'Tenors and basses - would anyone like to conduct?'&nbsp;Ouch.&nbsp;Meet Rachel&nbsp;Staunton, director of London Youth Choirs.&nbsp;Inclusive by nature: also keen to espouse the chip butty (non-UK listeners, apologies).&nbsp;Inspiring episode and a must for anyone who in interested in what choirs&nbsp;could&nbsp;be and mean!

Rachel Joy Staunton

Robert and Eamonn do lazy Poulenc, angry Monteverdi, fizzy Bach and remember a Whitacre moment. Also salad - but why the disgusting rucksack? Featuring The Sixteen, Polyphony and I Fagiolini.

Disgusting Rucksack

Robert gets out and about, visiting an old flint church in a Kent field on the Pilgrims' Way, with a history of singers (Deller x 2), early music, a puddings fixation and 10 Midsummer concerts. A feast from The City Musick, Fieri Consort, Swingles, the Rameau Project, Marian Consort and the four natural trumpets of Spiritato.

Stour Music

'And I believe you were once arrested in Ecuador...' Meet tenor Nicholas Mulroy - Monteverdi and Bach specialist but so very much more: the soul of many I Fagiolini projects, thinker about art, assistant director of the Dunedin Consort but with strong musical interests in South America.&nbsp;A joyful episode.&nbsp;

Nicholas Mulroy

Coming late to (professional) composition, Cecilia McDowall is now one of the most prominent composers of the UK music scene, particularly well known in choral circles but with more plans for the future than seems decent.&nbsp;Meet her and hear some quite haunting pieces, with performances by The Sixteen, Sospiri, Susanna Fairbairn, Cleveland Chamber Choir and Eamonn himself...

Cecilia McDowall

Eamonn and Robert enjoy piercing Rubbra, Bertolusi and Monteverdi - can that dissonance really be right? We finally get to hear Eamonn singing (Purcell) and another top hit from the Vox album.&nbsp;Also, who is Julia Donk?

Oddi e soddi

Robert's favourite piece of 20th century choral music is 'Les Cantiques des cantiques' (The Song of Songs) by Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur from 1952.&nbsp;It's a 12-voice tapestry of choral&nbsp;sensualité&nbsp;that takes your breath away.&nbsp;Eamonn and Robert introduce it and ask why it's not more performed. (Spoiler: current time-sensitive discount offer on buying the scores at the end!)

An 'unknown' French masterwork

Eamonn and Robert talk about two new albums: I Fagiolini's 'Draw on sweet night' of John Wilbye madrigals and The Sixteen's 'An Old Belief', featuring Parry's 'Songs of Farewell'.

Pastorals New

Robert and Eamonn finally meet in the same room for Choral Chihuahua, discuss recent things and play favourite tracks.

Catching Up

Choral chat with Harry Christophers, Eamonn Dougan and Robert Hollingworth

Choral Chihuahua is a podcast series in which three British choral directors chat about things that matter to them: composers they love, points of choral technique, classic but also niche choral works, other groups and singers they admire. What is a tertiary shift and does&nbsp;it matter to anyone except Robert?&nbsp;Why was Harry first drawn to the music of James Macmillan?&nbsp;Can Eamonn explain why all singers should embrace their internal choral chihuahua? With a light-hearted touch, three stalwarts of the UK's hugely varied choral scene chew the choral cud about how (and why) you do it and what they've learnt along the way. Choral Chihuahua is brought to you by I Fagiolini and The Sixteen and produced&nbsp;by Percius, The Sixteen and Polyphonic Films.&nbsp;It's supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and I Fagiolini Charitable Trust.

CHORAL CHIHUAHUA

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