Graduates of Trinity College Choir play a tremendously important part in the musical life of this country.
On this page you can find brief details of a few of the musical institutions to which your fellow TCCA members contribute. Please do get in touch us if you have news of your own to share.

• Stile Antico (Kate Ashby)
• The Sixteen (Simon Berridge, Zoë Brown)
• Trinity Baroque (Julian Podger)
• Chester Cathedral (Philip Rushforth)
• Fulham Opera (Ben Woodward)
• London Philharmonic Orchestra (Thomas Blunt)
• The Dowsing Sound Collective (Andrea Cockerton)
• Gothic Voices (Catherine King, Julian Podger)
• VOCES8 (Emily Dickens)
• Galàn (Ali Hill)
• Opera North (Edward Thornton)

Stile Antico

The hugely successful early music vocal ensemble Stile Antico began life with several TCCA members in its ranks, including Oliver Hunt, Tom Herford and Ali Hill. Now only one, Kate Ashby (along with two of her prodigiously talented sisters), remains, but in spite of this the group is as brilliant as ever. They have made eight recordings, won handfuls of awards, and toured the world. They still return to sing in Trinity Chapel each August, as part of the series run by Cambridge Early Music (q.v.). See www.stileantico.co.uk for details

The Sixteen

TCCA members Simon Berridge and Zoë Brown sing with The Sixteen, recognised as one of the world’s greatest ensembles. The Sixteen’s total commitment to the music it performs is its greatest distinction. A special reputation for performing early English polyphony, masterpieces of the Renaissance, bringing fresh insights into Baroque and early Classical music and a diversity of 20th-century music, is drawn from the passions of conductor and founder Harry Christophers.

Trinity Baroque

Formed while its members were still students at Trinity, Julian Podger’s vocal ensemble was recognised as ‘Ensemble of the Year’ in the 2010 Prelude Classical Music Awards. They have made six recordings, including ‘Meines Herzens Weide’, a marvellous CD of Bach’s motets. Trinity Baroque provided the music for the Sunday morning eucharist at the inaugural event for TCCA in 2006.

Chester Cathedral

Among many former Trinity Organ Scholars who have made a significant impact on church music around the country and abroad, Philip Rushforth is Director of Music at Chester Cathedral. Supplementing the Cathedral Choir, the Nave Choir is the longest-serving voluntary cathedral choir in the country. The Cathedral runs an impressive series of organ recitals.

Fulham Opera

Fulham Opera is a professional opera company based in West London. Founded in 2009, and directed since 2011 by former Organ Scholar Ben Woodward, the company has presented all four chapters of Wagner’s Ring Cycle to critical and audience acclaim, with TCCA member Oliver Hunt taking leading roles, as well as productions of Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica, Tosca and Amahl and the Night Visitors.

London Philharmonic Orchestra

After some years working as Chorus Master at Glyndebourne, Tom Blunt has recently been appointed as Assistant Conductor of the LPO, under Vladimir Jurowski. Tom was Organ Scholar at Trinity from 1996 to 1999.

The Dowsing Sound Collective

This categorisation-defying group is run by Andrea Cockerton. Not a choir and not a band, but something somewhere in between, their repertoire ranges from Scandinavian soundscapes, soaring club anthems and indie hits back to plainsong and early polyphony. www.thedowsingsoundcollective.com

Gothic Voices

Christopher Page’s acclaimed group boasts two TCCA members, Julian Podger (see above) and Catherine King. Singing ‘close harmony’ from the mediaeval period, the ensemble’s debut recording was one of the best-selling recordings of pre-classical music ever made: A Feather on the Breath of God — Hymns and Sequences by Abbess Hildegard of Bingen. Since that time, Gothic Voices has recorded a further twenty CDs on the Hyperion label, three of which have won the coveted Gramophone Magazine Award. www.gothicvoices.co.uk

VOCES8

Upon graduating in 2009, Emily Dickens didn’t even stop to breathe before taking her place in VOCES8, the international award-winning octet. VOCES8 has established itself as the foremost young British a cappella group. Performing a repertoire ranging from Renaissance polyphony to unique jazz and pop arrangements, the group has been praised for stunning performance, exquisite singing and creating a sound that spans the entire range of vocal colour. Founded in 2003 by ex-choristers of Westminster Abbey, VOCES8 first achieved success in 2005, winning first prize at the International Choral Grand Prix in Gorizia, Italy. Subsequently the group has performed widely in the UK, Europe, the USA, Africa and Asia. www.voces8.com

Galàn

Alison Hill is one of the three sopranos who comprise Galàn, a spirited young ensemble specialising in the performance of Renaissance and Baroque music, rediscovering the often neglected sound world of three soprano voices. It specialises in Italian Renaissance chamber music, creating programmes of soprano trios interspersed with duets and solo works by composers such as Grandi, Luzzaschi, Mazzocchi and Monteverdi.

Opera North

Edward Thornton, a founder chorus member of Opera North, worked with the company from 1978 to his retirement in 2015. Based in Leeds, this award-winning company is England’s national opera company in the North. www.operanorth.co.uk