Kerensa Briggs

Kerensa Rosie Joanne Briggs (born 1991) is a British composer, primarily of choral and organ music. In 2022 she began a three-year term as composer-in-residence with the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus in Missouri, USA.

Family and education The chapel of King's College London, where Briggs studied; the college choir has since performed several of Briggs's works. Briggs was born in Truro, Cornwall, in 1991, while her father, David, was organist and master of the choristers at Truro Cathedral.

After her father moved to Gloucester Cathedral, she sang in the youth choir there. She attended The King's School in Gloucester from 1995 to 2002 and later studied music at the University of Bristol. Afterwards she sang with the Choir of King's College London, where she held a choral scholarship and was awarded a Master of Music degree in composition.

She became composer-in-residence at Godolphin and Latymer School.

Briggs's music, which is inspired by the Anglican choral tradition, Gregorian chant, early music and jazz, has been performed at St Paul's Cathedral and the Sistine Chapel and has been broadcast on BBC Radio and Classic FM by ensembles such as the Tallis Scholars and the BBC Singers. and by the choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge, under the direction of Anna Lapwood. Briggs has been described as writing in a "generally tonal and audience-friendly idiom, not to mention a singer/performer-friendly idiom". and have been performed at the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music each year since 2018.

Briggs's Requiem was performed by the BBC Singers under the direction of David Hill, with Stephen Farr at the organ, during the BBC Radio 3 Afternoon Concert series in November 2023 to mark Remembrance Day, and the world premiere of her setting of the O antiphon O Clavis David was sung by the choir of Norwich Cathedral during the BBC Radio 3 broadcast of Choral Evensong the following month.

Selected works Briggs's works include the following:

Choral works columns-list|colwidth=35em| Lamentations of Jeremiah A Tender Shoot Media Vita (inspired by the work of the same name by John Sheppard) Gloucester Service Windsor Service Preces and Responses Eternal Father Old Mother Earth Requiem Festival of Psalms (composed with David Briggs) Height in Depth Suite