Charles MacDougall

Biography

Charles MacDougall is an award-winning tenor, choral director and vocal coach, known equally for his voice and his transformative work with choirs and singers. His solo highlights have included: Handel’s Messiah (Hitomi Memorial Hall, Tokyo); Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (Izumi Hall, Osaka); Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (The Guards’ Chapel, London); Evangelist in Bach’s St. John Passion (Dalby Kammarkör, Sweden); Harlequin in The Pioneer of Panto (Handel House, London); Bach Early Cantatas (Les Inventions, Dijon Opera House); and creating the role of Richard III in John Webb’s The Last Plantagenet (Philharmonia Orchestra, De Montford Hall).  In 2018 he made his London Handel Festival debut with London Early Opera at St. George’s, Hanover Square (and appears on their recent releases Handel at Vauxhall, Vol.1 & 2, Signum Classics). From 2014-2018 he regularly gave recitals across France and Belgium at the Commonwealth War Graves as part of the Centenary commemorations and he continues to maintain a busy schedule of solo work and recitals.

An experienced ensemble singer, he performs with the Gabrieli Consort, Seraphim and London Voices – among others – and has been involved in innovative collaborations with the James Taylor Quartet (Queen Elizabeth Hall).  From 2005-2012, he was a member of VOCES8, performing over 100 concerts internationally each year. With the group, he released several successful commercial albums and made regular television and radio appearances, giving his final performance with them on Christmas Day 2012 in Shanghai. An accomplished choral conductor and vocal coach, he is Vocal Ensembles Coach and Tutor in Vocal Studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (Junior), Choral Director for The Voices Foundation, is Chorus Master for Gabrieli Roar, directs two choirs in London, coaches for the Royal School of Church Music and a number of collegiate and cathedral foundations, is a choral animateur for the LSO and an Ambassador for the Snape Maltings Friday Afternoons project.  He is also the vocal coach for Pontinova Experience (Zurich), offering self-leadership coaching to senior executives and corporate partners internationally. Recent directing highlights include conducting the World Premiere of Errollyn Wallen’s MAP: Songs for children everywhere for Snape Maltings, as well as receiving the Music Teacher Award for Excellence in Primary/Early Years 2018  for his work as choral director in The Voices Foundation/DRET Singing Schools pilot programme.