Graduate Scholars
Clover Willis is a soprano and teacher based in London. Having spent the past four years as a full time music teacher she currently freelances alongside her position as a Teacher-Singer with the Pimlico Musical Foundation and director of The Finches, a community choir based in North London. Clover has sung for a number of groups including SANSARA, ORA singers and The Choir of the Orchestra of the Enlightenment.
Ellie Stamp is a 23-year-old mezzo-soprano currently based in Oxford. She participated in the 2018-19 Genesis Sixteen programme before studying Music at the University of York, from which she graduated with the John Paynter Prize in 2022. She has spent the past year singing as the first female Lay Clerk with the Choir of New College, Oxford, and has enjoyed exploring consort, solo and operatic repertoire alongside this. Since graduating, Ellie has performed in a number of productions, including Handel’s Acis and Galatea and Blow’s Venus and Adonis at Ryedale Festival, Handel’s Theodora at Northern Aldborough Festival, Rameau’s Castor et Pollux at Stour Music Festival, Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti with New Chamber Opera, and Kristina Arakelyan’s Penelope: Seven Ways to Wait as part of the 2022 Grimeborn Opera Festival. Ellie was most recently a James Bowman Young Artist at the 2023 Vache Baroque Festival.
James Wells is a tenor who began his singing career as a chorister in the choir of King’s College, in Cambridge, his hometown. Having left school he was a choral scholar at Truro Cathedral, before going to study History at the University of York. He graduated in 2022 and has recently completed further postgraduate studies at York in Solo Voice Ensemble Singing, with Robert Hollingworth. At the same time as his MA in York, James was a choral scholar at York Minster, and a member of the Genesis Sixteen 2022/23 programme. James is currently a lay clerk at Winchester Cathedral, having taken up the position in September 2023.
John Johnston is an Irish baritone currently based in Oxford. He recently graduated from the University of Oxford with a first-class degree in Music, where he was an Academical Clerk in the New College Choir, and was taught by Bronwen Mills. During his time at Oxford John has enjoyed working on projects with New Chamber Opera, Schola Cantorum, and the Oxford Opera Society. Most recently he took the role of Figaro in the Opera Society’s production of Le nozze di Figaro at the Sheldonian Theatre. He is now a lay clerk at New College and is looking forward to working with Ex Cathedra in the coming year.
Student Scholars (enhanced)
Daniel Marles is a tenor from Leeds who has a passion for early music. He sings regularly with the Birmingham Oratory Choir, and assists the CBSO chorus in a professional capacity, performing with them on tour recently in Monte Carlo and at the 2023 London Proms.
He is part of the current Genesis 16 cohort, a young singers’ program run by Eamonn Dougan and Harry Christophers. As a soloist, he has performed in Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, Charpentier’s Les Arts Florissants, Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël and is excited to perform as the tenor soloist in the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s Montiverdi Vespers, as well as Bach’s Magnificat and Handel’s Te Deum in the new year.
Daniel has sung with the Ex Cathedra’s choir and consort, soloing as part of the recent Liz Dilnot Johnson recording, and is very excited to be singing this year under an Enhanced Student Scholarship. In his spare time he enjoys playing the piano, studying piano accompaniment at Birmingham Conservatoire.
Ollie Barker is a 21-year-old Baritone, currently based in Birmingham. He is studying vocal performance in his fourth and final year at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, under the tutelage of Christopher Turner. During his time at RBC, Ollie has performed a number of roles including Harasta in Janacek’s ‘The Cunning Little Vixen’ and King Hildebrand/ NorthWind in Jonathan Dove’s ‘Enchanted Pig’. Professionally, Ollie has recently performed in the chorus of Opera de Bauge’s 2023 Summer Season where he was awarded the Gil-Rodriguez scholarship. In his spare time Ollie also enjoys a career in dance, notably performing in the welcoming ceremonies of the 2022 Commonwealth Games hosted in Birmingham as part of the company LYNNEBEC.
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Student Scholars
Sophie Henderson is a soprano from Derbyshire. During her time at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Ashbourne, where she took singing lessons with Linda Perry-Smith. Sophie competed in the Derby Festival, and was the winner of the unaccompanied folk and musical theatre categories in 2019. Sophie is currently in her second year studying vocal performance at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, with Gwion Thomas as her teacher. In her first year, she joined the conservatoire chamber choir and was a finalist in the Winifred Micklam performance prize, in addition to singing in National Youth Choir and Birmingham Oratory outside of her studies. This year, so far, Sophie has begun two choral scholarships, at St Phillip’s Cathedral and Ex Cathedra, and is excited to be taking part in her first opera scenes at the conservatoire.
Laura Toomey is a contralto from Billingham, Teesside, currently studying vocal studies at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, with Yvonne Sandison as her teacher. She started singing in St Peter’s Church, Stockton, at the age of 9, and then went on to sing at St Peter’s Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton, as an alto choral scholar in her first year at the conservatoire. As well as this, she has sung in the Millennium Youth Choir, led by Adrian Lucas and Daniel Cook, since 2018. Currently, Laura sings with the conservatoire’s chamber choir, led by Jeffrey Skidmore and Julian Wilkins. She also sings at the Birmingham Oratory and is part of the 2023/24 cohort of Genesis Sixteen.
