People

David Swinson - Director of Music, Director of Trinity Boys Choir

David Swinson began his musical career as a chorister at Magdalen College, Oxford. He studied piano and organ at The Royal College of Music and in 1985 became Organ Scholar at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating in 1988. Musical distinctions during this period included five RCM prizes, a scholarship from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, and his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists.

Since graduation David has enjoyed a varied career. As a conductor he broadcasts frequently on BBC Radio and has appeared with The Bournemouth Sinfonietta, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and The London Mozart Players. In 2000 he founded the professional vocal ensemble The Singers' Collective and with them he has recently embarked on a long-term recording project of Romantic choral repertoire. The debut recording, of Dvorak's Mass in D and Mendelssohn choral works, was launched to critical acclaim.

As a teacher he completed five years as Director of Music at The Portsmouth Grammar School in 2001 and became Director of Music at Trinity School, Croydon, and Director of the Trinity Boys Choir in September 2001.

Timothy Garrard - Assistant Director of Music

Tim Garrard graduated in the summer of 2001 from King’s College, Cambridge where he read music and was the Senior Choral Scholar of the Chapel Choir. He became the Assistant Director of Music and Head of Vocal Studies at Eltham College, before taking up the posts of Assistant Director of Music and Head of Academic Music at Trinity School, Croydon.

Tim’s musical career began with the Trinity Boys’ Choir as a treble soloist in Benjamin Britten’s opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Opera Comique, Paris, the Aix-en-Provence Festival and the London Coliseum with English National Opera. He also performed as a soloist at the Royal Albert Hall and live on BBC Radio 3 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Friday Night is Music Night.

As a countertenor in King’s College Choir, he toured to the Far East, Australia, the USA and Bermuda, where he appeared as a soloist with the viol consort ‘Fretwork’. Tim worked with Charles Brett, Ashley Stafford and David Lowe in Cambridge and is currently studying with Timothy Penrose.

In addition to regular oratorio work around the UK, recent engagements have included singing the role of Dameta, in the world premiere in modern times of Amarilli Vezzosa by Caldara, at St. John’s, Smith Square with the Orchestra of St. John’s conducted by John Lubbock. In May 2005, Tim played the central role of Edmund in the world premiere of The Ivory Tree by Judith Bingham, at Bury St. Edmunds Cathedral.

David de Warrenne - Director, DW Choir

David de Warrenne studied the piano in London with Tanya Polunin, James Gibb, Edith Vogel, and then in Paris with Julius Katchen. He began his musical career forming a piano duo with pianist and composer Anthony Green. They performed extensively throughout the UK and abroad. He was, at that time, very active as an accompanist, in chamber music and performed as a duo with the late Peter Schidlof of the Amadeus Quartet.

He was a member of the Temple Church Choir from 1956-1997, the first 26 years under the directorship of the great organist and choirmaster, Sir George Thalben-Ball, who took an active interest in his musical development. At the Temple Church, David directed the Templars Male Voice Choir for many years and the Lloyds of London Male Voice Choir from 1970-1980, as well as conducting his own chamber choir, the Pepys Ensemble. It was at this time that he became seriously involved in composing and especially choral arranging.

Having joined the music staff at Trinity School in 1973, David soon began arranging for the DW Choir section of the Trinity Boys Choir, and has produced over 60 vocal arrangements , 18 of which comprise the Choir's best-selling CD first released in 1990, A Christmas Collection (reputed to have sold around 200,000 copies). After completing the CD he worked together with its producer, Keff McCulloch, with whom he collaborated as co-arranger and orchestrator of the signature tune for Des O'Connor's television quiz-show Take Your Pick, and the Acker Bilk album Oscar Winners, arranging for, and conducting, the strings. He has also arranged for the Temple Church Choir as well as internationally known vocal groups such as The Light Blues and Cantabile. His arrangement of "Waltzing Matilda" was recently performed by the Collegium Regale, (lay-clerks of King's College Chapel Choir, Cambridge) in the Sydney Opera House, and received a standing ovation.

In recent years, he has taken to performing in cabaret with ex-Cantabile member, Paul Hull, arranging and performing on his CD I Wish You Love, and appearing in a one-week series at the Jermyn Street Theatre, Piccadilly, Pizza in the Park, and two performances at the Purcell Room.

