Soprano

Ciara Williams (pronounced ‘Keer-ah’) is an Irish British soprano who was raised in Eswatini and is about to graduate from Merton College, Oxford with a masters in Medieval Literature. In addition to her scholarship with St Martin-in-the-Fields, she is also a scholar with the Oxford Bach Soloists and sings with the Magdalen Consort of Voices. She has previously sung as a scholar at King’s College London, Keble and Merton College, Oxford as well as Pusey House. Recent highlights as a soloist have included performances at the Sheldonian Theatre, the Barbican, and live on BBC Radio 3. Her operatic experience so far includes three productions of Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, taking on various roles, most recently Second Woman when the work was performed as part of the Keble Early Music Festival, 2022 with Carolyn Sampson and Roderick Williams. Ciara is taught by Carys Lane.

 

Lily Platts has recently graduated from King’s College London, reading Music, whilst also having her performance tuition at the Royal Academy of Music under John Lattimore. Since graduating, Lily has participated in several Singing Summer Schools in Italy and the Charles Wood Festival in Northern Ireland, where she was taught by Paul Farrington and David Hill. Last year, she was awarded a Conducting Fellowship with the Milton Keynes Chorale and still pursues conducting opportunities. Having sung with the Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields for a year whilst completing her studies, she has been taking on more freelance choral and solo singing work across London. Lily is excited to be working as a Choral Scholar for St Martin-in-the-Fields and looks forward to the music making ahead!

 

Saskia Bibb recently graduated from Oriel College, Oxford with a first class degree in Maths and Philosophy. Last year she was a choral scholar with the Oxford Bach Soloists, and this year she takes up a choral scholarship at St Martin-in-the-fields. While at Oxford, she sang with the Choir of the Queen’s College, the Schola Cantorum and the Magdalen Consort of Voices. Saskia was a member of the ensemble in the Oxford Playhouse’s production of Sweeney Todd, and performed the role of First Spirit in Mozart’s The Magic Flute with Harrow Opera. Saskia studies with Sarah Tynan.

 

Alto

Louisa Kataria is a London-based freelance musician who graduated from the Royal College of Music with First Class Honours in 2023, where she studied the Saxophone under Martin Robertson as a Leverhulme Arts Scholar. A versatile musician and experienced choral singer, Louisa began singing aged 8 as a chorister of St Albans Abbey Girls Choir, and has since sung in many esteemed organisations such as the Royal Opera House’s Youth Opera Company, the Rodolfus Choir, and the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain. She sang alto in classical crossover close-harmony group, Stellina, with whom she has had numerous TV appearances, including BBC Songs of Praise. Louisa is very excited to start her choral scholarship at St Martin in the Fields as she commences her portfolio career as a professional musician.

Lucy Ormrod is a recent graduate of Royal Holloway, University of London, where she studied music with a choral scholarship with The Choir of Royal Holloway and recently the choir of St Bartholomew-the-Great, West Smithfield. Lucy started her musical training when she became a chorister at Manchester Cathedral at the age of eight, whilst studying at the neighbouring Chetham’s School of Music. Lucy is thrilled to be able to sing as a choral scholar at St Martin-in-the-Fields this year, learning new repertoire and working with the other talented scholars. Alongside her choral scholarship, Lucy is also a member of the current Genesis Sixteen cohort.

 

 

 

 

Tenor

Alexander MacLaren grew up in Edinburgh and attended St. Mary’s Music School. He was a chorister, and later a choral scholar, at St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral Edinburgh. Now based in London, Alexander is a member of the choir at Holy Trinity with All Saints Church South Kensington, and sings with The Epiphoni Consort. He has studied with Susan Hamilton, Roderick Earle and Emily Jennings. Alexander also has a masters degree in mechanical engineering from Imperial College London, and is currently working towards a PhD in transmissions tribology, optimising efficiency and reliability in electric car gearboxes.

Hector Fiennes is a recent graduate of Royal Holloway, University of London, where he received a Bachelor of Music degree and held a choral scholarship in the Chapel Choir. As a singer, he has performed alongside ensembles such as the English Chamber Orchestra and the Southern Sinfonia, and in notable venues such as the Cadogan Hall and Poole Lighthouse. In addition to singing, he plays orchestral percussion and is a keen organist, having achieved his Grade 8 with distinction in 2019. Since his teenage years, Hector has enjoyed composing and during the Covid-19 lockdowns he decided to work towards an ALCM diploma in Composition, which he was awarded in February 2021 with a distinction-level mark. Being a singer, he particularly enjoys writing for voices and has had several of his choral pieces performed in concert by the Choir of Royal Holloway.

 

 

Bass

Freddie Ingles studied Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences at the University of Birmingham, majoring in Linguistics and Performance. He has been singing in choirs since he was 7 and is currently a member of Genesis Sixteen. He loves German lieder and English art song, as well as choral music, and hopes to study for a Masters in Vocal Performance at the Royal College of Music in the year beginning September 2024. In his free time Freddie enjoys cooking and playing board games.

Sebastian Thomas is a recent graduate from the University of Oxford, reading music at Christ Church. There, he studied vocal performance under Giles Underwood and held a choral scholarship at Christ Church Cathedral. He has directed Christ Church’s College Choir as well as the Oxford Gargoyles, one of the UK’s foremost Jazz Vocal Ensembles. Over the last 4 years, Sebastian has amassed a sizable following on social media; in 2022, he released an album of piano miniatures which has amassed over 3 million streams. Sebastian looks forward to embarking on a diverse portfolio career in the coming years.