Tom Hawkey-Soar, a Tenor hailing from Sussex, embarked on his musical journey at the age of 7 when he joined his church choir. He now refines his craft under the tutelage of Christopher Turner at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Tom has had the privilege of participating in significant endeavours alongside esteemed collaborators, highlights including Rameau’s ‘Les Indes Galantes’,’ Soloist in ‘Bach’s Advent Cantatas’ at Chichester Cathedral, Renaissance Masterworks at the Cheltenham Festival, and a recent recording with the CBSO. He has also performed on renowned platforms, including the Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square for Bach’s B Minor Mass, and internationally in places such as Florence, Vienna, and Malta. When not singing, Tom is an avid Cornet player, and enjoys nothing more than returning to play with his local brass band whenever he can.
Matt Pandya is a baritone based in Birmingham. Originally from Coventry, Matt graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2023 with a first-class degree in French and Music, and has just begun an MMus in Vocal Performance at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He has a wide range of choral experience, singing regularly as part of Saint Chad’s Cathedral Choir as well as being a current member of the 2023/24 Genesis Sixteen cohort. He also sings with the CBSO Chorus, performing large-scale pieces such as Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 and Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, at venues such as Symphony Hall, Bridgewater Hall and, more recently, Monte Carlo’s Grimaldi Forum. Outside of classical singing, Matt is a barbershop enthusiast and a keen tennis player.
University of Birmingham Student Scholars
Hannah Rowe is a soprano from Oxfordshire. She was a chorister in Merton College Girls’ Choir Oxford, under the direction of Benjamin Nicholas ages 13-17 and was a senior chorister in her final year, where she sang evensong every week and took part in CD recordings, Passiontide performances, and UK summer tours. Last year Hannah joined Schola choir, as a chorister, at St. Giles Church, Oxford, under the direction of Nicholas Prozzillo, where she occasionally sings evensong and tours Italy annually. In sixth form Hannah played lead singing roles in school musicals, such as Sister Mary Roberts in Sister Act, and, as a Music scholar at school, she had the opportunity to perform solos: Mozart’s Laudate Dominum with a String orchestra and SSA choir, and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Think of Me’ from phantom of the opera with full orchestra in the Sheldonian, Oxford. Hannah is in her first year studying Computer Science at the University of Birmingham with a Music Scholarship. At UoB she sings in the University Upper Voices choir and Birmingham University Liturgical Choir. As well as singing, Hannah also play the Violin in String Orchestra, the Cornet, and the Piano.
Molly Fry is an alto from Shropshire, currently studying Classics at the University of Birmingham. As well as singing in the university’s Camerata choir, she is a member of the CBSO Chorus, directed by Simon Halsey, and is under the tutelage of Alison Chamberlain. Molly began singing after she was awarded an instrumental scholarship to Ellesmere College for Sixth Form, following an audition on trumpet and clarinet. During her time at Ellesmere College, Molly sang in both the chapel and chamber choirs, winning numerous competitions and singing at professional events with them. Molly continued to study and perform both trumpet and clarinet, taking part in masterclasses with a range of professional musicians, participated in regional music festivals and played with the Band of the Mercian Regiment. In her spare time Molly continues her passion for instrumental music through amateur orchestral playing, as well as teaching.
Monty Charles is a tenor currently in his final year at the University of Birmingham studying Music and Spanish. He has spent recent years building up a range of choral experience that includes multiple performances and recordings with the National Youth Chamber Choir, a year with Orfeó Català in Barcelona, large-scale singing with the CBSO Chorus, regularly joining the St. Chad’s Cathedral Choir and the Birmingham University Singers run by Bob Chilcott. Monty also has a love for theatre, and has been part of 2 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and performed in productions of Sweeney Todd (playing Anthony), and West Side Story. As well as singing he plays cello, with nearly a decade of orchestral and chamber concert experience at the likes of St. John’s Smith Square in London and Birmingham Town Hall, and tenor saxophone. After graduating, he is hoping to continue with choral singing professionally.
Alex Dixon is a 20-year-old tenor from Norfolk, currently studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, where he holds choral and academic scholarships. Alex’s musical training began at the age of 6 when he became a chorister at Norwich Cathedral. During his time as a Chorister, Alex performed regularly, including large-scale works such as Britten’s Spring Symphony, conducted by Oliver Knussen at Snape Maltings Concert Hall, and annual performances of Bach’s St John’s and St Matthews’s Passions in Norwich Cathedral. He also toured with the choir in Cologne, Hamburg and Stockholm, and had the opportunity to make several recordings with the choir under Ashley Grote and David Dunnett. More recently, Alex has sung with the National Youth Training Choir under Greg Beardsell and the Rodolfus Foundation under Ralph Allwood. As a soloist, Alex sang the part of Basilio in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro in a school production in 2022. He was also a recitalist at the 2022 Southwold Arts Festival and performed the tenor solo in Schubert’s Mass in G with the Ipswich Bach Choir later that year. Since starting university, Alex has performed the tenor solo in Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the Birmingham University Singers and sings regularly with the Birmingham University Liturgical Choir and the University Camerata Choir. Under the guidance of Piran Legg, he continues to refine his vocal skills. Beyond his musical pursuits, Alex enjoys playing football and golf.