The Beaches Fine Art Series will present The Queen’s Six, a British a cappella ensemble, in a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 465 11th Ave. North, Jacksonville Beach.
A reception follows the concert with an art exhibit by Mike Perry.
The Queen’s Six
Based at Windsor Castle, members of The Queen’s Six make up part of the Lay Clerks of St. George’s Chapel, whose homes lie within the castle walls. This rare privilege demands the highest musical standards, as they sing regularly for the royal family at both private and state occasions.
In 2018, this included singing for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now The Duke and Duchess of Sussex; in 2021, three members of the group sang at the funeral of HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh; and in 2022, members of the group sang at the committal part of the official funeral services for Queen Elizabeth II.
Most significantly, however, it is the familiarity of living and singing together in Chapel every day that lends this group its distinctive closeness and blend, as well as an irresistible informality and charm.
Individually, members of The Queen’s Six have appeared in many of the most prestigious vocal ensembles on the circuit, including The Tallis Scholars, Tenebrae and The Sixteen. Their repertoire extends far beyond the reach of the choir stalls: from austere early chant, florid Renaissance polyphony, bawdy madrigals and haunting folk songs to upbeat jazz and pop arrangements.
Since 2019, the group has recorded on the Signum Classics label, releasing albums of British folk songs, Hispanic Renaissance music and arrangements of the songs of Tom Lehrer. In 2022, they released a recording of pop love songs, their first professional pop album.
Mike Perry
Artist Mike Perry recently rediscovered his passion for painting on a large scale, following a successful 15-year career in the decorative arts. Growing up immersed in the antique and decorative painting industry, he fostered a lifelong fascination with incorporating the elements of patina, time-worn surfaces, and richness of color into canvasses evoking such timeless themes as light, water and sky.
His commissioned works are on exhibition at numerous northern Florida locations, including the new tower and administrative offices of Baptist Medical Center, Mass Mutual Insurance, the Accounting Firm of Dixon Hughes Goodman, the private home of Ted Turner, Atlantic Beach Country Club, Nordstrom and the Jacksonville offices of Raymond James Financial.
The signature concert sponsor for this show is Stuart Ashby-Fore, in memory of her parents, Eleanor and Garnett Ashby.
For more information, go to beachesfinearts.org/the-queens-six.
