English · Español
Rupert Damerell is a British conductor, organist, singer and writer based in Madrid. His musical training began as a chorister at Windsor Castle at the age of eight, followed by organ studies at ten. He continued his education at Eton and Cambridge, where he sang in King’s College Choir and participated in numerous recordings.
His training encompasses organ, voice, violin, piano and choral direction. He studied violin at the Juilliard School in New York and played in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
His performing career has included singing with the choirs of Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral in London and the American Cathedral in Paris, as well as European early-music ensembles including Huelgas Ensemble, Opera Fuoco and Los Músicos de Su Alteza.
Teaching and musical exchange are central to his work. Rupert founded the Semana Internacional de Canto in Ávila in 2011, which he continues to direct, welcoming invited faculty from the UK. Since 2013, he has also co-directed the Tallis Scholars Summer Courses with Peter Phillips. He also leads the Zenobia Summer Course, an introductory course in Renaissance choral singing.
He currently directs Quondam and Coro Zenobia, the latter renamed from Coro EOI in October 2026. His earlier ensembles, Zenobia Consort and Zenobia Scholars, continued until the pandemic in 2020. He was artistic director of the Festival de Música Vocal de Las Navas del Marqués from 2010 to 2025.
Alongside his musical activities, he writes poetry, fiction and drama. Rhythm, silence, memory and the ways attention changes understanding connect these different strands of his work. His books are presented at Zenobia Editions.