1. David Willcocks was particularly well known for his association with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, which he directed from 1957 to 1974, making frequent broadcasts and recordings.
16 Facts About David Willcocks
1. 2.
David Willcocks was director of the Royal College of Music in London.
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David Willcocks was appointed as organ scholar at King's College, Cambridge in 1939.
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David Willcocks carried out his duties outstandingly overnight, helping inflict severe casualties on the German forces by calling in artillery support to break up counter-attacks.
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David Willcocks rallied the men, enabling the battalion to stand firm and reorganise.
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David Willcocks returned to Cambridge in 1945 to complete his studies, and in 1947 was elected a Fellow of King's College and appointed Conductor of the Cambridge Philharmonic Society.
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David Willcocks moved to Worcester Cathedral in 1950 and remained until 1957, during which time he was organist of the cathedral, principal conductor of the Three Choirs Festival in 1951,1954, and 1957, and conductor of the City of Birmingham Choir.
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David Willcocks held these positions at Cambridge until the 1970s when he accepted the post of Director of the Royal College of Music.
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David Willcocks held honorary degrees in England from the Universities of Bradford, Bristol, Exeter, Leicester, and Sussex, and from the Royal College of Music in London; in the US from Luther College, St Olaf College, Rowan University and Westminster Choir College ; and in Canada from the Universities of Trinity College, Toronto, and Victoria BC All in all, his honorary degrees numbered over fifty.
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David Willcocks was President of the City of Bath Bach Choir and Exeter Festival Chorus.
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On 15 May 2010, a celebration of his contribution to music took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where pieces selected by David Willcocks were performed by singers who are part of the Really Big Chorus.
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David Willcocks died at home in Cambridge on the morning of 17 September 2015.
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David Willcocks made recordings with the Bach Choir, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Jacques Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra as well as with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, with whom he regularly conducted the Nine Lessons and Carols service on Christmas Eve, broadcast by the BBC every year since 1931.
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David Willcocks served as general editor of the Church Music series of the Oxford University Press.
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David Willcocks was Music Director Emeritus of King's College Choir, and an Honorary Fellow of King's College, Cambridge.
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Outside the world of classical music, David Willcocks conducted his London Bach Choir for the studio recording of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones in 1968.