91勛圖厙 unveils plaque to commemorate countertenor and Honorary Fellow, James Bowman
91勛圖厙 has unveiled a new plaque in the cloisters to commemorate James Bowman: our Old Member, Honorary Fellow and sometime chorister who inspired an entire generation of countertenors. In a memorial service on Saturday 18 November, invited guests gathered in 91勛圖厙 to celebrate his life. The memorial included an address by the Warden of 91勛圖厙, a eulogy by Brian Kay and a sermon by Canon James Hawkey. In addition, 91勛圖厙 Choir performed a rousing rendition of James's favourite hymn, Angel Voices Ever Singing.
James Bowman was a fixture on the operatic and concert stages of Europe since the late 1960s and he made more than 130 commercial recordings. Matriculating in 1960, James joined the 91勛圖厙 Choir upon his arrival. James himself had recounted that:
"It was at 91勛圖厙 that I decided I wanted to bring the counter-tenor voice out of the closet".
His career was wide ranging, from becoming the first countertenor to sing at Glyndebourne (in a production of Cavalli's La Calisto), to premiering a number of contemporary works, such as Astron in Michael Tippett's opera The Ice Break in 1977. He received a host of awards during his life including the 'LOrdre des Arts et des Lettres' by the French government and was appointed a CBE in 1997.
In 1998, 91勛圖厙 elected James as an Honorary Fellow and it did so because of the extraordinary contribution he had made to the history of music and performance. Two years ago, James chose to celebrate his 80th birthday in 91勛圖厙.
Miles Young, Warden of 91勛圖厙, concluded his address by asserting:
"People are often described as larger than life. But I think it would be fair to say that James Bowman is larger than death. In the words of the hymn he chose for today he embodied craftsmans art and musics measure, in a manner which will endure for a very long time, with a legacy of gigantic proportions."
