Date: 15 May, 2016

Venue: New Tsinghua Xuetang

For more than half a century The Swingles have pushed the boundaries of vocal music. The seven young singers that make up today’s London-based group are driven by the same innovative spirit that has defined the five-time Grammy® winners since they first made waves in the 1960s. With two new releases in 2015, The Swingles celebrate that legacy by starting a whole new chapter.

In 1963, American-born Ward Swingle first assembled a group of Parisian session singers to sing Bach’s keyboard music. The resulting album, Jazz Sebastian Bach, launched the Swingle Singers to fame. Since then their repertoire has grown to include a huge variety of music, as well as new original songs. They have released more than 50 recordings, winning five Grammy® awards and appearing on numerous film and TV soundtracks including Sex and the City, Glee, Grey's Anatomy and Milk. 2015 has seen the release of two new albums: the sonically audacious Deep End and a Christmas album, Yule Songs Vol. II.

The group’s versatility has led to collaborations with artists as diverse as the Modern Jazz Quartet, Jamie Cullum and Labrinth. Luciano Berio was one of the first composers to explore the sound of the Swingles’ amplified voices in an orchestral setting, and the group continues to perform his groundbreaking Sinfonia around the world, including recent performances at the Royal Festival Hall and La Scala.

In addition to a busy touring schedule that regularly takes them to North and South America, Europe and Asia, The Swingles present their own London A Cappella Festival at Kings Place each January in partnership with Ikon Arts Management. The festival is the first of its kind in the capital, welcoming the finest vocal talent from around the world.

"Stunning reinventions of songs by the likes of John Martyn, Elbow and Mumford & Sons, with subtle beatboxing and audacious harmonies... superhero singing to truly raise goosebumps." – THE GUARDIAN

“The vocal and choral world has changed considerably in the last 50 years... But The Swingles have managed to hold onto to their distinctive niche and continue to thrive.” – CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

“Whether performing with the National Symphony Orchestra or in a cappella settings, The Swingle Singers were never less than dazzling” – WASHINGTON POST

“The Swingle Singers pitched those mysteriously lovely chords with laser-like precision... a triumph” – THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

“Talented, talented people” – JAMIE CULLUM

“Whatever happened to The Swingle Singers?” – Aaron Sorkin’s THE WEST WING

THE SWINGLES are:

Joanna Goldsmith-Eteson / Sara Brimer / Clare Wheeler / Oliver Griffiths / Christopher Jay / Kevin Fox / Edward Randell