The choir is best known for their annual broadcast of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, which is heard over the radio all around the world. The choir has issued numerous recordings over the years on such major labels as EMI and Decca in England, and Capitol and Polygram in the United States; toured all over the globe; and has worked with many acclaimed soloists and orchestras: the Philharmonia, the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Academy of Ancient Music, among others. In the late-20th century, the choir welcomed contemporary music into their repertoire, having commissioned works by Jonathan Dove, Thomas Adès, Richard Rodney Bennett, Judith Bingham, Diana Burrell, John Casken, Peter Maxwell Davies, Stephen Dodgson, Alexander Goehr, Jonathan Harvey, James MacMillan, Nicholas Maw, Arvo Pärt, Stephen Paulus, John Rutter, Peter Sculthorpe, Giles Swayne, John Tavener, and Judith Weir. Stephen Cleobury, who also serves as chief conductor of the BBC Singers and has recorded collections of Bach, Charles Ives, Richard Strauss, and Giles Swayne with the troupe, directs the King's College Choir. Some of the better-known releases over the years by the King's College Choir include 1984's Oh Come All Ye Faithful and 1998's King's Christmas Collection. ~ Greg Prato