King’s Singer, Conductor, and Teacher Nigel Perrin Has Died at 76

One of the earliest King's Singers has died: countertenor Nigel Perrin, whose family recently announced his passing at age 76. "Nigel brought the most incredible gift into the world and shared it with hundreds of thousands of people over the course of his amazing life," posted his widow, Kate Perrin. "He left us peacefully, surrounded by so much love."

Best known for his time with the King's Singers, Perrin joined the group in 1969, and sang as first countertenor for eleven years. The King's Singers said on social media and its website that Perrin "did so much in those early years to define the sound and character of the group with his beautiful singing."

As a child, Perrin attended King's School Ely, where he sang in the Ely Cathedral Choir. During that time, he joined the newly-formed Scholars, and after Cambridge, became part of another newly-created vocal ensemble, the King's Singers. He replaced the original first countertenor, Martin Lane, and mezzo-soprano Felicity Palmer who stood in for Lane when he left the group. Perrin recorded 25 albums with the King's Singers before leaving himself in 1980.

Six years later, Perrin founded the Bath Camerata, which he directed until 2015. He also directed the Bath Bach Choir from 1990 to 2022, and the Exeter Festival Chorus from 1999 to 2019. "He has raised the standard of both choirs," says Perrin's website, "and enabled them to give hugely successful performances of a wide variety of work, from the major, well-known choral pieces, to jazz, to light songs."

Perrin's death follows that of another King's Singer, his contemporary, baritone Anthony Holt, who passed away in January.

Besides singing, conducting, and teaching, Perrin also enjoyed plying the Kennet & Avon canal on his narrowboat, Tulip, and farming bees.