What is your name, voice type, how long have you been in the choir?
My name is Tom Hallworth, I’m a tenor, and I’ve been in the choir since May 2019.
Why did you decide to audition for the Choir? What is special about singing in The Choir of St James’?
Prior to singing with St James’, I had been a Lay Clerk at St Andrew’s Cathedral for a couple of years, so singing in a church choir was certainly nothing new to me. As such, my reasons for auditioning for St James’ very much came down to the difference between the two choirs (which are both quite excellent, by the way!). Firstly, I was drawn towards the small size of the ensemble. The choir here is quite unique in that at our largest, we still only consist of 12 or so singers. This comes with a number of challenges, the main one being the extra accountability and responsibility of often times being the only singer on your voice part. This can certainly be pretty nerve-wracking at times, but also makes it far more satisfying when you get it right, as it really does feel like you are an essential part of a well-functioning choral machine.
Secondly, I had always admired the flexibility of the choir, owing to both its small size, but also its make up of highly versatile professional singers; being able sing a Palestrina mass on a Sunday morning one week, and then singing a delightfully jazzy rendition of a Christmas carol for a concert the next. The choir here really does have a broad repertoire, and it never ceases to amaze me that on a Sunday morning, we can sing a mass and motet that were written over five hundred years apart from each-other.
As for what makes singing here special, the answer to that is undoubtedly the friendship and collegiality shared between all of us within the choir. Even though there are a number of things that make this choir special — the quality of the music, the versatility of the group, the incredible support we receive from the congregation and clergy — the absolute highlight for me has to be coming to church every week and making music with my friends.
What is the most special, memorable or stand-out moment you have had singing in this choir?
For me, this would be singing Howell’s Collegium Regale evening service for our first ever live-streamed evensong at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While this might not be the most grand, or even best rendition we’ve done of this particular piece, there was something quite special about performing this to an empty church, streamed simply from an iPhone set up on a stand in the middle of the church, having only a few hours prior being told that church services weren’t allowed to go ahead with a congregation, and as such having to scramble to organise live-streaming so that we could continue to deliver worship to the congregation. To me, this service was symbolic of the commitment the church had towards keeping the choir’s voice going throughout the pandemic, something which we in the choir continue to be so grateful for.
What do you do when you are not singing at St James’? ie. Where else do you sing? What is your day job?
At the moment, most of my time is taken up by my studies at the at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where I’m in my fourth and final year of studying a Bachelor of Music majoring in classical voice. Apart from this, I work as a freelance musician, singing with groups such as Pinchgut Opera, Cantillation, and the Choir of St Mary’s Cathedral.
What is your top-ten list of sacred choral music to listen to and why? Which records can you recommend?
I’m not sure I’d be able to list a top ten as there is so much extraordinary choral music out there. My all time favourite piece of music though would be British choir Tenebrae’s recording Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles. Consisting of four movements, each about ten to fifteen minutes long, I like to think of this piece as symphony for choir. The piece itself describes the pilgrimage along Camino de Santiago, with the four movements — Roncesvalles, Burgos, León and Santiago — corresponding with the four main posts along the pilgrimage. It’s a bit of a coincidence that I mention this piece, given the pilgrimage’s deep connection with St James the Great, and as such our with parish, though I believe that gives even more reason to go and listen to it.
Who is your singing hero and why? Have you sung with a superstar?
My singing hero would probably be English tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson. His Bach, Handel, and Monteverdi recordings are just sublime, and are a constant source of inspiration for me as a singer.
One of my favourite ‘superstars’ to sing with is Australian baritone David Greco, who I’ve sung with numerous times in the last few years, and who I now study singing from at the Conservatorium. Shout out to David!
What is your dream church/concert hall to sing in?
I’ve always wanted to sing in Westminster Cathedral in London. While it perhaps isn’t as famous as St Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster Abbey, I do think it is a particularly important location within the world of church music, owing to its long history of producing incredible choral music, and the acoustic is quite special too.
What other musical instrument(s) do you play, and can you recommend a favourite piece and recording of that instrument? Do you compose, and if so, what have you written?
I’ve played the cello ever since I was in year two, though you would think I’d be a bit better at it than I am, given how long I’ve been playing… it’s more of a hobby instrument for me! I would highly recommend listening to Mischa Maisky playing Bach’s Cello Suite No.2 in D minor. All of his recordings of the cello suites are extraordinary but the second suite is particularly juicy.
I’m not really much of a composer, though I have been trying to write a set of Preces and Responses for the choir to sing at evensong for over a year now. Every couple of months I receive a flash of inspiration and manage to write another few bars of music, maybe given another year or two I might finally finish them.
Name your favourite thing to do when you're not singing?
One of my big non-musical hobbies is volunteering in event health services with St John Ambulance. As a volunteer first aider, I’m involved in helping provide first aid coverage at events throughout Sydney, ranging from smaller community fairs and sporting events, all the way up to major events like City to Surf and the Royal Easter Show. It’s a super rewarding way to spend my free time, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking to volunteer, learn a new skill, and give back to their community.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
As someone who is a bit of a choral music nerd, but also a lover of the hustle and bustle of a big city, I’d choose to live in London. Being able to pop over to Westminster Abbey to see a one of the world’s great choirs sing evensong at the end of the day sounds like a bit of a dream come true for me.