Internationally recognized as the pre-eminent representative of the great British church music tradition, the Choir owes its existence to King Henry VI who envisaged the daily singing of services in his magnificent chapel. This remains the Choir's raison d'être, and is an important part of the lives of its sixteen choristers, who are educated on generous scholarships at King's College School, and the fourteen choral scholars and two organ scholars, who study a variety of subjects in the College itself.

Today's Choir derives its worldwide fame and reputation from the annual broadcast of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols which is heard on radio by millions all over the world and which in 2008 will celebrate the 80th anniversary of its first broadcast, together with the now well-established television programme Carols from King's. It is also famous for its many recordings for EMI and Decca, and for its international touring programme. In recent seasons the Choir has travelled to the USA and Canada, South Africa and Australia, and has made a world tour including concerts in Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Tokyo and the USA. Concerts have also recently been given in Copenhagen's European City of Culture celebrations, the Brussels Conservatoire, the Bruges Early Music Festival, Paris's Musée d'Orsay, in Germany, Greece and further afield in Barbados and Bermuda. Future plans include a concert in Bach's church, St Thomas's in Leipzig, a tour to Germany, concerts in Holland and Belgium and, in 2004, trips to Istanbul and the Far East.

The Choir has worked with many distinguished soloists and has enjoyed a long association with orchestras such as the Philharmonia and the English Chamber Orchestra, both in the concert hall and in recordings. A partnership with the period instrument orchestra, The Brandenburg Consort, resulted in CDs of Handel's Messiah, and CDs and DVDs of Bach's St Matthew and St John Passions. The choir currently records exclusively for EMI and recent discs have included Handel's Coronation Anthems, Bach's Magnificat with the Academy of Ancient Music, Rachmaninov's Vespers (which won the first ever Classical Brit Award), a collection of popular hymns with brass ensemble, and a live recording of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. A new DVD, Anthems from King's has been released and follows last season's DVD of Carols from King's, which also contains historic footage of the choir with Boris Ord. The Choir's latest disc is a recording of Vivaldi's Gloria, Dixit Dominus and Magnificat, again with AAM, and a recording of music by Domineco Scarlatti is shortly to be released. More Rachmaninov, this time the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, is to be recorded in the summer.

Last summer, with the BBC Singers, he gave an Aldeburgh Festival concert and, with the Singers and the Endymion Ensemble, he appeared at the Spitalfields and Cheltenham Festivals (at the latter, giving the première of Red Sea by Michael Zev Gordon, a former student of his at King’s). He conducted the BBC Singers and the City of London Sinfonia in the Proms première of Simon Bainbridge’s Chant, together with works by Walton and Duruflé and took King’s College Choir to the Bruges Festival for two concerts.

He also directed the summer course of Young Philharmony Belgium (the Chamber Orchestra of Belgium’s National Youth Orchestra), which culminated in four concerts, and recorded two concerts with the BBC Singers at St Paul’s, Knightsbridge, celebrating the centenaries of Stanford and Sir Lennox Berkeley.

The autumn saw him conducting masterclasses in Chicago and choral workshops in Dallas and directing performances with King’s Choir in Cambridge and at St John’s Smith Square, the former with the English Chamber Orchestra. With CUMS, performances of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony and Brahms’ Requiem followed Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique and Elgar’s Violin Concerto earlier in the year.

In November Stephen took the BBC Singers to the Barbican and later undertook the annual King’s Christmas programme, including a concert in the Albert Hall with the Philharmonia and the CUMS Chorus, a concert in King’s Chapel with the BBC Singers and His Majesy’s Sagbutts and Cornets, and the two Choir broadcasts from King’s College Chapel.