WELCOME FROM THE CHAIRMAN
As another Choir year gets under away, it is perhaps a good time to reflect on the many changes that have taken place at the College. From the point when it was announced that Andrew Nethsingha was leaving to become Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey, there has been a wholesale change in the staffing of the Choir Office, a new Director of Music, a new Dean of Chapel and a new College Chaplain. After one term of an Interim Director of Music, Dr Stephen Darlington, formerly of Christ Church, Oxford, Christopher Gray took up the permanent position in April 2023, and the new Office staff took up their posts in January this year. We would, therefore, like to take this opportunity to welcome very warmly all those who have joined the Chapel and Choir team, and I have invited them to introduce themselves to the Association in this publication.
Caroline Marks was keen to call time on her long tenure in charge of the Choir Office with as little fuss as possible, but I am sure you will join me in wishing her well in her retirement and expressing our gratitude for all that she did over two decades to keep
everyone and everything in such good order. In addition to losing Andrew to Westminster Abbey, the Dean, Dr Mark Oakley, left last Advent to become Dean of Southwark, and the Chaplain, Reverend Andrew Hammond, has taken up a new post as Vicar of Wymondham, Norfolk. Regeneration, however, has taken place seamlessly, and we are all looking forward to the future in such obviously safe hands.
In the hope that everyone has had a good year so far, this comes with all good wishes for the festive season.
Tim Jones Chairman
WE WOULD, THEREFORE, LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME VERY WARMLY ALL THOSE WHO HAVE JOINED THE CHAPEL AND CHOIR TEAM
WELCOME FROM THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
We’ve had a big turnover of Lower Voices this academic year, and in recent weeks I’ve enjoyed settling in eleven new altos, tenors and basses, including six on our new Choral Graduate Programme. The slightly larger back row (nine on each side) is working well—I had expected ensemble to be harder, as the price to pay for greater warmth of sound, but they all seem to be able to hear and see perfectly well. Having had lots of new personnel in the Chapel and Choir Department, it feels like everyone now has their feet securely under the table and we are building up a head of steam. With foundations firmly laid, plans are progressing apace for the next three years and beyond, and I look forward to sharing some of those with you in the coming months. St John’s has traditionally
been a place where the extraordinary becomes ordinary, and we have every intention of continuing in the footsteps of our distinguished predecessors. I hope to see you at services and concerts during the year. Highlights will include the usual Advent, Epiphany and Lent services, as well as Bach Cantata Evensongs, a joint concert with The Gesualdo Six, the launch of my first album with the choir, premieres of newly commissioned works, tours to Europe and the USA, and three broadcasts.
Chris Gray Director of Music
WITH FOUNDATIONS FIRMLY LAID, PLANS ARE PROGRESSING APACE FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS AND BEYOND, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING SOME OF THOSE WITH YOU IN THE COMING MONTHS.
STAFF INTRODUCTIONS
With so many new faces in the Chapel and Choir Office, we thought it would be a good opportunity for staff members to introduce themselves.
Victoria Johnson – Dean of Chapel
It has been a joy to join St John’s College as Dean of Chapel, starting during Easter Term this year. I came to Cambridge from York Minster where I was Canon Precentor, overseeing the music and liturgy, and prior to that a Residentiary Canon at Ely Cathedral, so the Fens are quite familiar to me. Some years ago, whilst training for ordination, I read Theology at Sidney Sussex College, where I also sang in the chapel choir. It is a particular delight to be joining a brilliant new team at a very exciting time and I am enjoying working with Christopher Gray, the Choristers and the Gents of St John’s. As well as cathedral and college experience I hope I also bring to this role other related interests; I am trustee of the National Centre for Early
Music, The Ryedale Festival, and the Church Music Society and still sing myself — not only cantoring Evensong — but also most recently in local chamber choirs in York and Cambridge. Much of my experience in music and worship has been folded into a recently published book ‘On Voice: Speech, Song, Silence, Human and Divine’ published by Darton, Longman and Todd. I would be delighted to meet members of the Choir Association over the coming months, and we are always delighted when members return to College, please do say ‘hello’.
