Collegium Regale The Choral Scholars of KIng's College, Cambridge

Members

Please click on a member's name for more information.

Tom Recknell (Musical Director)

Countertenor
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Tom has sung with King's both as a chorister and a choral scholar. He is currently studying music primarily to kick-start a career as a composer. The styles of his compositions range from popular music to musicals, orchestral suites to choral anthems. Some of his work has been published by Novello, performed on national radio and in world famous concert halls internationally. Tom hopes to continue singing after King's to support his composition.


James Neville

Countertenor

James is a post-graduate Choral Scholar in Kings choir. We try not to speak about James’ former education, a graduate of the university where they can’t punt properly or spell Magdalene correctly, although whilst there he sung with distinction as both a Choral Scholar and Lay Clerk in said college of woeful misspelled fame. James is currently studying for an MPhil in Musicology at Kings as well as pursuing a busy programme of solo engagements with upcoming performances of Handel’s Jeptha and Bach’s and Bach’s St John Passion in Trinity Chapel and Messiah in Llandaff Cathedral to name but a few.

Ed Rex

Countertenor
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Ed is one of several current choral scholars at King's to have started his musical training as a chorister in the choir, and as the eldest of six brothers comes from a family which has not been absent from the ranks singing the daily services in the Chapel since 1995. He continued his education at The King's School, Canterbury, where he co-founded the school's Close Harmony group and ran its two Jazz Groups, and spent his gap year working with the choristers at St. Paul's Cathedral School. He now reads Music at Cambridge, and in his spare time plays flute in the University Jazz Orchestra.

Cameron Foote

Countertenor
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Cameron arrived at King’s as someone who has had strong musical inclinations from a young age. From 2002 - 2007 he was a music scholar at Winchester College where he developed his flute and piano playing and sang in the College’s Chapel choir. After this he spent a year as the counter-tenor choral scholar at Lichfield Cathedral, giving him the opportunity to become more familiar with the choral repertoire and to enjoy the varying aspects of life in a Cathedral Close. In his free time Cameron likes to make collage and he hopes at some point to display some artwork in Cambridge in addition to studying for a philosophy degree.

Paddy Stobbs

Countertenor
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Paddy, a fourth year choral scholar reading management studies, has spent far more time in King's Chapel than any twenty one year-old should freely admit. A chorister, choral scholar, and, some say, future cleaner, Paddy also moonlights as a Trance DJ. After graduating next summer Paddy had planned to go into banking; he's reconsidering.

Robbie Jacobs

Tenor
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Robert is in his second year at King's, singing tenor, and reading music in his spare time. Before arriving in Cambridge his main singing experience had been with the National Youth Choir and Laudibus. He studies singing with Tim Penrose and Sue Waters. Robert also takes an interest in conducting and musical direction, and is the musical director of The Omega Consort and a recent performance of “Kiss of the Spiderwoman.” Although not a sportsman, Robert reckons he could do a pretty good job as manager of Arsenal.

Matt Sandy

Tenor
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Matthew is in his second year at King’s reading Music. Although being a keen flautist and pianist, singing has been an important part of Matthew’s life since the age of four, when his primary school teacher first noticed his ability to sing in tune. Since then, his love of choral and vocal music has flourished, with a particular fondness for church music, making a choral scholarship at King’s an ideal choice. Matthew’s engagements as a solo Tenor have included works by Monteverdi, Handel, Mozart and Britten. Although close harmony singing is somewhat ‘new territory’ for Matthew, he is thoroughly enjoying the experience.

James Kanagasooriam

Tenor
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James started singing involuntarily at 8 when his mother found him too much trouble around the house and packed him off to be a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral for 5 years. He continued to sing and play the viola badly at Eton College for the next 5 years as a music scholar, by the end of which he was no longer singing treble! Currently James is in his 2nd year studying theology and religious studies. He enjoys playing cricket, waking up the residents of his hostel with his singing and drinking coffee. His favourite colour is blonde.

Tom Crowe

Tenor

Tom is a first year Choral Scholar in King’s Choir. Another career chorister, Tom sung at Winchester as a boy before proceeding to the little known secondary school of same name and then singing as a Lay Clerk at Truro in his gap year. Tom reads economics at King’s and is interested in developing an investment portfolio in frontline healthcare and emergency dentistry.

