Tessa Bonner RIP

The family of Tessa Bonner have issued the following notice.

"It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of the renowned early music soprano, Tessa Bonner, at the age of 57.

After secretarial training at the BBC Tessa worked as a production assistant on such programmes as Blue Peter and Face the Music, and then, as a mature student, obtained a music degree at Leeds University.  Her first instrument had been the piano (a junior exhibitioner at the London College of Music) but she had sung in the local choral society since the age of sixteen and also with the BBC Symphony Chorus.  It was at Leeds that she turned towards vocal study and took singing lessons with Honor Sheppard of The Deller Consort.  Returning to London, she attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where her teachers were Margaret Lensky and Ellis Keeler.  She sang professionally with many ensembles, including the Taverner Consort, the Tallis Scholars (over one thousand concerts), the New London Consort, the Lute Group, the Gabrieli Consort, the King's Consort, and Musica Secreta.  As a soloist her numerous recordings include Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers (for The Taverner Consort, The Gabrieli Consort and The New London Consort), Orfeo and Il Ballo delle Ingrate with the New London Consort, Bach's St John Passion with the Taverner Consort, the Purcell Odes with the King's Consort, the Vivaldi Gloria and Bach Magnificat with Richard Hickox, and Purcell's sacred music with Philippe Herreweghe.

In January of 2008 she was diagnosed with oral cancer and, after major surgery, returned to the concert stage in May. She sang her last concert on November 27th and the following day was admitted to Lewisham Hospital and was diagnosed with a new and totally unrelated cancer.  She returned home on December 22nd where she was cared for by Laura, her
daughter; Peggy, her mother; and Don, her long-time partner.  She died peacefully on December 31st."

Tessa's family have requested that those wishing to make a donation in her memory should support the St Christopher's Hospice without whose extraordinary support they would never have managed to provide the care necessary for Tessa to be able to stay at home during her last days. Donations can be made online by clicking on this link.

Click on Tessa's photograph to see a larger image.

Tessa sang with The Tallis Scholars in Bath Abbey on 10th June 1983, the first of exactly 1,100 concerts with the group. Her last performance was with The Tallis Scholars on 27 November 2008 in the Church of St James the Greater, Leicester. Tessa also recorded 37 CDs with The Tallis Scholars for Gimell Records. On hearing the news, Peter Phillips said, 'it is almost impossible to pay adequate tribute to a singer who for 25 years played such a central role in the life of The Tallis Scholars: her voice went a long way towards characterising the sound of the whole group'. 

OBITUARIES

The Guardian (Andrew Parrott)
The Times (Peter Phillips)
The Independent (Anna Picard)
The Daily Telegraph

TRIBUTES

Andrew Fishburn:
I'm so sorry to hear of the news of Tessa Bonner. I've no idea of the personal loss her family are feeling and will keep them in my prayers, however, in her professional life Tessa has brought great joy through her musicianship both on the concert platform and on disc. Her voice, so much a part of The Tallis Scholars' sound, has been a part of many important personal life moments for me; not least the wonderful Palestrina 400 concert in Rome.

Although little consolation, Tessa, in no small way, has helped to change the way this breathtaking music is heard and understood.

David Lees:
As a long-term fan, I wanted to record my great sadness at the death of Tessa Bonner. I heard her sing with you at so many concerts, and have literally dozens of her recordings with the Tallis Scholars and others. She was a really fine singer and her work has given me great pleasure for many years. I send my condolences to all who must be grieving. Requiem in aeternam dona eis, Domine.

Stephen Halgren:
This morning on the ABC Classic FM station in Sydney, Australia, those wonderful Tallis Tunes for Archbishop Parker's Psalter featuring The Tallis Scholars was aired. The presenter, at the conclusion, advised his audience that Tessa Bonner had passed away on 31 December and recounted that she had been present at 1000 appearances of your group. What a remarkable feat. I have several recordings of the group and am in awe of the purity of sound and ultra professionalism of The Tallis Scholars. That one of your number has been taken from you at a relatively young age is of profound regret. My thanks to Tessa for her outstanding contribution to the enjoyment of so many by her participation in presenting such beautiful and ethereal music. My sincere sympathy to you all at The Tallis Scholars and my sincere thoughts and prayers are with her family. 

 
Peter Mayes:
... just to express my great sadness when I heard news of Tessa Bonner on Radio 3. Hardly a week goes by when I don't listen to one of my Tallis Scholars CDs, so her contribution can be said to have enriched my life considerably. My sympathy to her family, friends and colleagues.

Fabrice Fitch:
I have only just learned of the death of Tessa Bonner. My first thought is of her warmth and humanity, obvious from the few times I had the opportunity to meet her; and then there is her distinctive, unforgettable voice, which has marked many wonderful recordings and graced countless concerts. I want to extend my deep sympathy to all who worked with her, and shared in her life in music - particularly her immediate family. May they draw comfort from the knowledge that her musicianship changed many lives, as it has mine.