Patrick Dunachie: Interview
- Favourite performance venue?
Damn. When I was asked to do this interview I was hoping I wouldn’t get that question; it’s so difficult to answer! I’m truly lucky to have sung in many wonderful concert halls, churches and cathedrals all over the world. There are about 100 different answers to this question, depending on all sorts of factors. So I'll give a top 5 in no particular order, with a reason for each. Victoria Hall, Singapore (beautiful architecture); Carnegie Hall, NYC (history and prestige); Birmingham Town Hall (perfect acoustics for chamber music); Salle Gaveau, Paris (energetic and enthusiastic audiences); Washington National Cathedral, USA (peaceful and inspiring atmosphere).
- What new repertoire are you enjoying learning at the moment?
We’ve just finished producing a new King’s Singers album called ‘Finding Harmony’, which has loads of brand new music and arrangements by composers from all over the world, in many different languages, with a fascinating story behind every song. That’s been really interesting, and it’s always a treat to bring brand new music to life. In the summer we also learned James MacMillan’s ‘Quickening’ for a performance at the Edinburgh Festival, and that was incredibly rewarding and moving. At the moment we’re polishing up our Christmas music (of course), and in the mix this year are a few pieces I’ve never done before. Lots of our Christmas shows will be with orchestras so there are some super cheesy, ultra-sparkly arrangements I’m looking forward to hearing when we’re together with the orchestras.
- What music do you enjoy listening to in your free time?
My tastes are really eclectic. I have to sing so many different styles, and my musical life has taken my interests in lots of different directions. I suppose a few years ago, I'd have said The King’s Singers.. I remember a few choir tours when I was a choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, where I’d spend entire bus journeys and flights listening to KS albums. But now (with all respect to my colleagues) that’s the last thing I want to listen to in my time off! My brother Liam is an amazing jazz musician, so I have a real appreciation for jazz and funk music, and frequently listen to artists like Vulfpeck, Snarky Puppy, Tower of Power, Jamiroquai, Jacob Collier, and Dirty Loops. But I’m also a die-hard early music geek, and one of my favourite recordings is David Skinner/Alamire doing Byrd & Tallis’s collection Cantiones sacrae. Anything by John Sheppard, John Taverner, Cristobal Morales, Alonso Lobo is likely to get me going. But on certain moody occasions on tour, when I’m feeling self-indulgent, I’ll resort to orchestral music by Rachmaninov and Shostakovich for some of that brooding Russian angst.
- Could you describe a particularly profound musical experience from your early years?
When I was a boy chorister, in Hereford Cathedral, I remember one unaccompanied Friday evensong when the choir was singing the psalms, and it was going really well. In the middle of the psalm the Director of Music, Geraint Bowen, stopped conducting and went and sat down. We continued singing the psalms without any conductor, just looking across the sides and breathing together for ensemble. Suddenly being given that shared responsibility with the singers, with no conductor to rely on, sent shivers down my spine and was my first taste of what professional chamber music could be like. Now I make my living in an ensemble with no conductor, that simply breathes together to come in. Something about the honesty and teamwork of unconducted music-making really inspires me, and I suspect I could trace it back to that Friday evening when I was about 10 years old.
- Do you have a favourite Rodolfus Choir memory?
I’m obliged to say that my favourite Rodolfus Choir memory is meeting my wife, Ellie, who I first laid eyes on when she arrived late to a Rods rehearsal (for a concert of Messiah at Cadogan Hall) back in 2010. That was the beginning of a friendship which turned into a relationship which turned into a co-habiting relationship which turned into a marriage. That important thing being said, there are a whole pile of memories which make me laugh when I think back to them! As well as numerous concerts, recordings and parties (which seem to roll into one), I remember being spectacularly caught-out once, when I took a few days off school — pleading illness — to take part in a Rods choral evensong broadcast. I was delighted when Ralph asked me to do a solo in the service, but when I arrived back at school the next day, better from my ’sickness’, I was swiftly made aware that the deputy headmaster was a keen listener to BBC R3 Choral Evensong... My story had totally unravelled thanks to that solo.
- What words of advice do you have for young singers hoping to enter the professional world?
I don’t want to pretend I’m a grand old wizard of the profession — I’m only 26! But there are a few key things I’ve learned along the way, which I think help me to be good at my job. (1) Don’t take it personally. In the classical music business there’s only so much work to go around, and there are lots of very talented people about. You can’t get everything you audition for, and that’s absolutely OK. It doesn’t mean you’re bad, so don’t let it put you down. Lord knows I didn’t get everything I auditioned for, but I've ended up in a job I adore. (2) The more flexible you can be, the more employable you are. Particularly in the world of choral/ensemble work, different conductors want different types of sound. If you can develop a whole palette of different types of sound with your voice, healthily, that can open up loads of opportunities. For an immediate showcase of beautiful but dramatic vocal colours in one person, listen to Bryn Terfel’s recording of ‘Is my team ploughing’ from ‘A Shropshire Lad’. Have tissues ready. (3) When you show up, some of the keys to being rebooked are to be: Prepared, be Punctual, be Pencilled, and be Polite.
Patrick Dunachie is first countertenor in The King’s Singers, and a former member of Rods. He grew up in Shropshire, was a chorister at Hereford Cathedral, and studied Music at King’s College, Cambridge, where he was a choral scholar. As a member of The King’s Singers, he now tours all over the world giving around 120 concerts a year, as well as teaching workshops and recording. In his spare time he enjoys cooking, loves to go on walks and even does magic tricks.
Patrick is always delighted to hear from people, and is happy to answer questions! You can get in touch with him at: patrick (at) kingssingers.com
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