. It also appeared at the BBC Proms and on TV and film soundtrack recordings. He also became musical director of the London Chorus and the Highgate Choral Society.
Ronald Corp (1951-2025)
He was ordained as a priest in 1999 and worked as a minister in three Anglo-Catholic parishes in North London.
Ronald Corp died in Bath on 7 May 2025, aged seventy-four, due to complications following surgery.
Further information: ronaldcorp.com
A selection of articles about Ronald Corp
A Fresh, Different View - Roderic Dunnett previews Adrian Partington's 2023 Gloucester Three Choirs Festival
CD Spotlight. Murder Accomplished - Rutland Boughton's 'The Queen of Cornwall' impresses Robert Anderson. '... a brave attempt ...'