Christian Forshaw
Spellbinding, heart-rending, haunting and honest are just a few of the adjectives which have been used to describe the warmth and serenity of Christian Forshaw’s performances. He has profoundly moved whole audiences by the power, intimacy and subtle sophistication of his music.
An amazing composer, arranger and performer – Christian takes his music to the pinnacle of sensitivity and simplicity making a huge emotional impact on his listeners. He’s a musician of the 21st Century – brave, bold and fearless in his execution and creation of new music.
Influenced as he was by traditional choral music, Christian attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the early 1990s and played in big bands and small jazz groups yet always had a very clear vision of how he wanted the saxophone to sound in a classical context. By studying the instrument classically he was able to experience the purity he found in choral music.
After his time with the Guildhall, Christian worked with the London Sinfonietta, Philharmonia and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe but although he found this rewarding Christian was also conscious that he wished to push the boundaries even further and explore other areas of music which interested him. He revisited the ecclesiastical environment he was familiar with and began composing material based around traditional texts as well as simple hymn melodies with a view to turning them into performance pieces. So he hired a choir, a chapel and an organist and began the recording process! From this his album ‘Sanctuary’ was born and released in 2004 to unprecedented critical acclaim and success.
In 2006, after making the difficult decision to turn down an offer for a 4-album deal from Sony BMG, Christian set up his own record label ‘Integra Records UK’ so he could retain his artistic independence. His second album ‘Renouncement’ was released in April 2007.
With his band, The Santuary Ensemble, Christian continues to weave his glorious musical magic creating beautifully executed new pieces which stun and capivate his audiences wherever he performs.