Piers Connor Kennedy

I’ve always maintained that I am not ‘a singer’, but merely someone who sings a bit. This position has become somewhat more difficult to justify recently. But at this very exciting time as I begin my King’s Singers journey, it’s a peculiar pleasure to consider the various meandering experiences which have led me to this point.
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Early musical experiences were at the piano, mostly – my mum taught my sister and me from an early age, and I have always loved doodling at the piano. Another foundational musical influence was Folk – our parents are both from Northern Ireland and my dad would sometimes wake us up by playing the chanter, which is a kind of practice instrument for the bagpipes (if you haven’t experienced the unyielding honk of a chanter, do look it up, and count yourself lucky not to have been woken up by it).
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Having been a chorister at Llandaff Cathedral (and desperately failing to learn the organ during sixth form) I later landed a choral scholarship at St Peter’s College, Oxford whilst reading for the BA in Music. I also played just about as much sport as I could, including captaining the College rugby team and playing Blues Men’s Lacrosse. Stints then followed as a choral scholar at Wells Cathedral and as a lay clerk at Worcester Cathedral, before I moved to Cambridge to read for the MPhil in Composition and sing at St John’s College.More recently, I read for the DPhil in Composition back at Oxford whilst singing at Christ Church. As is probably obvious, writing music is a huge passion of mine. But so is sport – I try to get down to the Emirates to watch the mighty Arsenal whenever possible. I now live in the Suffolk countryside with my fiancee Mollie and our dear cat Pamela, and I bob in and out of London to sing with the odd choir (and to watch football).
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I seriously can’t wait to see what experiences are yet to come with the King’s Singers. Making music – whether as ‘a singer’ or not – is the thing I care most about doing, and I know being alongside these amazing guys I’m in for a real treat. See you on the road!