Platinum Consort
Described by BBC Radio 3 as a “vocal supergroup”, Platinum Consort brings vibrancy to early music and breathes life into newly commissioned works, including those of former Composer-in-Residence, Richard Bates. Originating at the University of Cambridge in 2005, founders Scott Inglis-Kidger and Claire Daffern appointed singers from the renowned college choirs. The group now boasts the best professional consort singers in the business. Concert highlights include Victoria Requiem 1605 at St James’s Piccadilly, the annual Platinum Messiah at St John’s Smith Square, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Sloane Square series, and a number of appearances at Kings Place as part of their Unwrapped series. In 2023, Platinum 415, a collective of excellent young period instrumentalists, was founded to widen the performance opportunities for the Consort going forward.
Platinum’s album In The Dark reached number 13 in the Specialist Classical Chart and number 6 in the iTunes and Amazon Classical Charts. The Observer praised the album as being a "hugely impressive debut", while the International Record Review described it as "singing that brings great pleasure". Eric Whitacre called In The Dark "clean, healthy, lusty singing”, and Classic FM featured it as their Album of the Weekend. The recording was listed as one of The Guardian's 'Best Albums of the Year’. Platinum went on to launch its own record label, Platinum Unbound, with an EP called Mary's Hope reaching number 3 in the iTunes chart, and being featured on BBC Radio 3's In Tune.
At the forefront of choral education, Platinum presents a successful series of Choral Workshops for singers who wish to explore glorious repertoire in smaller groups. Participants travel from all corners of the globe to be inspired by vocal experts Scott Inglis-Kidger and Ghislaine Morgan. The Consort is supported by registered charity, Platinum Choral Foundation. Amongst other projects, the Foundation supports their Chorister Programme, broadening children’s experiences of choral music, and aiming to inspire and develop the next generation of professional singers.