Andrea McDermott – Departmental and Touring Manager
The first few months here at St John’s have been both busy and rewarding, and I feel very fortunate to be in Cambridge working with such a great choir and a wonderful new team. Like many of the team, I started out as a singer. I trained at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester before spending several years as a freelance opera singer, including a season as a member of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera chorus. I moved into arts administration thanks to an opportunity with Patrick Garvey Management and spent twenty years there working with musicians such as Thomas Trotter, Jonathan Harvey, Richard Shepherd, and Craig Ogden. My first experience of Choral Evensong came when my son became a Chorister at York Minster, and I
fell in love with Anglican choral music and tradition. This led me to Salisbury Cathedral where I had the privilege of working with the cathedral choir and music team as the Liturgy and Music Manager. When the pandemic struck, I returned to Yorkshire to take on a role with the Orchestra of Opera North. It was wonderful to be back in the world of opera, but the pull of Choral Evensong is strong, and where better than St John’s! We are incredibly fortunate to have the support and friendship of the Choir Association. It has been a pleasure meeting some of you at recent events, and I am very much looking forward to working closely with you in the future.
Isabelle
Freeman – M arketing, Media, and Recruitment Officer
I’m really enjoying being part of the new Choir office team at St John’s since starting in January. I’m originally from Perth, Western Australia, where my love for singing and music began. I was fortunate to have a brilliant music teacher at school who encouraged me to join Gondwana Voices, a national children’s choir in Australia. My experience with Gondwana opened my eyes to fantastic musical opportunities and inspired my professional pursuit of singing. I studied classical voice at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, fell in love with opera, and moved to New York City to complete a Master of Music and a Professional Studies Diploma in opera at the Mannes School of Music. I loved my time in NYC, working with incredible teachers and freelancing with small opera companies. Like millions across the globe, the pandemic
altered my path, and I moved to the UK. After a year as a houseparent at a boarding school in Lancashire, I arrived in Cambridge, taking up a part-time job with the Cambridge University Musical Society as it grew into the Centre for Music Performance and sang with the Choirs of Jesus College. In my second year here, I took another parttime role as music administrator at Sidney Sussex College, where I also sang with the choir. I’m so inspired by the Choir here at St John’s and it is a privilege to work with these amazing singers, organ scholars, the whole team. I look forward to meeting members of the Choir Association.
Owen Elsley – Choir Assistant Administrator and Choir Association Secretary
It’s been wonderful settling into the Choir Office here at St John’s for the past few months and I have enjoyed getting to know many members of the Choir Association since I started in January of this year. I’m originally from Newcastle, Australia, where I grew up surrounded by music, learning
Cambridge to read for a Master of Music. In Cambridge, I spent three years in the Choir of King’s College under Daniel Hyde, only momentarily interrupted by a global pandemic, and now split my time between Cambridge and London and between performance and arts administration. In my
Graham Dunn – Chaplain
Hello, I’m Graham Dunn and I’m the new Chaplain at St John’s. It’s been wonderful to begin to get to know the college community since I took up my role at the beginning of Michaelmas Term, and especially to work alongside the choir who are at the very heart of what we do in chapel.
I come to Cambridge (with my wife and our cocker spaniel) from London where I was Curate of St John’s Church in Hampstead, which itself has a long heritage in the parish choral tradition. I’m not entirely new to Cambridge, having trained for ministry at Westcott House, during which time I also matriculated at Gonville and Caius College. Before ordination, I spent many years
working in political engagement and public policy, both in government and the private sector.
As someone who regularly leads public worship, I am passionate about the role of music in liturgy. In my first few weeks at St John’s, I have already seen the way in which those coming to our services have been captivated, inspired and deeply moved by our choir, including several who have never experienced the choral tradition before. It is a great privilege to serve in such a place as this and I am looking forward to all that lies ahead.
BURSARY RECIPIENT TESTIMONIALS
Each year, the Choir Association proudly gives bursaries to promising current and former members of the Choir as they embark on their studies at music college. This vital initiative lies at the heart of the Association’s activities, offering much needed support to nurture the professional journeys of exceptional young musicians. In this newsletter, we share the reflections of two recent bursary recipients, and how the Choir Association Bursary Scheme has helped them to succeed in their careers.
Tom Butler – Bursary Recipient 2022
I started singing in school choirs from a young age but it was only when a music teacher recommended that I audition to be a chorister that I started to consider music in the long term. I sang as a chorister at Southwark Cathedral for three years, which is a time I have very fond memories of and gave me a unique musical education allowing me to continue making music after my voice had changed. Coming from a non-musical family, opportunities liken those given to me at Southwark and beyond were crucial in allowing me to explore my love of singing.
Immediately after finishing my time at school, I was fortunate enough to be able to go and study at St John’s College, Cambridge, as well as sing in the College Choir. Despite significant challenges during my time there, such as the global pandemic and trying to complete a degree, singing in the choir made those years the best of my life. The Choir is truly a uniquely close community with friendly staff and passionate colleagues. Alongside Chapel responsibilities, I was able to engage in lots of opera with the university, singing various roles and gaining invaluable experience for what I have now gone on to do – it was through this work that I realised the operatic route was what I wanted to pursue.
