Canticum is now established as one of the most musically versatile chamber choirs in the country. Currently in its nineteenth season, it is praised for its accomplished performances of major works and for exploring contemporary repertoire. It regularly gives first performances and has commissioned a number of new works.

Last season, Canticum performed the Monteverdi Vespers at St Martin in the Fields, a highly acclaimed concert with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Kokoro of works by Britten, Judith Weir, Tarik O’Regan, James MacMillan and Howard Goodall, and closed the 2009 Chichester Festival with Haydn’s Creation.

Other recent highlights include BBC Radio 4’s Christmas Morning Service, Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at St John’s, Smith Square, Mozart’s Requiem with OAE at the Royal Opera House, the première of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’s Step by Circle, dedicated to Mark Forkgen and the choir, Arvo Pärt's Passio in Bournemouth and London, and the first performance of Hugh Wood’s Tenebrae with Kokoro.

Ever willing to broaden its scope, Canticum opened last year’s Chelsea Festival, providing choral voices for Pink Floyd’s Atom Heart Mother, alongside soloist David Gilmour.

Touring is an important part of Canticum’s schedule, and recent years have taken it to Normandy and Umbria with works including Dido and Aeneas, the Messiah and Handel’s Israel in Egypt, a performance which opened the Viterbo Early Music Festival to a sell-out audience.

The choir’s recordings include A Hymn to the Virgin, with works by Victoria, Poulenc and Panufnik, and A Christmas Carol in aid of the Samaritans, both on the Meridian label. Canticum’s latest release, with Craft Music, features work by Colin Riley, Fraser Trainer and Keith Roberts. The live recording of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Step by Circle and Two Latin Motets is available on MaxOpus.

The current season's highlights include the "East Meets West" day with Kokoro at the Lighthouse in Poole and a special invitation to perform in the American Music Festival at St Martin in the Fields. Next year, the choir will record a programme of music inspired by themes of "Stars and Light", including two beautiful settings of the Nunc Dimittis by Gustav Holst and Arvo Pärt, a Brahms motet and popular English Anthems by Parry and Harris.

Mark Forkgen has been Music Director of Canticum since 1996. He is also Music Director of London Concert Choir and Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of Kokoro (the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary music group).

He has worked with many leading orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the City of London Sinfonia, the English Chamber Orchestra, the English Northern Philharmonia and the Composers' Ensemble, appearing at all the major venues including the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican and the Royal Albert Hall.

A specialist in the field of choral and contemporary music, he has given a first performance to nearly one hundred works. These include stage works with the Trestle Theatre Company and Britten Sinfonia, and contemporary opera with the Unicorn Theatre Company and an ensemble from the Philharmonia, at the Linbury Studio Theatre, Covent Garden.

His wide range of conducting also includes performances with Deep Purple and Mark Owen. Last year he led a project for the Chelsea Festival based on Pink Floyd’s “Atom Heart Mother”. Mark has been Conductor and Artistic Advisor for highly acclaimed festivals including Sir Peter Maxwell Davies's 70th Birthday; Stravinsky, the Composers of the South-West, A Festival of Britten, Music of the Americas and most recently, Britain after Britten.

His recordings with Canticum and Kokoro have been highly recommended by BBC Radio 3 and in both musical and national press. Mark has given performances of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring in Denmark, Handel’s Messiah in Siena and Handel’s Israel in Egypt at the Viterbo Early Music Festival in Italy. Other recent choral highlights include Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert at the Cadogan Hall and Mendelssohn’s Hymn of Praise at the Barbican with London Concert Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mark is a champion of Youth Music. He was the Conductor of the Scottish Schools’ Orchestra for ten years and Music Director of the Ealing Youth Orchestra for eight years. He is currently Conductor of Dorset Youth Orchestra and Director of Music at Tonbridge School.