Christopher LeCluyse

Tenor

Christopher LeCluyse discovered early music in seventh grade, when an inspired music teacher played Machaut’s Messe de Nostre Dame for his class. He studied voice and English at the Oberlin Conservatory and Oberlin College and has since continued pursuing both vocations as a singer and a teacher. His real immersion in early music and choral repertoire began as he completed a PhD in English at the University of Texas at Austin, studying bilingual poems and songs from medieval England. While in Austin he sang with Conspirare, the Texas Early Music Project, La Follia Austin Baroque, and the Schola Cantorum at St. Mary’s Cathedral and appeared as a guest artist with the Houston-based groups Ars Lyrica and Canzonetta. In the San Francisco area, Chris has performed with Conspirare, Magnificat, the San Francisco Early Music Society, and Voices of Music. In 2008 he performed in the American debut of Alessandro Striggio’s Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno at the Berkeley Festival and taught workshops in vocal technique, chant, and medieval carols at the San Francisco Early Music Society Medieval/Renaissance Workshop. Most recently, Chris joined Magnificat for performances of Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers and the finale of the 2010 Berkeley Festival and performed a musical rendition of Marie de France’s “Chevrefoil” with Istanpitta at the Connecticut Early Music Festival. Chris is an associate professor of English and writing center director at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. His recordings include Threshold of Night, a CD with Conspirare of choral works by Tarik O’Regan, nominated in 2009 for two Grammy awards: “Best Classical Album” and “Best Choral Performance.”