About Us

Regent is one of the world’s leading labels devoted to new recordings of sacred choral and organ music. Its philosophy is to transport the listener into the sound world of the beautiful and often vast historic buildings where the recording was made.

The repertoire in the Regent catalogue spans many centuries, but the label has recorded an unrivalled number of sacred works by living composers and has contributed greatly to redressing the historic deficit of recordings by women composers – currently having one of the largest discographies of sacred works by living female composers.

Its recent releases include many UK cathedral and collegiate choirs, including York Minster, Truro, Durham, Ely, and Winchester Cathedrals, together with the choir of Selwyn College in Cambridge. The label also has a long-standing relationship with the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus.

Alongside the many sacred music releases Regent has formed long-term recording relationships with recital organists such as Margaret Phillips, Peter King, and Thomas Trotter, and has worked with orchestras including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the BBC Concert Orchestra, and the Britten Sinfonia.

Initially, Regent Records, a company started in 1988 by Gary Cole, produced master tapes for many respected classical labels. Soon Cole’s affinity for, and understanding of, the cathedral music world created expanding opportunities for the newly-created Regent label and its catalogue then expanded rapidly. The Regent label now has a worldwide and loyal following and is providing opportunities for a new generation of producers and sound engineers.

Gary Cole is a graduate of Royal College of Music and Cambridge University, where he held an Organ Scholarship. He is an award-winning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and continues to be an active church musician.

In 2020 the Royal School of Church Music awarded Gary Cole, HonRSCM, for his exceptional contribution to the cause of church music at national and international level through recordings, and in 2025 he was awarded the prestigious Medal of the Royal College of Organists in recognition of distinguished achievement in choral and organ recording.

Since 1994 Gary’s wife, Pippa – a former Choral Scholar of King’s College, London – has worked alongside Gary handling the administration and (as a result of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions) had a brief period also working as a ‘roadie’ on recordings.