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London Adventist Chorale

The London Adventist Chorale is a British award-winning choir. Its repertoire is sacred, and comprises mostly of a cappella African-American Spirituals, Classical, hymn arrangements, close harmony big band style a cappella, arrangements of hymns, and gospel. Although the choir is London based, most of its singers are drawn from around the United Kingdom.

In 1994 the choir won first place in the national Sainsbury's Choir Of The Year competition,^[1] which was televised as a series on BBC television. In the following year, the choir was awarded The BBC Gospel Choir Of The Year award.

Its present conductor and director is the international conductor and choral composer Ken Burton^[2]. The choir was formed by the late John Tolman, a former member of the church Burton attends, namely the Croydon Seventh-day Adventist Church, situated in South London UK. Tolman's original vision was to create a choir which drew experienced singers from various Seventh-Day Adventist churches in London, in order to tackle and deliver repertoire more harmonically, rhythmically, dynamically, and melodically complex than what the typical church choirs would sing. From its inception, a cappella music was prominent in the choir's repertoire.

The London Adventist Chorale has performed in many parts of the world on the continents of (from left to right) North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Within its home country, it has performed at the major London concert halls, and has participated in several proms concert, and performed a prom concert of its own, where it premiered a piece composed by Shelton Kilby III. The commission, entitled Who Has Set Thy Glory? was paid for as part of the prize for winning the Choir Of The Year competition.

The choir recorded its first album as a vinyl LP, "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus", conducted by Derek Hoyte, who directed the choir for several years after founder director John Tolman. After its Choir Of The Year win in 1994, the choir was approached by record label Paradisum to record an album of spirituals. The album was produced by the organist Simon Gibson, and recorded at The Hall, AIR LYNDHURST Studios. Following its release, upon hearing the album, Times Newspaper music critic Richard Morrison wrote "I have found the perfect choir".

In 1997 the choir recorded another album, Steal Away^[3], with Classical singer Ruby Philogene as part of the EMI Classics Debut series.

The choir has featured on numerous television and radio shows internationally, both on its own and performing with artists including Sir Willard White, Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Lesley Garrett, Sir BrynTerfel, and Larnelle Harris.