Alex Stobbs

Tenor
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Alex, another product of the Cleobury conservatoire/ kindergarten, is a cricketer by trade. Having honed his skills against the likes of Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock as a boy he hopes to translate his experience at finding his rhythm and dealing with pace and pressure, into the often intense Coll Reg environment. Whilst also studying the piano, his ambition is to make it big in the conducting world; a route he knows will be a long and hard slog. In April he will conduct Bach's St Matthew Passion at the Cadogan Hall in London. Alex is in his first year studying Music at King's.

Ed Ballard (Business Manager)

Baritone
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Ed has pursued choral singing from a young age and was a Chorister at the Temple Church and until recently a Choral Scholar in Clare College Choir. Keen to pursue solo singing he has often appeared on the concert and operatic stage, recently in Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony, as Demetrius in Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and as Guglielmo in Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte. Ed co-founded the close harmony group ‘Over the Bridge’ and is now Business Manager for Collegium Regale, he will be beginning a postgraduate course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in September this year.

Simon Chambers

Baritone
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Having started singing at the age of just 6 in Liverpool Cathedral choir, Simon joined King’s as a chorister in 1997. His time in the choir coincided with many successful tours abroad – including Bermuda, the USA, Australia and Japan – as well as numerous recordings and concerts. A keen bassoonist, he earned a music scholarship to Eton College in 2002 where he studied until the age of 18. After the hectic life led at Eton (where he ran the Music Society in his final year) Simon took a year off in Italy, in order to become fluent in the language before studying it at Cambridge. Simon is in his second year and reads Modern Languages (French and Italian).

David Cane

Bass
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David first began singing as a chorister at Leicester Cathedral, continuing to sing there as a bass throughout his time at school after his voice had broken. Also, as a keen stylophonist, he often performs in smaller ensembles and hopes to form his own exciting trio in the near future. David is currently in his first year at King's, where he is studying for a degree in theology and religious studies. David enjoys playing the piano and organ and has some experience accompanying choirs around Leicester. Most recently, David has achieved his '50 metres' swimming award (with distinction).

Toby Young

Bass

Toby is a second year Choral Scholar in Kings Choir. A composer by trade, he has been writing music from a young age and has won numerous competitions including BBC Young Composer of the year, Cathcart Composer of the year and has had works performed by leading orchestras such as the LSO and the RPO. A recent graduate of Kings Voices he continues to pursue a keen interest in choral music, perhaps heralding a new spate of compositions away from the orchestral circuit.

Nick Bown

Bass
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Nicholas studied the double bass for 10 years before turning seriously to singing at the age of 17. He attended the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music, playing in their Symphony Orchestra in addition to being a member of both the National Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Choir. A final year choral scholar, he is reading for a degree in Music, whilst taking a keen interest in conducting and chamber music. He currently studies singing with Susan Waters.

James Mawson

Bass
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James has just started his final year reading music at King’s: after graduating he intends to work in music theatre as an actor/singer/dancer.  Having also been at King’s as a chorister, he has been in close contact with the performing arts (particularly “classical” music) throughout his life.  Composing and arranging have interested him for some time and he particularly enjoys arranging for Coll Reg.

Peter Stevens

Organ
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Peter comes from Bury in Lancashire, famous above all for its black puddings. He began playing the organ at the age of five, and became organist of his local church at the tender age of seven. He spent his sixth form years at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, and before coming to King's, a gap year as Organ Scholar at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Now in his third year at Cambridge, he is reading for a degree in music. When not in the organ loft, he can be found with a copy of his favourite read, The Catholic Herald!

Greg Drott

Organ
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Gregory Drott studied organ and piano during his gap year at the Royal College of Music before reading for a degree in music at Cambridge, where he was Organ Scholar at Pembroke College. His jazz trio won a prize at RCM and has performed widely in London, including at Kensington Palace. He is currently writing about the 'post-minimalist' music of John Adams for the Cambridge MusB degree. In his spare time he enjoys not being occupied.