After an additional year at St John’s as a Lay Clerk in the Choir, I went to study for a Masters in Vocal Studies at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM), which I have just completed. I was very excited for this next
chapter in my musical journey, but wasn’t sure it was going to be possible because of the high cost of studying music in the UK. With the competition as high as it is for places in these institutions, one can never rely on getting internal scholarships, and many people end up having to give up their place despite successful auditions as they cannot raise the funds needed for the twoyear course. I was extremely lucky to benefit from the Choir Association Bursary Scheme which contributed significantly towards funding my studies at RAM. There’s a very clear line to be drawn from my experiences at St John’s and the help from the bursary to my recent successes and progression. I joined the choir of Westminster Abbey in 2023 which has involved amazing experiences, including singing in the Coronation service. In September 2024 I will start in the RAM Opera School, which involves two more years of study, which will hopefully kickstart my career in opera and give me lots of experience in singing roles to a professional standard. I’m grateful to St John’s for helping me along this journey and I’m confident many others will benefit from it in future!
Hugh Cutting – Bursary Recipient 2019
I was a Gent from 2015–19, and look back on my time at John’s with utter fondness and gratitude (despite a suspiciously hazy memory, at times…). I’ve been working full time for the last 2 or 3 years in opera, recital and concert, and before that was at the Royal College of Music in London for my masters and opera courses following Cambridge.
Obviously, the first few months of music college are filled (surprise surprise) with new experiences, as is the case for anyone starting a new institution. But, speaking specifically about those of us lucky to have passed through places like Cambridge, it’s a time of transitioning from choral to solo singing. In material terms, this means the need to invest in your new craft – getting audition videos recorded, being photographed for headshots, acquiring scores, buying an iPad with accompanying insurance (I managed to drive home after a concert with my iPad sitting on the roof of my car, cleverly) and buying stretchy bands etc for singing lessons.
The bursary I received from the Choir Association was invaluable for these types of initial things; you don’t necessarily expect them, so having a financial buffer is great. That said, there’s a more long-term side to this support: if you want to make the most of what conservatoire has to offer, you need to be there enough to soak everything up. Not everything you’re offered by teachers and coaches will be useful for you personally, and that’s fine because you have to learn how to sift through information yourself, prioritising what’s best for you in terms of where you are. But you can’t do this if you’re popping in and out of college all the time because you need to sustain yourself financially via church services or choral society gigs. What the bursary therefore represents is twofold, I think: primarily, it’s the financial help you need to start carving your way in this difficult industry, but more than this it represents a commitment to pursue the arts. It allows you to comprehensively launch into this next stage of training. I’m sure I frequently forgot this at the time, but hindsight is a fine thing…
The cliché is true: you need to fuel your mind and body to deal with this odd industry; eat well, look after your voice, and be accountable to yourself. I love a pot noodle as much as the next person, but if you’re not looking after your physical health in those first few months, then things may be trickier than you’d realised, and it can really set the tone for how you feel about this type of job (be it as a singer specifically, or as any type of musician). You have to safeguard your love of both music and your sense of self in this ego-aggrandising and ego-bashing industry, and that’s where this money is so helpful; hopefully, it will allow you to pick yourself up and opt for some self-care after a particularly frustrating day of practice. If you’re lucky enough to be supported by something like the brilliant Choir Association at St John’s, then realise that you are the one who needs to honour that immense privilege you have had to have been part of this wonderful Choir. And you do that by wholeheartedly committing to whatever you’re wanting from music college. This all sounds pretty heavyhanded, so I’ll finish by adding that you need to make sure you can do all of this whilst being able to laugh at yourself, and realise it’s ok to be rubbish every now and then…
OTHER NEWS
The Choir Association were delighted to learn of the news that David Seers (formerly Head, Sponsorship and Historic Environment, Scottish Government and Choral Scholar 1982–85) was awarded an MBE for services to Culture, History and the Arts of Scotland in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours List.
Christmas Concert
Celebrate the festive season with the Choir’s annual Christmas Concert on Friday 6 December, 6.30–7.15pm.
Conducted by Christopher Gray, the Choir will perform a short concert of traditional carols and other Christmas music.
Held in the Chapel, the programme includes “Three Carol Anthems” by Howells, “Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël” by Poulenc, and traditional favourites such as “In dulci jubilo,” “Stille
Nacht,” and “Sussex Carol.” This is a fantastic opportunity to hear repertoire that the Choir is preparing for the upcoming tour to Budapest, Munich, and Hamburg.
Seating is unreserved within sections and those seated in the ante-chapel will have a restricted view. Secure your tickets at adcticketing.com or call 01223 300085.