David has now taken over the directorship of the DW Choir at Trinity, after David Squibb's retirement in 2001. Founded in 1977, the choir's repertoire includes close-harmony, light, swing - easy listening music. In 1994, together with Trinity Choristers, they represented Croydon and the UK at the commemorative celebration in Arnhem, of the famous "A Bridge Too Far" parachute drop, performing to many hundreds of World War 2 veterans. In 1997, they spent nearly three weeks giving concerts in Malaysia. One of David's recent ventures with the DW Choir in September 2002 was a booking at a celebrity auction at Christies in London where David and the choir entertained for an hour, amongst others, Joanna Lumley and Rory Bremner, who said the choir was "excellent". For more information, see information on DW Choir above.

Katharine Fuge (soprano) - Vocal Coach, trebles

After growing up in Jersey, Katharine Fuge moved to London to study music, where she is now continuing her studies with Paul Farrington. Katharine has a busy and varied schedule, appearing regularly as a soloist in major festivals, cathedrals and concert venues throughout Europe and the U.K.

Katharine is particularly well known for her performances of baroque music, working regularly with many of Europe's leading ensembles and interpreters of that repertoire including John Eliot Gardiner, Paul McCreesh, Philippe Herreweghe, Ton Koopman, Philippe Pierlot and Marcus Creed. Throughout 2000 she was a regular soloist in the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage with the English Baroque Soloists under Gardiner in venues throughout Europe and New York. Other noteworthy performances of Bach include Bach's Mass in B minor at the BBC Promenade Concerts with Gardiner, Bach's St. John Passion with Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort, Bach's Cantata BWV 51 Jauchzet Gott with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin in a tour of Columbia, and various cantatas with both Ton Koopman and Philippe Herreweghe.

Katharine's coming season will include Haydn's Nelson Mass with David Hill and the Bach Choir, Bach's St. Matthew Passion with Gardiner, Bach Cantatas with the Ricercar Consort, and performances of Haydn's Creation throughout Germany with the Bachchor Mainz.

Other recent highlights include Handel's L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato with Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Monteverdi's Vespers in St. Mark's Venice with Gardiner, Brahms' Requiem with Collegium Vocale Gent and Herreweghe, Mozart's Mass in C Minor with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Haydn's Creation with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and Poulenc's Stabat Mater with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Katharine is also a keen recitalist and made her debut at the Aldeburgh Festival in 2004 with the Ricercar Consort singing Haydn songs.

Katharine's recordings include Bach Cantatas on the DG Archiv label, Vivaldi's Gloria and Handel's Dixit Dominus on the Philips Classics label, and Handel's Messiah with the Regensburger Domspatzen and Musica Florea Prague. In Spring 2005, two recordings of Bach Cantatas featuring Katharine were released: the first of the new batch of recordings from Gardiner's 2000 Bach Cantata pilgrimage, and three other Bach cantatas including Actus Tragicus with Philippe Pierlot and the Ricercar Consort.

Katharine teaches singing to the trebles of Trinity Boys Choir.

Timothy Penrose (counter-tenor) - Vocal Coach, broken voices

Timothy Penrose started his musical career as a quirister at Winchester College. He went on to study voice and organ at Trinity College of Music where he obtained his Fellowship. He was a "Gentleman-in-Ordinary" to Her Majesty's Chapel Royal for three years and was chosen by the Greater London Arts Association as one of the "Young Musicians of the Year".

Timothy's career as a solo countertenor and consort singer has taken him as far afield as Japan, Brazil and the U.S.A. He has worked with such conductors as Simon Rattle and Jean-Claude Malgoire and has recorded several times with John Eliot Gardiner. He has performed in many parts of the world with the early music vocal ensemble Pro Cantione Antiqua and has recorded CDs ranging from sacred music of the 13th Century to glees and catches. He has also performed and recorded with the English Consort of Viols.

Timothy is active as a singing teacher and coach as well as being Organist and Director of Music at All Saints' Church, West Dulwich. Timothy teaches singing to the lower voices of Trinity Boys Choir.