Owen Rees

Owen Rees is both performer and scholar; his work as a scholar has consistently informed his work as a performer. He is Fellow and Director of Music at The Queen’s College, Oxford, directing the Chapel Choir in musical repertories ranging from the sixteenth century to the twentieth century. 

Through his work as director of the Cambridge Taverner Choir, Contrapunctus, and The Queen's College Choir he has brought to the concert hall and recording studio substantial repertories of magnificent Renaissance and Baroque music, including many previously unknown or little-known works from Spain and Portugal. His interpretations of these repertories have been acclaimed as ‘rare examples of scholarship and musicianship combining to result in performances that are both impressive and immediately attractive to the listener’, and he has been described as ‘one of the most energetic and persuasive voices’ in this field. 

He has conducted at festivals in the UK, USA, and throughout Europe, and is increasingly busy as a leader of workshops on performance of Renaissance polyphony. He has broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and on Portuguese, Spanish, and Norwegian radio. He has released CD recordings on the Hyperion, Herald, Guild and Unicorn Kanchana labels, to consistently high critical acclaim.