The last time we spoke, in 2023, The King’s Singers were making headlines worldwide after a performance scheduled to take place at the Pensacola Christian College in Florida was abruptly called off two hours before the show.

Pensacola Christian College then released a statement saying that it had pulled the plug on the performance “upon learning that one of the artists openly maintained a lifestyle that contradicts Scripture”.

It was, as Patrick Dunachie, one of the group’s two countertenors, now reflects, “a galvanising moment” – one that drew an outpouring of international support and sharpened a sense of mission that had already been forming within the group.

“The support of so much of the public worldwide gave us confidence in a philosophy which had already taken shape,” Dunachie says. “We believe that music is an important tool for creating empathy, cohesion and harmony in societies which are increasingly fractured and disconnected.”

The King’s Singers (Patrick Dunachie, left). Portrait supplied

That belief continues to underpin the ensemble’s work as they prepare to return to Australia in coming weeks, with concerts at St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne, on 4 March and at the Concourse Concert Hall, Sydney, on 5 March.

The venues themselves – one a soaring neo-Gothic cathedral, the other a sleek modern hall – neatly reflect the group’s trademark ability to bridge centuries and styles.

That ethos also chimes with the ticketing strategy for the King’s Singers upcoming Melbourne and Sydney concerts – a Pay What You Can model reflecting the idea that music should be for everyone.

Ticket buyers have the option to choose a price that suits your circumstances – no questions asked.

A typical King’s Singers evening might travel from Renaissance polyphony to close-harmony standards and on to contemporary pop or film arrangements, says Dunachie, a member of the ensemble since 2016. “People who come to our concerts should hopefully hear a few things that they really love, and know that they’re going to love. But we also hope that they discover a few things that are new to them.”

The varied programming is about gentle expansion rather than abrupt conversion, Dunachie explains. A listener drawn by a beloved madrigal may find themselves unexpectedly charmed by a modern arrangement; a fan of lush close harmony might discover the tensile beauty of Palestrina. “We are also six different individuals and the spread of genres represents what we love and believe in as a collective of musicians.”

The King’s Singers. Portrait supplied

That sense of individual personalities working in flawless unison has long been central to the group’s identity. Founded in the tumultuous year of 1968, the Singers broke down the “fourth wall” decades before it became fashionable in classical performance, weaving spoken introductions, self-deprecating humour and a distinctively British levity into their presentation. In recent seasons, says Dunachie, that conversational element has become “centrally important”.

“Creating an authentic connection between the people on stage and the audience brings both the music and the whole concert experience to life for both parties in that equation.”

Rather than being “disembodied singing voices”, the King’s Singers aim to show “a little bit of our humanity, humour and thinking” – vital in an era in which audiences are increasingly expect intimacy and the impression of “access”.

“It’s always a bit of a juggling act,” Dunachie admits. “Each of the six of us has a sense of where that invisible line is between how much of ourselves we want to share with the world, and how much is private. Undoubtedly, online audiences respond really well to seeing the characters behind the music – and we do love to share the fun that we have. But we also have to remember that our role in The King’s Singers is only a job, and that there are parts of us that don’t belong in that professional and public space.”

Dunachie insists that attracting younger listeners does not require any dilution of content. “One of the mistakes that artists can make, I think, is assuming that to attract younger audiences you have to change or somehow ‘dumb down’ what it is you’re performing,” he says.

“In our experience, there is a strong young demographic around the world who love and are moved by serious art music, and appreciate the craft of ensemble singing. The method of delivery is the thing. Young people aren’t reading broadsheet newspapers or subscribing to expensive concert hall series to find their musical inspiration. They’re online, and in the last year we’ve seen strong growth in our fairly new TikTok profile by tailoring the music to this new ‘delivery mechanism’. And it’s working.”

Live concerts, however, remain at the core of The King’s Singers’ mission – one that aims to keep a sense of musical discovery alive for themselves as well the returning audiences who might feel they already “know” the group.

“We’re always commissioning new compositions and new arrangements, so there’s never a risk that our musical library ossifies,” Dunachie says. “We’re also always challenging our own assumptions about how things have to be done, whether that’s concert programming, presentation or even vocal delivery.”

“There is also a critical mass of freshness that comes from the line-up evolving. And as people retire and new people join every now and then, fresh ideas and approaches come in which offer subtly new things that help to grow and evolve our performances organically.”