Robert Hugill

Born in Cleethorpes, UK in 1955, Robert Hugill is a mainly self-taught composer. In the 1970s and 80s he was the musical director of the Church of St Andrew and St George, Rosyth, Scotland, musical director of London’s first Lesbian and Gay choir, The Pink Singers and acted as composer and arranger for a number of cabaret acts in London and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

As a singer, he is currently a member of London Concord Singers and the Latin Mass Choir at St Mary’s Church, Cadogan Street, Chelsea, London. Robert’s motets and mass settings are in use at St Mary’s Church, Chelsea (Roman Catholic), the Oxford Oratory (Roman Catholic), St Peter’s Church, Ealing (Anglican), St Woolos Cathedral, Newport (Anglican) and St George's Church, Hanover Square (Anglican).

In 1994 Robert founded FifteenB, the choir which gave the first public performance of Robert’s cantata Vocibus Mulierum - Women’s Voices. In 1998 FifteenB was awarded a grant, by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of England, to give the first performance of Robert’s cantata The Young Man and Death - A Dialogue, for choir and wind octet. In 2000 the choir premièred Robert’s Requiem for unaccompanied choir at the Chelsea Festival. They returned to the Chelsea Festival in 2002 to give the first performance of The Barbarian at the Gate with Philharmonia Brass. The choir returned to the festival in 2004 and 2006 with programmes of liturgical music including a number of Robert’s motets.

In 1999 Robert was commissioned by the early music group, The Burgundian Cadence, to write Passion, a forty minute unaccompanied setting of the passion story from St John’s Gospel interpolated with poems by the American poet, Carl Cook. The Burgundian Cadence performed Passion on a UK tour in 1999 and subsequently recorded the work. The recording received its first broadcast performance on Vatican Radio as part of the Jubilee celebrations in 2000.

Robert’s motet Here Be Angels was commissioned by the Crouch End Festival Chorus, musical director David Temple. The chorus gave the first performances of the motet in March 1998 and the revised version was premièred by London Concord Singers in December 2002. The Black Dragon, inspired by a science fiction story, was premièred by London Concord Singers in 2000 as part of their Millennium celebrations. In 2006 London Concord Singers premièred Robert's Ubi Carmina as part of their 40th anniversary celebrations.

In 1999 Robert wrote the incidental music to Candle Dancing, a play by the Pittsburgh-based playwright Coni Ciongoli-Koepfinger, and the music was performed in Pittsburgh as a part of the first run of the play. In November 2001 Robert’s song cycle Songs of Love and Loss received its first American performance at CMU in Pittsburgh. Robert’s opera, Garrett, based on a play by Coni Ciongoli-Koepfinger, was staged in London in June 2001. Robert is currently working on a new three act chamber opera.

A number of Robert's orchestral works have been premièred by the Salomon Orchestra. In March 2006 the orchestra, conducted by Adrian Brown with baritone David Greiner gave the first performances of Robert's Elegy for Baritone and Orchestra and the tone poem In the Barbarians Camp.

As a complement to his amateur group, Robert founded the professional choir, the eight:fifteen vocal ensemble, in 2005. They gave their début performance at St Giles Cripplegate, premièring Robert's cantata The Testament of Dr Cranmer. They repeated the performance in March 2006 as part of the commemorations for the 450th anniversary of Cranmer's execution at Oxford University Church. The ensemble, conducted by Paul Brough, recorded The Testament of Dr Cranmer as part of a new disc of Robert's choral and vocal music recently released on the Divine Art Label.

In 2003 Robert was on the jury, judging the liturgical category of the first British Composers Awards organised by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, and he returned as a judge in 2004 in the choral category. Robert's songs came 2nd and 4th in the English Poetry and Song Society's Ivor Gurney competition in November 2007.

Robert’s Passion is published by Bardic Edition and the remainder of his catalogue is available on-line from Spherical Editions.

Articles by Robert Hugill

Articles about Robert Hugill

A Real Find - Robert Davies made a remarkable impact when he stood in as Papageno late in the run of English Touring Opera's 'The Magic Flute'; Roderic Dunnett profiles him and celebrates the progress of other ETO cast members

Record Box. Splendidly Achieved - Music by Robert Hugill, reviewed by Patric Standford

Ensemble. Real Inspiration - Verse anthems from FifteenB, reviewed by Roderic Dunnett

Barcelona diary - The London Concord Singers visit Catalunya, and Robert Hugill keeps a written record of the trip

CD Spotlight. Wind without mercy - Robert Hugill's 'Passion', reviewed by Keith Bramich. '... a very distinctive soundworld ...'

Premature conclusions? - Alistair Hinton replies to Robert Hugill on the subject of composers and sexuality

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