- Ward Swingle
Ward Swingle (born
September 21 ,1927 ) is an Americanvocalist andjazz musician .Swingle was born in
Mobile, Alabama . He studied music, particularly jazz, from a very young age. He was playing in Mobile-areaBig Band s before finishing high school. After high school, Swingle graduated Summa Cum Laude from theCincinnati Conservatory of Music . He then moved toFrance , where he studiedpiano with the celebratedWalter Gieseking . In the 1960s he was a founding member of theDouble Six of Paris , then took thescat singing idea and applied it to the works ofBach . This concept would be the foundation forThe Swingle Singers , a group Swingle founded and whose early recordings won fiveGrammies .When the French group of Swingle Singers disbanded in 1973, Swingle moved to
London and formed an English group, expanding the repertoire to include classical and avant-garde works along with the scat and jazz vocal arrangements.In 1984 Swingle returned to live in America. Though he remained musical advisor for his London-based group, he devoted most of his time to workshops, guest conducting and the dissemination of his printed arrangements through his publishing company, Swingle Music.
His pioneering ideas in new choral techniques have produced invitations to conduct The Stockholm and Netherlands Chamber Choirs, The
Dale Warland Singers, The Sydney Philharmonia Motet Choir, theBBC Northern Singers and theMENC National Honors Choir at Kennedy Center. Over the last ten years he has given a long series of workshops and seminars at universities in both Europe and North America.In March 1994 Swingle and his wife moved back to France, where he continues his work in arranging, composing and guest conducting. He has recently written an
autobiography andtreatise entitled "Swingle Singing," in which he defines 'Swingle Singing' techniques with illustrations from his arrangements and compositions.On February 20th, 2004, Swingle was named "Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Minister of Culture and Information.
External links
* [http://www.wardswingle.com/ Ward Swingle Bio]
* [http://www.singers.com/arrangers/wardswingle.html Ward Swingle Bio 2]
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