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 second-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

Maxim is a first-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 last year 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.

George Gibbon – Countertenor
Musical Director

Ignoring all popular opinion, George made a return to the choir, five years after everyone hoped they had seen—and more importantly, heard—the last of him. When he had finished as a chorister, he threw caution to the wind by venturing a long way out of his comfort zone to another Henry VI establishment, where he found himself under considerable pressure from his Director of Music to pretend that his voice had never broken, and thus a fledgling countertenor voice was born. He occasionally drags himself away from his beloved third-year Classics studies in a feeble attempt to establish himself as one of the top-ten countertenors in the choir, but is more often found watching—but very seldom playing—sport, and trying to persuade people that he really can sing second bass.

Joseph Zubier – Countertenor
Manager

Joseph, a countertenor, is a second-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 two years, some details have been omitted.

Christopher Winkless-Clark – Bass

Hailing from the far northern town of Durham, Chris 2’s—he inevitably lost the battle to be the one true Chris—musical career began when he was dragged into singing in his church choir. 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 also in 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.

Will Crane – Bass

Will is a second-year baritone, 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. Aside from singing Will's interests lie in Jazz bass, Jaffa Cakes and a certain half-Jewish post-geographic rhythm section from Southeast Michigan.

Christopher Nehaul – Tenor

Chris is a third-year Music student at King’s. Having spent most of his life in Yorkshire, as a singer and organist, a gap year at Hereford Cathedral introduced him to the rigorous new life of church music, as well as the understanding that ‘God’s own country’ was rather subjective in different counties. A fan of the National Trust and travelling abroad, Chris enjoys walking in Herefordshire and Worcestershire (and Yorkshire!) whilst listening to Early-Tudor music and Vaughan Williams. For him, the King’s Men is an excuse to be transported out of Cambridge to quaint villages after Evensong on Saturdays for a ‘night out’. Singing with a meaty tenor sound, high notes are usually loud and unsubtle—if the baritones haven't got there first.

Jacob Partington – Countertenor

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 radical haircut 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 grown up as a chorister at Gloucester Cathedral, Jacob is no alien to the English choral tradition and is currently enjoying singing as the 'extra countertenor' (Decani Alto 3) helping to man a 5-man countertenor force often paralleled to a M198 Howitzer or a particularly beautiful ambulance siren. He spent his school years initially 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 Cantabrian 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 even cooler hair.

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.

Charlie Baigent – Baritone
Assistant Musical Director, Treasurer

After an unpromising start as a hopeless treble in an Oxford Parish Church, Charlie disappointed his friends and family by pursuing his singing ambitions, this time giving it a go as a baritone. Years of practice later, he decided to try to become the first engineer choral scholar at King's—what many saw as an insurmountable challenge. Two years later, he has shown it to be possible, and is pleased to welcome another first year studying engineering to join the ranks of choral scholars with ‘proper’ degrees. Outside studies and singing, Charlie spends much of his time deciding whether to support his home or adopted town in the boat race; current thinking is in favour of supporting the winners retrospectively.

Daniel Henderson – Countertenor

Daniel is a third-year countertenor, studying at the remote Fitzwilliam College, in the desolate wastelands of ‘Up the Hill’. As a Law student, he is also one of very few members of the King’s Men to do a ‘real degree’ (generally defined as having in excess of one lecture a week). As a result of his remote location and his having actual work to do, Daniel is often to be found running around central Cambridge in a state of overwhelming panic. Unfortunately, as with many members of the King’s Men, this has failed to produce any acceptable level of physical fitness. In his spare time—circa twenty seconds a week—Daniel has managed to develop a remarkable aptitude for participating in football, rugby and cricket - admittedly from a sedentary position, and nearly always through the medium of a television screen.

Protik Moulik – Tenor

Protik is a second 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.

Trojan Nakade – Bass

Tokyo-born and London-bred, Trojan is a final-year Music undergraduate at King’s. From highest treble to lowest bass, Trojan has been singing for his supper since the age of seven. In quest for modernity, after a lifetime bedecked in archaic ecclesiastic and academic attire, Trojan’s stint with The King’s Men is merely a ploy to don black tie. An aspiring music director, Trojan’s hobbies include conducting the 'Geistphilharmoniker' during coffee breaks, dissecting obscure foreign-language films, and perfecting the spit shine on his wholecut shoes.

James Micklethwaite – Tenor

James is a third-year tenor reading Philosophy at Churchill. He hails from Yorkshire (aka God's Own County), where he spent the first eighteen years of his life. His first experience of performing was singing 'Les Poissons' from The Little Mermaid in a school concert, aged 7; since then he's been hooked. As a child, he sang with Opera North, playing, amongst other roles, 'Miles' in The Turn of the Screw and a corpse in Macbeth. Before moving to Cambridge, he spent a year as a choral scholar at Norwich Cathedral, where he also worked in the Cathedral Refectory. Aside from singing, he's a keen tennis player and enjoys cross-country running.

King's College Organ Scholars

Dónal McCann

Originally from Belfast (a small town in north-western Europe), Dónal is currently in his second year reading music at King’s. His musical career began as a chorister in St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast, where he began his piano and organ tuition alongside another member of The King’s Men, who shall remain nameless. A keen pianist, Donal studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, but he eventually abandoned this when he realised the organ is the same but with added foot bits. This led him to continue his organ studies with David Goode in England, where he was described as ‘Ireland’s greatest musical export since Jedward’. Outside of practising the organ, Dónal can often be found training the choral scholars in Irish colloquialisms, much to the amusement of the senior organ scholar.

Henry Websdale

Although his sterilised accent might be deceiving, Henry hails from Ilkley, West Yorkshire, although any evidence of this has been removed from his persona—except his fervent passion for real ale. He spent a year before coming to Cambridge as the organ scholar at Salisbury Cathedral, where this passion was tenderly nurtured until he reached maximum saturation just before arriving. He now keeps himself to himself, rarely being seen out in Cambridge but more often being spotted taking early morning walks, dressed more formally than the hour demands. His organ career can be traced closely via the websites of many northern newspapers, where his commitment to playing the organ is made undeniable - 'I just love playing the organ', Telegraph and Argus, 14/9/12. Henry enjoys being the 'senior organ scholar', particularly the ability to demonstrate to the world his love of Britney Spears, through pre-service improvisations.