Rutter, John

JOHN RUTTER - This resident of Cambridge, England, was born in London in 1945. His musical training began as a boy chorister, and his formal education was accomplished at Clare College, Cambridge (M.A. Mus. B. 1968). During his undergraduate studies, he wrote his first published compositions and conducted his first recording. Sir David Willcocks invited him to co-edit the second volume of the Carols for Choirs series, a collaboration that later included a third and fourth volume. From 1975 to 1979 he served as Director of Music at his alma mater, Clare College, but resigned to spend more time composing. Subsequently, he formed the Cambridge Singers, whose recordings have won many honors and have been widely distributed. John was challenged to set the Sydney Carter song LORD OF THE DANCE for Unison voices and descant with orchestral accompaniment. Hope Publishing released this anthem as C 2102 in the spring of 2000. In 2002 an SATB version of this same title was published as Code No. C 5166. His choral "Amen" appears in the new Hope Hymnal WORSHIP & REJOICE as selection #742.