Rory McCleery

‘A countertenor and academic as well as conductor … combining boyish geniality with quite startling erudition’ (The Sunday Times)

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Rory McCleery is an award-winning Scottish conductor, countertenor & musicologist. Internationally renowned for his compelling interpretations of a wide range of repertoire, he is particularly associated with the choral music of the Renaissance and Baroque, and is also increasingly known for his affinity with the music of contemporary British composers. Rory has conducted at prestigious venues including the Wigmore Hall and BBC Proms and has directed choirs and led masterclasses, study days and workshops in the USA, Spain, Germany, France and Italy. He features regularly on radio and television, including the recent BBC2 series 'Art That Made Us'.

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Rory is Artistic Director of chamber vocal ensemble The Marian Consort, with whom he performs internationally, including an upcoming televised tour of Japan. With The Marian Consort, Rory has an extensive discography on both Delphian and LINN records, including many first recordings of both new and historic music which have garnered a variety of accolades and awards including the Diapason D’Or and Presto Classical Album of the Year. When not researching and conducting, Rory is also active as a countertenor, performing as a soloist with ensembles including The Dunedin Consort, English Consort and Ensemble 1604.

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Rory is a passionate advocate for music education and singing for wellbeing, and along with his wife, harpist Rachel Wick, is Artistic Co-Director of Dunster Festival in West Somerset, which alongside an annual May weekend of chamber music and vocal concerts also runs an ongoing programme of community engagement and music education work.

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The Barnet Society has written an article about Rory here.