Owain Park

Owain Park is a prominent figure on the British musical scene, celebrated as a choral conductor and as a composer of choral music. He is the leader of his own group, The Gesualdo Six. With that group, he has amassed a substantial recording catalog on the Hyperion label. In 2025, he and The Gesualdo Six released the album Radiant Dawn. Park was born in Bristol, England, on November 25, 1993. He began studying piano as a child and then had his first experiences with choral music as a chorister at St. Mary Redcliffe Church in Bristol. That experience led Park to places in the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and the Royal School of Church Music Millennium Youth Choir, for which he served as assistant conductor. Park attended Queen Elizabeth's Hospital, a school (not a hospital) in Bristol, from 2005 to 2010, and among all these responsibilities, he also found time to compose. He won a prize at the St. George's Bristol Composition Competition; the competition was judged by Tallis Scholars conductor Peter Phillips, and his prize came with the opportunity to have his piece, a simple carol, performed by that group. The Tallis Scholars have continued to champion Park's music. Attending Cambridge University from 2013 to 2016, Park studied conducting, composition (his orchestration teacher was John Rutter), and organ; he financed his education partly as an organ scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge. He has named longtime Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, conductor Stephen Layton as another major influence. As a conductor, he has led such groups as the BBC Singers, the Cappella Cracoviensis, and the Cambridge Chorale, of which he became the director in 2016. In 2014, he formed his own vocal group, The Gesualdo Six, which records for the Hyperion label, releasing the album English Motets in 2018. He often sings bass with the ensemble. Park's compositions have been performed not only by The Tallis Scholars but by various other top British choirs, including Voces8 (which premiered his Antiphon for the Angels) and Tenebrae (which has performed his Footsteps). His music has been heard on both the BBC and Classic FM networks. The Trinity College Choir, under Layton, released an entire album of Park's choral works in 2018. Most of his music is choral, but he has also written a chamber opera, The Snow Child, which was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Park and The Gesualdo Six released the album Christmas in 2019. They remained prolific through the COVID-19 pandemic, issuing the album Fading (inspired by the Compline service) in 2020, Josquin's Legacy in 2021, and Tenebrae Responsories: Feria Quinta and Lux Aeterna in 2022. In 2023, The Gesualdo Six returned with a recording of Byrd's Mass for Five Voices and the recital Morning Star. The albums Queen of Hearts and Radiant Dawn followed in 2025. ~ James Manheim, Rovi