Donald Grayston Burgess has passed away sometime around March 7, 2019.

Born on April 7, 1932, Burgess would join his local choir school in Canterbury at the age of eight before wartime bombings would force his family, among many others, to relocate to Cornwall.

Returning to Canterbury as head chorister at the age of 13, Burgess would continue to dedicate his life to choral music. After his time as a member of the Purcell Singers, in 1963, Burgess would go on to form the Purcell Consort of Voices, where he would serve as director and conductor for many years.

In the 1980s, Burgess moved to Herefordshire, where he taught singing at Ellerslie School of Malvern, and later at Malvern College upon the former’s closing.

Burgess will be remembered for his many decades of service to the world of classical and choral music.