Photo: Andrew Wilkinson
The Gesualdo Six
Lux Aeterna
A poignant, hopeful sequence of sacred music from across the centuries
The Gesualdo Six present a poignant, hopeful sequence of sacred music containing radiant choral writing from across the centuries. Highlights include Tallis’ polyphonic masterpiece, Absterge Domine, alongside the astonishing harmonies of Gesualdo in Plange quasi virgo. Both composers beautifully capture a sense of vulnerability in their works, asking for forgiveness and protection. From more recent times, there is the effortless poetic settings of Joanna Marsh and Richard Rodney Bennett, who call on us to enjoy all that life has to offer. Elsewhere, pieces by Tavener and Morales present a series of questions, seeking reassurance. If you like, this is an uplifting sequence for the souls of the departed, to be heard by those who remember them.
“With the voices soaring and interweaving high above us, it occurred to me that it was no wonder that in centuries past, congregations sitting in the first gothic cathedrals believed in angels.” – Artstalk Magazine
Cristóbal de Morales Parce mihi Domine
John Tavener Funeral Ikos
Orlande de Lassus Clamaverunt ad Dominum
Thomas Tallis Absterge Domine
William Byrd Peccantem me quotidie
Howard Skempton And there was war in heaven
Donna McKevitt Lumen (Nunc Dimittis)
Carlo Gesualdo Plange quasi virgo
Owain Park It is finished
Henry Purcell Thou knowest, Lord
Joanna Marsh I take thee
Cristóbal de Morales Lux aeterna (Communio)
Richard Rodney Bennett A Good-Night
The Gesualdo Six is an award-winning British vocal ensemble comprising some of the UK’s finest consort singers, directed by Owain Park.
Friday, October 24, 2025 at 7:30 pm
$40 General | $35 Senior | $5 Student
Arts on Alexander
2111 Alexander Ave
Austin, TX 78702
“Ingeniously programmed and impeccably delivered, with that undefinable excitement that comes from a group of musicians working absolutely as one.” – Gramophone
Meet the Gesualdo Six
Photo: Andy Staple
The Gesualdo Six is an award-winning British vocal ensemble comprising some of the UK’s finest consort singers, directed by Owain Park. Praised for their imaginative programming and impeccable blend, the group formed in 2014 for a performance of Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories in Cambridge and has gone on to perform at numerous major festivals around the world.
Notable highlights include a concert in the distinguished Deutschlandradio Debut Series, performances at renowned venues including Wigmore Hall (London), Miller Theatre (New York), the Sydney Opera House, and their debut at the BBC Proms in 2023. In 2024, The Gesualdo Six made their South American debut in Colombia, and will appear in Japan, China, and Singapore for the first time. The ensemble has collaborated with Fretwork, the Brodsky Quartet, and Matilda Lloyd, and tour a work of concert-theatre titled Secret Byrd with Director, Bill Barclay.
The Gesualdo Six is committed to music education, regularly hosting workshops for young musicians and composers. The ensemble has curated two Composition Competitions, with the most recent edition drawing entries from over three hundred composers worldwide. The group recently commissioned new works from Shruthi Rajasekar and Joanna Marsh, alongside coronasolfège for 6 by Héloïse Werner.
The ensemble has harnessed the power of social media to make classical music accessible to millions worldwide, creating captivating videos from beautiful locations while on tour. The group released their debut recording English Motets on Hyperion Records in early 2018 to critical acclaim, followed by seven further albums (Christmas, Fading, Josquin’s Legacy, Gesualdo’s TenebraeResponsories, Lux Aeterna, William Byrd’s Mass for five voices, & MorningStar) and most recently Queen of Hearts.
Photo: Ash Mills
Guy James countertenor
Hello – I’m Guy, and I’m proud to be a founding member of The Gesualdo Six. Raised in Dursley in Gloucestershire, I am now based in Hertfordshire, near London. Alongside my work with The Gesualdo Six I have developed a passion for the music, language and history of Italy, and have enjoyed performing regularly with the Italian Ensemble Odhecaton, directed by Paolo da Col, including for their 2020 collaborative recording project with The Gesualdo Six ‘Giosquino’, which was awarded the Diapason D’Or. I sung as a choral scholar at Trinity College under director Stephen Layton. After graduating I enjoyed performing and touring with a range of other choirs and ensembles including Amici Voices, Magnificat, and the The Gabrieli Consort and have deputised regularly with many London choirs including those of Westminster Cathedral, the Temple Church, and Westminster Abbey.
Since 2020 I have enjoyed taking more responsibility for early music research in the group and directed our Josquin’s Legacy and Queen of Hearts projects, researching, editing scores, and organising programmes for G6 and giving pre-concert talks alongside Owain.
I direct my own music project: Chapel Perilous, which has explored music for countertenor and chamber ensemble, with a programme of works by ‘Holy Minimalist’ composers such as John Tavener and Arvo Pärt. Other recent solo appearances have included Handel’s Messiah with the Academy of St. Martin’s in the Fields, Bach’s B Minor Mass in Exeter Cathedral and also his Christmas Oratorio with the Warsaw Philharmonic, works by Purcell and Blow in Turin, and a recital of Gloucestershire songs for Remembrance.
