The Delius Singers was founded in 2020 by their conductor Alexander Pott, who wanted to explore parts of the choral repertoire which tend to be ignored by groups that focus either on contemporary music or on early music. From the outset the idea has been to develop a distinctive sound which particularly suits music of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, allowing the group to bring a unique voice to some rarely-performed composers and to more popular works. Their programmes are diverse and engaging, and have explored rarely-performed works by Frederick Delius (after whom the group is named), Kenneth Leighton, Florent Schmitt, and Lili Boulanger, along with more familiar works by Johannes Brahms, Francis Poulenc, Benjamin Britten, and Gabriel Fauré.
The choir consists of about twenty singers and includes professional singers from London and Oxford alongside some of the finest student voices in Oxford University. They currently perform three concerts per year in Oxford and undertake other exciting projects where possible.
Alexander Pott is an organist, conductor, and academic. From 2017 he spent eight years as Assistant Organist and Tutor to the Choristers at Magdalen College, Oxford, celebrating the new Eule organ by performing the complete organ works of J. S. Bach across two terms. As an academic, his specialism is in the music of Frederick Delius, which is the subject of his PhD at the University of Cambridge. This specialism also feeds into his performance interests, notably through The Delius Singers, a choir he founded and directs in Oxford. He is in demand as a recitalist, conductor, and teacher, and is known particularly for his innovative programming of choral and organ music with education at its centre. His organ studies took place at Christ Church, Oxford and Westminster Cathedral, supplemented by support from the Musicians’ Company and the Eric Thompson Trust, and his academic training has been supported by the Delius Trust.