Member Profiles

'It is incredible to think that these mature vocalists are mere students' The Times

Salim Jaffar – Countertenor

Salim’s musical career began when he started singing along to his mother’s CDs around the house. A diverse musical diet of Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and The Gorillaz stood him in good stead for his chorister audition. Much to his parents’ surprise (disappointment), he became a chorister and sang at Tewkesbury Abbey for five years; there, Salim tried—and failed—to convince his friends or family that choral music can be interesting, so has joined The King’s Men in the hope that someone he knows might come to see him sing. When not singing, Salim can occasionally be found thinking about his degree in economics and how he’s going to sell his soul to the city as soon as possible. When not singing or studying, Salim spends his time tending to sheep and wrestling with wild animals on his home turf of rural Gloucestershire.

Joshua Geddes – Bass

Josh is a third-year bass-baritone reading Music at Pembroke College. First inducted into the Anglican choral tradition while studying at St John’s School, Leatherhead, Josh decided to take his singing more seriously when he realised that his piano playing alone wouldn’t get him particularly far in the musical profession. Another factor involved in this decision was the naïve assumption that life as a singer would be far less time consuming—an illusion that was expeditiously shattered upon entry into King’s Choir. Another assumption Josh made before joining the group was that choir commitments would consist solely of Evensong. When 'off the pitch' (so to speak), the back row of King's actually like to spend time 'on the pitch'; Josh thus moves between singing on Can ('Cantoris') and playing Cam ('central attacking midfielder') for the KCCFC—I'll leave this one for you to work out. Apart from singing Josh enjoys spending time with his family, dog-walking, playing the piano, and working on his German.

Maxim Meshkvichev – Tenor
Manager

Maxim is a second-year tenor—well, tries to be, at least—studying Music at King’s. He discovered singing in 2009, when his first Director of Music asking him to sing ‘Drunken Sailor’ in front of forty ten year olds, and since then has fallen in love with all things choral. He gave singing countertenor a shot, but that was short-lived; and down to tenor he went. Maxim spent his gap yahh singing at the Portsmouth Cathedral, having the amazing opportunity to take part in prestigious events like Her Majesty's commissioning the new ‘Queen Elizabeth’ aircraft carrier—although Maxim was elsewhere that day, agonising over his interviews. . . He participated in other riveting events too: the infamous ‘Come and Sing’ at All Saints’, Ryde, on a cold February morning. When not singing, Maxim enjoys diving about trying to catch the ball in football, or trying to see every cathedral in the UK—but not necessarily at the same time.

Matt Supramaniam – Tenor

After a string of high-profile performances in his native Singapore, rumour has it that Matt was uncomfortable with the celebrity lifestyle and fled to 'the other place' for a fresh start as a chorister there away from media coverage. Since leaving school, Matt spent time foraging in jungles, had a buzz cut, started wearing khaki clothing, lost a third of his body weight, reached fighting fitness, “sustained an injury”, scaled down his fitness regime, and regained his former waistline. Having started a History degree at Robinson last year, Matt attempted to fill the choir-shaped void in his heart by wearing a variety of dubious colour combinations and growing his hair out in ways no one thought possible or desirable. Despite being able to partially clear a room of 4 and a half armed men with "a bent spoon", Matt now spends most of his time frightening locals with drawings of Homer Simpson and falling over on astroturf.

Joseph Zubier – Countertenor

Joseph, a countertenor, is a third-year student at King’s, reading Music. Hailing from Northern Ireland, located just to the west of England, he began his singing career at St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast. His dulcet, Northern Irish accent—voted sexiest accent in the world FYI— was, however, ruthlessly quashed after he moved to England. But his partiality for a good bit of craic and a pint of Guinness emerged unscathed! Joe’s hobbies include drinking tea, explaining how to pronounce his surname, and shopping in Zara. He also enjoys being a stickler for taxonomic and grammatical rectitude; Joe enjoys having a large group of friends. With the consideration that this biography will be visible in the public domain for at least the next year, some details have been omitted.

Christopher Winkless-Clark – Bass

Hailing from the far northern city of Durham, Chris’ musical career began as a young boy, when he was dragged into singing in his church choir by his parents. Since then he has managed to bluff his way through the Durham County Youth Choir and the BBC Proms Youth Choir before arriving at King’s College, where his quest to find low enough notes to stretch him has finally been accomplished. In what little spare time he has, Chris enjoys playing the horn in far too many orchestras, and occasionally studying for his degree, Engineering.

