UK-based, The Gesualdo Six are masters of a cappella vocal music, offering a diverse repertoire encompassing early medieval song and Renaissance polyphony through to present-day composition.

Formed in 2014 by Owain Park, the ensemble comprises two counter-tenors, Guy James and Alasdair Austin; two tenors, Joseph Wicks and Josh Cooter; baritone Simon Grant; and Park’s bass.

An ensemble of impeccable and distinctive style, the musicians deliver their well-honed repertoire at the highest level of skill and accomplishment, with remarkable finesse. Each singer demonstrates excellent diction and astonishing breath control, creating a marvellous, richly blended sonority. The individual vocal lines weave seamlessly together to produce truly wondrous harmonies. Their musicianship is breathtaking.

The Gesualdo Six, Concert Hall, QPAC. Photo © Brit Creative

The G6’s Wishing Tree program includes a wide range of Renaissance songs, including fine madrigals by Byrd and Gibbons. Byrd’s This Sweet and Merry Month of May opens the concert with soaring counter-tenor lines and impressive, rock-solid six-part harmonies. Gibbons’ best-known madrigal, the mournful The Silver Swan, likewise showcases the exquisite sonorities of the genre.

The program then turns to contemporary works inspired by earlier traditions. Anna Semple’s modern adaptation of My Bonny...