Chorister Profiles
From Peterhouse Chapel Choir
Olivia is an alto Choral Scholar, who secured a place at Peterhouse through the University Choral Scholarship scheme.
Hi, I'm Olivia, I'm a third year medic and I sing alto at Peterhouse. I joined the choir as a choral scholar in my first week at Peterhouse and despite having plenty of previous singing experience as a soloist and in choirs I immediately realised that singing at Peterhouse would be a very unique experience. The small size of the choir and the fact that it is student-run mean that every member has an important role to play. Whilst this was and is daunting, it is a great opportunity to develop your singing ability.
As a medic, life is pretty hectic and the addition of services, rehearsals and trips can sometimes be a little overwhelming. However there is a fantastic social side to being in choir which really helped me in my first few weeks at Peterhouse to get to know people across all years, studying a variety of subjects. Free formal dinners following services and rehearsals provide an endless source of lively (and sometimes bizarre) conversation and the four feasts that the choir attend and sing grace for provide great fun combined with great food and a surplus of alcohol!
We sing two evensong services a week, rehearsing beforehand, and also have one long rehearsal. Despite the relatively limited rehearsal time we sing a huge variety of music spanning many ages and styles. In addition there are several trips each year to sing evensong at prestigious locations such as Westminster Abbey, St George's Chapel Windsor and Lincoln Cathedral. Another of the perks of being a Peterhouse chorister is free singing lessons. I have a lesson every fortnight with Ian Kennedy and it has been a great opportunity to broaden my solo repertoire, tackle tricky choir music and generally work on my technique.
Singing in Peterhouse choir is a fantastic experience and I would urge any singer, irrespective of their previous experience, to audition or at least come along and hear us sing!
Dominic is a Bass and also the Choir Librarian. Like many, he has found that joining the choir was one the best decisions that he has made since coming to Peterhouse.
Hi, I'm Dominic and I'm in my third year at Peterhouse, currently studying theology, and I sing bass. I joined the choir almost immediately when I arrived in Cambridge at the beginning of my first year. When I auditioned, I hadn't sung a great deal for a good ten years - since my brief career as a treble aged seven or eight, in fact - and didn't have particularly high hopes, but thought I might as well have a crack anyway. Needless to say, I haven't looked back and I count joining the choir amongst my best decisions at Cambridge.
There are quite a few perks to being in the choir. Getting "formal hall" three times per week for free is quite a boon (whatever some people say about the quality of the food!) and a decent amount of room points has always meant that I balloted high up in my year for choosing rooms. There is also a number of "feasts" each year which the choir attends in return for singing grace beforehand. The food and drink are of a high quality and certainly in the past these feasts have maintained an element of notoriety, though this probably isn't the place to go into that. For me, however, the best choir perk is not the food, the drink or the room points. It's the free fortnightly singing lessons. My teacher, Nigel, is really excellent and I feel I've learnt a lot from him over the last couple of years.
That's just the benefits to choristers, though. So far, I haven't actually mentioned the music itself. Peterhouse Chapel Choir sings a wide range of music, but I think it would be fair to say that over my choir career there has been an tendency towards earlier music - particularly Tudor music. This has always suited me well as I probably enjoy this period more than any other. Being an organ scholar led choir, the repertoire does depend on the organ scholar at the time, but this is one of the things I like about Peterhouse. Although I have never been in another Cambridge choir, I suspect that the organ scholars have a more personal touch than a director of music ever could.
Anyway, I don't want to write too much so I shall say simply that I've had a great time singing and I would recommend the choir to anyone.
Dominic Taylor dt344@cam.ac.uk
Peter is a tenor who has joined the Peterhouse Chapel Choir after embarking on his second degree here in Cambridge. He is also training to be a priest in the Church of England.
Peter started his university career at Durham where he read Music. He is now at Peterhouse reading Theology and training to be a priest in the Church of England. At Durham he was principal percussionist in the university Symphony Orchestra and in his degree studied composition and electroacoustic music. He also loves light orchestral music and before coming to Cambridge was newsletter editor for the Light Music Society. Peter's interest in choral singing comes mainly through his love of worship. St Augustine once wrote, 'He who sings prays twice'. Peterhouse chapel is a house of prayer and its choir and organists enable it to be a house of music too. There can be no greater privilege at Peterhouse than to assist our college community in singing God's unending praise.
Peter Edwards
Anna had had some experience of singing before coming to Peterhouse, but felt herself to be a 'cellist at heart. Now, she holds a choral scholarship and is preparing for her diploma examination.
Hi, I’m Anna and as well as studying Classics at Peterhouse I sing soprano in the Chapel Choir. Although I had some experience of singing before, including getting Grade 8 in my last year of school, I had always firmly considered myself a 'cellist, and my knowledge of 16th century choral music was patchy at best! However, after a chance meeting with one of the organ scholars, I decided to audition for the choir. Half an hour later, after a short audition, I was standing in Peterhouse Chapel, trying to work out how to put on a cassock.
Before coming to Peterhouse, I had only ever sung in choirs that had 30 or more members, so it seemed daunting only to have 3 or 4 other sopranos. However, it is an amazing experience (and one that cannot be replicated in many other Cambridge choirs) to feel that you really do make a difference to the sound of the choir. The small size of the choir also meant that I had opportunities to gain confidence as a soloist, something which I never thought I would achieve.
After my first year in the Chapel Choir, I was awarded a choral scholarship, which was a huge boost to my confidence and has led me to consider singing professionally. Through the lessons which I receive as a chorister my voice has developed greatly, to the extent that I hope to take an ABRSM diploma within the year.
Singing in Peterhouse Chapel Choir truly is a unique experience, especially because it is run by students. This does not hinder our progress but rather creates a team spirit and an enthusiasm to improve and develop individually and as a choir. The recent success of the choir is evident by the fact that we have gained an opportunity to sing at Westminster Abbey, and hopefully with more new members next year we will build on this success. However, for me the most important thing that the choir has given me is a wonderful group of friends, whose company makes singing so enjoyable. Do consider auditioning for a place in the choir- the audition itself really isn’t scary at all, and we are always looking for new members. If you have any questions, please do get in touch- my e-mail is acb76.
