Founded by James Weeks (director) and Juliet Fraser (soprano), EXAUDI is based in London and draws its singers from among the UK’s brightest vocal talents. The ensemble typically works as a consort rather than a choir – usually one voice to a part, ranging from three to eighteen voices – and draws inspiration for its sound from that of early music ensembles, a strong but focused tone that is ideal for the performance of harmonically intricate contemporary music. Many EXAUDI programmes combine the new with the old, and the ensemble is equally in demand for its performances of music of the High Renaissance and early Baroque.
EXAUDI’s special affinity is for the radical edges of contemporary music, at home equally with maximal complexity, microtonality and experimental aesthetics. The newest new music is at the heart of its repertoire, and it has given national and world premières of Sciarrino, Rihm, Finnissy, Fox, Posadas, Eötvös, Gervasoni, Skempton, Ayres, Pesson, Poppe, Fox and James Saunders among many others. Through its new commissioning scheme, EXAUDI is particularly committed to the younger generation of composers currently in their twenties and early thirties, and is proud to champion the work of major emerging voices including Aaron Cassidy, Evan Johnson, Bryn Harrison, Amber Priestley, Matthew Shlomowitz, Joanna Bailie, James Weeks and Claudia Molitor.
EXAUDI has performed at leading venues and festivals both in the UK and internationally, including Spitalfields, Aldeburgh, Wigmore Hall, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Wittener Tage, IRCAM and Festival d’Automne amongst others. The ensemble has also collaborated with many leading soloists and ensembles including the London Sinfonietta, CBSO, Ensemble L’Instant Donné, Ensemble Modern and Ensemble InterContemporain. EXAUDI broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio 3, and has released critically acclaimed recordings of Michael Finnissy, Elisabeth Lutyens, Howard Skempton and Christopher Fox on the NMC, Metier and Mode labels. The ensemble gratefully acknowledges support from the PRS for Music Foundation.