Sam Aldersey-Williams – Bass

Sam hails from North Norfolk, where he spent a long 15 years at a school where Britten and Berkeley were taught briefly. Following very much in their shadow, the transition from school-bubble to Cambridge-bubble has been smooth and easy. Having been exposed to a not-unhealthy amount of English Church Music, and coerced into learning the organ, Sam’s audition for King’s College Choir arose by happy accident, and he is now desperately learning how to sight-read. Studying German and Spanish, Sam hopes to add an international flavour to the group. His other interests include—but are not limited to—travelling, and a certain jazz-rock duo from the suburbs of New York City.

Owen Elsley – Tenor

Owen is a tenor hailing from Newcastle (the other one – in New South Wales, Australia). His passion for music was discovered at an early age when all efforts to stop him playing piano, trombone, singing or composing ultimately failed. After studying Physics and Mathematics at Sydney University, he has finally accepted his fate and made his way to Cambridge as to study for an MMus and to sing with King’s College Choir. Despite being unavoidably Antipodean, and a master’s student to boot, Owen has been thoroughly impressed by his choral colleagues’ ability not to hold these things against him. Owen is enjoying being in a country where not every animal is out to kill him, though has not yet come around to the concept of warm beer.

Jacob Partington – Countertenor
Assistant Musical Director

Arriving as the second member of his family to join King’s College Choir, Jacob came determined to challenge all pre-conceived ideas about his character. Almost immediately, he announced that his superb sense of style was a result of experiencing a short spell as a L'Oréal hair model, in an effort to demonstrate how truly cool and alternative he was. Having sung at Gloucester Cathedral as a chorister, Jacob is no alien to the English choral tradition and has found, despite his voice breaking, that he can now sing higher than ever before. He spent his early school years struggling with an under-developed tenor voice, only to discover, by accident, that he could also sing countertenor. The 'Eureka moment', of course, came when reciting 'The hills are alive' on a mountain somewhere in Northern Spain. Jacob is often found in Chapel, keen and ready to annoy whomever stands next to him. He hopes to leave Cambridge as a well-rounded musician with his masculinity intact.

Joel Robson – Bass

A second-year music student at King’s, Joel’s musical origins were in the world of instrumental music, starting Suzuki lessons on the violin at the tender age of two and a half. He then spent the next sixteen years torn between choosing the violin or piano as a first-study instrument before surprising everybody—not least of all himself—by opting for neither, after discovering the joys of singing. This took place during the course of his studies at the Birmingham Conservatoire (Junior Department), which has since relocated to new premises after the old building was knocked down a few weeks after he left; the timing of this demolition was entirely coincidental. Looking forward, Joel intends to pursue a career in conducting and composition, and is very much enjoying the various musical opportunities available at King’s.

Tom Pickard – Baritone

Tom, who comes from the Isle of Man, is no stranger to King’s, having been here as a chorister from the age of 8. In the intervening years Tom took up a music scholarship at Eton, which he tried hard to justify, scraping away on his fiddle in the 2nd violins. Tom enjoys a bit of footy, both playing and watching, and is known for his love of the biblical figures Steven Gerrard and Jürgen Klopp. Tom is in his first year, studying German and Russian (from scratch), and hopes to one day go into teaching.

Will Crane – Bass
Musical Director

Will is a baritone in his final year reading computer science at King's. Will's passion for singing started early as a nuisance/chorister at Holy Trinity church in Stratford-upon-Avon. It was his utter enthusiasm for the art-form of evensong that led him to fall asleep and be carried out in his first one, and if you fast-forward 13 years not much has changed. Singing at his second King Henry VI establishment, for the second time—really thinking outside the box in this regard—Will is a member of the growing ranks of choral scholars doing 'proper' subjects—basically anything but music. In an effort to remain ‘hip’ (I believe that’s what the kids say these days) Will plays jazz bass, a fact that won’t pass by anyone living near his room as he blasts out Joe Dart basslines through his amp… Outside music, Will enjoys watching awful films, trying to explain what his degree actually is and procedurally failing his way through recipe books.

Protik Moulik – Tenor
Treasurer

Protik is a third year at Magdalene College, studying (in a loose sense of the word) Maths. He discovered his love for choral singing in his school choir where he was initially a treble. Eventually his voice did just about break, though this was accompanied by no growth spurt whatsoever, and he has settled in the tenor section, where he prays that his cracks on the top notes aren't too audible. Since then, singing has remained close to his heart (as it’s the closest he will ever get to having an actual social life). Despite his claims to have joined The King’s Men because of his undying passion for music, everyone knows it's just a desperate attempt to convince people that mathematicians can do something as (obviously) cool as singing acapella... And, of course, it’s also an excuse to show off his uncanny Britney Spears impression.