Photo: Ash Mills
Alasdair Austin countertenor
I am delighted to be the newest member of G6 and feel very lucky to be joining at such an exciting time for the group. My singing career began at a young age, as a chorister at Jesus College, Cambridge and then as a choral scholar at Peterborough Cathedral. It has always been my dream to make singing a career so for this to become a reality straight after graduating from university is enormously exciting.
I have just graduated from Trinity Hall, Cambridge where I read Human, Social and Political Sciences. Whilst at Cambridge, I was heavily involved with the University Opera Society, starring as Damon in Handel’s Acis and Galatea, The Spirit in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Athamas in Handel’s Semele, alongside singing in the choir at St John’s College. Some of my recent solo work includes Bach’s St John Passion and B Minor Mass, and Handel’s Samson.
Other notable achievements include being runner-up in BBC’s Young Chorister of the Year, and performing as Harry in ETO’s production of Albert Herring and as Cobweb in Shadwell Opera’s production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Photo: Ash Mills
Joseph Wicks tenor
I have been singing with The Gesualdo Six ever since the first concert back in March 2014, and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly the time has flown by! My work with the group has really defined my career path in a way I didn’t initially expect, but I now enjoy a freelance existence as a singer, organist and conductor.
At the time of the group’s first concerts, I was Organ Scholar at St John’s College, Cambridge, where I was later to become Assistant Organist. I played the organ there for the world famous college choir for four years, enjoying tours, broadcasts and recordings, alongside the daily pattern of services.
In 2017, I was appointed Assistant Director of Music at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall. During my time there, I accompanied the cathedral choir in a concert performance of Duruflé’s ‘Requiem’ live on BBC Radio 3 and recorded two CDs. In the summer of 2019, I made a big decision to fully commit to the group’s expanding diary while maintaining my career as an organist and choir trainer.
Aside from G6, I have sung for other groups including Alamire and Tenebrae, having graduated from The Sixteen’s training scheme Genesis Sixteen in 2013. I am now on the London circuit and continue to give organ recitals across the UK. I also have my own choir called The Beaufort Singers who sing at the Boxgrove Choral Festival, which I founded in 2018.
Photo: Ash Mills
Josh Cooter tenor
Since 2016, I have had the joy of singing with The Gesualdo Six and, by now, almost feel like one of the original members of the group. My musical journey began as a chorister at Chichester Cathedral, and I later studied music at King’s College London before jumping into the thriving ensemble scene that London has to offer, performing with some of the UK’s most prestigious consorts, including The Sixteen and The Tallis Scholars.
Before ensemble singing, I delved into the world of opera, with particular highlights including playing the title role in Rameau’s ‘Pygmalion’ at the Brighton Early Music Festival and appearing in Handel’s Belshazzar at The Grange Festival. I also love bringing music to unexpected spaces, from performing in Tim Watts’s ’Kepler’s Trial’ at the V&A Museum (with my G6 pals!) to staging site-specific operas in unique venues like the Carinthia Hotel.
When I’m not singing, you’ll likely find me cycling through France, discovering new bands, or looking for new places to eat – never being one to turn down an extra portion!
Photo: Ash Mills
Simon Grant baritone
I am very pleased to be the newest member of G6, having joined in 2025. My first experience with singing was aged 7 as a chorister at Romsey Abbey where I stayed for over 10 years, becoming a lay clerk after my voice changed. Before university, I moved to Cornwall for a year to be a choral scholar at Truro Cathedral and to explore the beauty of the county and its fine ales. I went to Cambridge in 2016 to study music at Robinson College and sing at St John’s College, where I met Joseph (who then swapped with me and went to play at Truro) and got to know some other members of the group. Since 2019, I have sung professionally, including with groups such as Tenebrae, The Sixteen, Sansara, and Ensemble Pro Victoria, whilst also completing a qualification as a solicitor.
I have always loved consort singing and collaborating with living composers. In Cambridge I sang premieres of both consort and solo work by composers such as Jeremy Thurlow (Over the Frost for six voices, flute and harp, and the solo song cycle The world in scent and touch), and in London I was a founding member of the Hexad Collective, regularly premiering work by the group’s singer-composers Anna Semple and Piers Connor Kennedy.
I have a serious passion for all things culinary, and am keen to share my food findings throughout G6 travel on my dedicated food Instagram page @simoneatsnicethings. My sporting accomplishments are fewer than the others in the group (unless you count keenly watching and failing to be any good at snooker), but I am an enthusiastic runner and will be packing my shoes in search of Saturday morning parkruns around the world.
Photo: Ash Mills
Owain Park bass and director
I was born in Bristol, and started my musical training with piano lessons before becoming a chorister at St Mary Redcliffe Church. I then took up the organ and the trumpet, finding a love for improvisation in both. My organ playing took me to Wells Cathedral as Senior Organ Scholar and then to Trinity College Cambridge, where I studied music and undertook a Masters degree in composition. My compositions are published by Novello, and I am privileged to have my music performed all around the world by ensembles including the Tallis Scholars and the Aurora Orchestra.
I am also Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Singers and maintain a busy schedule of conducting projects with ensembles including the Southbank Sinfonia, Ensemble la Sportelle, and Capella Cracoviensis. I also enjoy teaching, and frequently give workshops and masterclasses for composers and singers alike.
I am a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists (FRCO), and am President of Cathedral Commissions, run by Wells Cathedral to support the creation of new works from some of today’s most exciting composers.