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Ian Partridge (born 12 June 1938) is a retired English people lyric tenor, whose repertoire ranged from Monteverdi, Bach and Handel, the Elizabethan era lute songs, Germany, French language and English songs, through to Schoenberg, Kurt Weill and Benjamin Britten, and on to contemporary works. He formed a renowned vocal-piano duo with his sister Jennifer Partridge, with whom he worked for over 50 years. While concentrating mainly on songs, oratorio and , he also recorded opera, and has an extensive discography. He is now a teacher and adjudicator, and conducts master classes in many countries.
He made his debut in 1958 at Bexhill in Handel's Messiah, and commenced a solo singing career in 1962. He formed a renowned vocal-piano duo with his sister Jennifer Partridge, with whom he performed over 430 recitals over 52 years. On one occasion in Syria, the hall was sold out, until the audience discovered the performers were not The Partridge Family. Barnes & Noble; Interview with Tenor Ian Partridge In 1967, he recorded for EMI Records Ltd, with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge and the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by David Willcocks, the Charpentier's "Messe de Minuit" for Christmas H.9
Partridge appeared only once in opera, but at Covent Garden, singing the role of Iopas in Hector Berlioz's Les Troyens conducted by Sir Colin Davis, which he later recorded.
In 1973, his recording of Franz Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin, which was the first time the cycle had been recorded on a single 33rpm LP record, was voted Best Record by Record Review. In 1977, he recorded for EMI Records Ltd, with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, conducted by Philip Ledger, the Charpentier's Te Deum H.146.
He sang the title role in the Thames Television production of Benjamin Britten's Saint Nicolas, which won the 1977 Prix Italia. With Pierre Boulez, Partridge recorded Schoenberg's Die Jakobsleiter, Robert Schumann's Der Rose Pilgerfahrt and Igor Stravinsky's Le Rossignol.
Ian Partridge has appeared in recital and concert in many countries. He collaborated with the actress Prunella Scales in over 350 performances of "An Evening with Queen Victoria" all over the world, singing songs composed by Prince Albert. He has performed William Walton's Façade at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with the composer's widow Lady Walton.
He has been President of the Incorporated Society of Musicians. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1992 New Year's Honours for services to music. He gave his farewell recital on 9 October 2008 at the Oxford Lieder Festival.
From 1996-2002 Partridge was a director of PAMRA (Performing Artists Media Rights Association), a UK not-for-profit organisation set up in 1996 as a result of EU directive 92/100/EEC, Article 8(2), which gave performers the right to receive "equitable remuneration". Prior to this, “non-featured artists” (including orchestral players and choral singers) did not receive royalties when their performances were broadcast or played in public. By 2002 PAMRA had more than 15,000 members and was paying out millions of pounds in royalties to rank-and-file musicians.
He has conducted masterclasses on Lieder, English Song and Early Music, at Aldeburgh, Vancouver, Ravinia, Trondheim, Versailles and Helsinki. He continues to lead residential singing weekends, such as his annual course at Jackdaws Music Education Trust and has been a professor at the Royal Academy of Music since 1996.
On 13 September 2016, Partridge was the focus of the BBC Radio 4 programme Voices of....
His voice appears on Vol. 5 of The Record of Singing.
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Categories: 1938 Births, Living People, English Operatic Tenors, Academics Of The Royal Academy Of Music, Commanders Of The Order Of The British Empire, People Educated At Clifton College, Alumni Of The Guildhall School Of Music And Drama, Musicians From Wimbledon, London, Singers From The London Borough Of Merton, Alumni Of The Royal College Of Music, People Educated At New College School, Presidents Of The Independent Society Of Musicians, People From Wimbledon, London
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