VOCES8 Foundation Advisory Board
Chris Gabbitas
Chris Gabbitas is a musician, educator and lawyer, and was an early trustee of Voces8. As a singer, he has sung with many of England's finest choral ensemble including English Concert, Polyphony and The Cambridge Singers, culminating in 15 years as second baritone within The King's Singers. Between 2004-2018 Chris performed in almost 2,000 concerts with the ensemble across six continents, in the world's finest concert halls and churches, and recorded in excess of 40 albums. He moved away from singing in 2019 and was appointed Artistic Director of Phoenix Chorale, the Arizona-based Grammy Award-winning choir, for whom he programs and conducts four concert series each year, founding a chamber orchestra to accompany the Chorale in 2022. In the same year, Chris took up a position as Artist Professor at the University of Redlands, California, teaching a unique Master of Music degree in music and business which aims to provide holistic preparation to choral musicians for life in the profession. Dedicated to educational outreach and improving access to choral music for all, Chris has led many hundreds of masterclasses and educational projects worldwide, all with the aim of creating community through song.
A former choral scholar at St John's College, Cambridge and Lay Clerk at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, Chris studied law at the University of Cambridge and maintains a growing media law practice with 2020 Law Firm of the Year and Top 50 firm, Keystone Law in London. His practice works to assist clients in creative fields including music, television, film, copyright, branding and licensing, including occasional pro bono work for classical musicians and organisations including the City Music Festival in London.
Three times Grammy nominated as singer and producer, with two wins, and winner of a MIDEM award in 2012, Chris was an inductee into the inaugural Gramophone Hall of Fame as a member of The King's Singers. He has appeared on radio and television as a performer, commentator and presenter in multiple countries, including two documentaries produced for BBC Radio 4 on the art of singing.