Ben Parry (be one of the first to follow)

Ben Parry Biography by Keith Finke

After a fairly traditional entry into the British choral scene, Ben Parry became active as a singer, composer, conductor, and arranger. A member of the internationally known crossover group the Swingle Singers for five years, Parry wrote new music and was responsible for many arrangements used by the group. He co-founded the Dunedin Consort Baroque ensemble and spent time as the chorus master of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus, artistic director and principal conductor of the National Youth Choir, and, since 2021, he has been the director and manager of the London Voices ensemble. In 2024, Parry led the latter on a recording of Daryl Runswick's Four Nocturnes as well as Hans Zimmer's soundtrack to Dune: Part Two. That year, Parry produced the recording Schütz: A German in Venice, a role he has been active in since his Swingle Singers days.

Parry was born on January 25, 1965, in Ipswich, in England's Suffolk County. His father was a music teacher and organist, and he attended the Ipswich School. He went on to become a choral scholar at the University of Cambridge's St. Catherine's College. At Cambridge, he studied music and art history and was a member of the King's College Choir for two years. A major advancement in Parry's career came in 1987 when he joined the Swingle Singers. Along with singing in the group, Parry also composed more than 50 arrangements and new works for them and co-produced several of their recordings. He remained with the Swingle Singers until 1992. Parry was featured in the short-lived West End premiere of Cy Coleman's City of Angels the following year, and he and his wife, violinist Kathryn Parry, moved to Scotland in 1995 when Kathryn earned a spot in the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. That year, Ben co-founded the Dunedin Consort in Edinburgh with Susan Hamilton, directing the group on tours throughout Europe and Canada. While in Scotland, Parry also served as the director of choral music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and was the chorus master of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus.

Returning to London, Parry served as the director of music at St. Paul's School from 2003 until 2008. He was named the co-director of the London Voices ensemble in 2004 and then served as director of the Royal Academy of Music's Junior Academy. In 2012, he became the director of the National Youth Choir (formerly the National Youth Choir of Great Britain). From 2013 until 2021, Parry was the assistant director at King's College, Cambridge, directing the King's Voices as part of his duties. In 2021, he took over as manager and sole director of London Voices, with whom Parry has appeared on major film soundtracks (such as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and the Harry Potter series) and in performance with acclaimed musicians from across the musical landscape, including Renée Fleming, Dave Brubeck, and Paul McCartney, among many others. Parry stepped down from his position with the National Youth Choir in 2023. The following year, he led the London Voices on a recording of Four Nocturnes by Daryl Runswick as well as the Dune: Part Two soundtrack with music by Hans Zimmer.