Gramophone Award success for Dr David Skinner

Spy’s Choirbook CD wins prestigious Early Music Award.

At a ceremony at St John’s, Smith Square, Osborn Director of Music Dr David Skinner has collected a Gramophone Award for his CD The Spy’s Choirbook: Petrus Alamire & the Court of Henry VIII. Recorded with his professional choir Alamire and instrumentalists English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble, the disc features 34 works from the early sixteenth century. The recording is based on an illuminated manuscript contained in the British Library. Produced in the workshop of the European merchant, diplomat and spy Petrus Alamire, the manuscript includes some of the finest music of the age. You can read about the disc by following the link to the Gramophone Awards website.

Dr Skinner has just released the next CD in a projected 30-recording project Library of English Church Music, which is already garnering significant critical attention. Anne Boleyn’s Songbook, based on a manuscript held in the Royal College of Music, features works by Brumel, Compere, Josquin and Mouton. David was recently interviewed by ITV News, which you can watch by visiting the ITV News website. You can hear clips from the CD on the Classic FM website, which has also profiled the research behind the recording.