André Flemmings, Class of 2002

André joined Trinity as a J-Bug in 1994 and, in his first year, became part of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performing at the London Coliseum and the Ravenna Festival in Italy. He was made Head Chorister by the departing David Squibb in 2001, making him David Swinson’s first. After Trinity, André studied Philosophy & German at Brasenose College, Oxford, before working in the City.

You were part of the Trinity Boys Choir and David Swinson’s first Head Chorister. How did these achievements influence your personal and professional development?

Being involved in music at Trinity exposed me to so many experiences, opportunities and places that shaped my understanding of teamwork, leadership and professionalism. The choirs and orchestras showed me the importance of communities in which each person’s unique talent - or sound - contributes something valuable to the whole. Working under different conductors and performing different genres of music enabled me to adapt to new environments or circumstances. Regular sight-reading increased my ability to think on my feet and perform in dynamic situations.

Regular performance opportunities helped my presentation skills and reminded me to think about what my audience was feeling, rather than solely what I was singing or playing. Performance brought me out of myself as, at times, I did not feel comfortable in my own skin. Intellectually, music gave me windows into other moments in history, different cultures and strains of philosophical thought, which contributed to my decision to study modern languages and philosophy.

Involvement in music eventually led to me, my wife Alexandra, and closest mates, travelling the world and organising albums, tours and TV appearances with Out of the Blue, an a cappella group at university. It even inspired a yearlong career break working for an NGO in the slums of Buenos Aires.

Were there any specific teachers at Trinity who had a significant impact on your life or career?

All my teachers influenced me, but a couple had a significant impact. My German teacher and Sixth Form tutor, Gary Powell, was a real support. Had it not been for him (and Chris Tarrant, the headmaster), I might have left Trinity after the financial burden became too much for my family. He inspired me to pursue Philosophy & German at Oxford.

The music department was the place I felt most relaxed. David Squibb was ever-present, and cello and vocal lessons with James Halsey and Tim Penrose were therapeutic. It was in these lessons that I was most open about how I felt. Other important teachers included Stuart Robertson, the Head of Strings, and David de Warrenne, whose rhapsodic composition lessons were a joy.

One great thing was the sense that teachers genuinely loved their subjects. Seeing them balance that with other aspects of school life - music, drama, or sport - instilled a sense that education was more than getting good grades. Trinity was academic and fairly sporty, but it had the reputation for being the “soft” or “nice” school. I think it championed well-being long before it became fashionable.

Could you share some memories from your time in the choir?

As a J-Bug, travelling to London to perform on stage was an unforgettable experience. In particular, being part of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where I dressed up as a bellboy with blue hair, was pretty magical. Working with choreographers like Catherine Malone, and conductors like Steuart Bedford, as well as Gary Bertini, gave me a sense that opera-houses, major music venues, and even radio stations like Radio 3 could be for someone like me, who grew up on a council estate, as much as the reggae, garage, jungle and house I was listening to at home, if I wanted them to be.

My first Choristers’ course to Kuala Lumpur was special. My voice broke at the end of J-Bugs and I was the youngest member of the alto/tenor/ bass section. It was where I got to know my best mate, Chris Price. We roomed together and it was the start of a friendship that has seen us buy a property together, be best men at each other’s weddings, and be godfathers to each other’s eldest children. Who’d have thought jumping off TV sets onto king-sized beds would bond you to someone!

Singing for Prince Philip’s visit to school in 1996, and then with Her Majesty the Queen in 1998, were highlights.

As Head Boy, what challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

It was an honour to be selected as School Captain but it was awkward as the other person in the running was my best friend, Chris, who became Vice-Captain. We were a kind of double-act. I was then asked by David Squibb to become Head Chorister, which I nearly declined for fear of being overloaded.

I felt a bit of pressure holding both roles, as they demanded a lot of time, organisation of others, and some unpopular decisions. As a scholarship and bursary boy, and one of the first people of colour in that role, I felt the need to represent my people in the best way possible and to “do the most”. I can say now this was unnecessary pressure because, in that community, most people saw me as just me. But few looked like me in those positions - a fact amplified when I got to Oxford.

The best challenge was setting up an initiative that the choir inspired. I was used to working alongside people in other year groups, so setting up a mentoring programme that invited prefects to “buddy” classes at the major entry points for new students ensured that they acted more as mentors and “big brothers” than proxy-teachers. I’m glad the peer-to-peer support framework is now an integral to the school’s pastoral network.

Do you see any connections between your musical background and your academic pursuits at Oxford?

As a baritone, much of the repertoire I used to sing with Mr Penrose was in German. Much as I love my Croydon roots, the local twang was not conducive to speaking German properly. The vowel work that Tim did with me, singing Schubert and Schumann Lieder, and that David Swinson did with the choir, helped immensely when I got to Oxford. The language course is very literature-focused and those Lieder introduced me to musical repertoire, styles and applications to literature that would inform my essays on Thomas Mann and Heinrich Heine.

What advice would you give to current students at Trinity, particularly those interested in academic and extracurricular interests?

Academically, I excelled the most when I engaged in activities outside my studies - especially at Oxford. My thinking was clearer, the connections I made were deeper, and my thinking was more original.

Diary-wise, my music provided natural boundaries to my work. It allowed my brain to rest and be engaged in a different way. That left me much more energised and focused when I returned to academic work. The performing, arranging, gig organising, as well as the sport and fitness I did, also reminded me that it was OK not to be good at something . . . yet.

How did your experiences at Trinity prepare you for the City?

I’ve enjoyed two careers in the City: the first as a PR specialist for private equity and hedge funds; the second as a diversity, inclusion and well-being specialist. Currently, I ply my trade at a US-based international law firm, overseeing their inclusion efforts in London, Germany and Asia.

Trinity helped me talk to anyone and find common ground. Nestled between the more metropolitan parts of South London and leafier suburban Kent and Surrey, its catchment is culturally and socially more mixed and integrated than many other grammar or independent institutions.

These skills helped when bringing disparate populations together for mutual benefit. In my first role it might be journalists, who tended to be liberally minded, with more conservative financiers. In my second, it might be a young talented person who is a carer with a hirer from an affluent European background.

Since Trinity, what role has music played in your life?

Music continued to be a major part of my university life. I turned down the opportunity to join Magdalen College Choir to pursue the little-known genre of contemporary a cappella. I got into a group called Out of the Blue and became its Business Manager. I organised a self funded tour to the US West

Coast and Rockies and established the group’s now annual, sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe summer concert in Oxford. We also performed for Bill Clinton and appeared at Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations in London.

Without singing, I might not have met my wife, Alex. We got together in my final year, but had actually met two years prior at one of Oxford’s “garden parties” when Out of the Blue serenaded one of her friends. As if it could not get more cheesy, she sang in “In the Pink”, an all-girl group. We like to think that the film Pitch Perfect was a documentary about our experience!