Second Baritone
Friday 27th June 2025, 8:00 pm: The King’s Singers – Angels and Demons
For me the best thing about making music is the subconscious, unspoken connections with other musicians. I love blending my voice with others, and creating something larger than the sum of its parts. I’ve been singing pretty much constantly from as early as I can remember, and generally with increasing levels of success. Growing up in an intensely musical environment with four older sisters (all also professional singers), a career in music basically became inevitable — inspired no doubt by the King’s Singers tapes we listened to as we drove to Germany to visit my grandparents! I grew up in Oxford, and enjoyed being a chorister in various choirs, as well as playing French horn and violin in many youth orchestras and chamber music groups. This provided a whole load of opportunities to perform and tour the UK and Europe — something I still relish doing.
When I began my Music degree at the university of York, I quickly joined as many choirs and a cappella groups as possible. This gave me the opportunity to start penning some compositions and arrangements, some more successful (Kiss from a Rose) than others (Nessun Dorma)… After graduating in 2009 I moved straight to London to try and make my name as a singer. I toured frequently with the Tallis Scholars, Stile Antico, Tenebrae, I Fagiolini, the BBC Singers, Ex Cathedra, and many more. As a soloist I loved performing oratorios and recitals, and was even asked to perform Mozart’s Requiem, and a concert of Purcell songs in Japan.
One exciting but nerve-wracking moment closer to home was stepping in on the day of a BBC Prom concert, live on radio and to a packed Royal Albert Hall, to perform a solo off by heart in a Stockhausen opera alongside a (then pre-university) fresh-faced Pat Dunachie! I also relished the opportunity to sing a role in a broadcast performance of Stravinsky’s “Les Noces” with the Philharmonia Orchestra. On days that I wasn’t “gigging” I’d love going to the cinema, cycling around London, playing badminton (terribly), and cooking meals for my partner, for when she got home from a long day’s teaching. The meals were never worthy of a Michelin star, but the good intention was there.
Since joining The King’s Singers in 2019 I’ve learnt a huge amount. I’ve met fantastic people all around the world, performed phenomenal music in incredible venues, all the time working tirelessly with my five other colleagues to strive for perfection, even in the smallest details of music-making. Though I now don’t get to the cinema, or cook meals as often as I’d like to, I do feel so lucky to work with these friends, exploring those subconscious, unspoken musical connections, and bringing the joy of a cappella music to the world!