“Join all the choirs you can, make your own groups with your friends, and take all the opportunities you can get! The more experience you gain, the more of a well rounded musician you will become”
When did you first become involved with the Rodolfus Choir?
I first joined The Rodolfus Choir in 2017 after I did a Senior Choral Course in Cambridge.
What do you remember about your first concert singing with the choir?
The first concert I did was in St. Martin-in-the Fields in December 2017 - we performed loads of different pieces, but the one that I remember best is Bach's 'Singet dem Herrn'. This is probably the trickiest piece I have ever sung, with its fiendishly difficult runs, not to mention the fact that it is unaccompanied! However, we mastered it in the few rehearsals leading up to the concert, with everyone putting in 100% effort to make it the best we could while also having fun!
Can you pick one highlight of being a member of the choir?
I love the feeling of community - we come from diverse backgrounds, but everyone comes together to form a supportive and inclusive community! I've made some great friends from both the choral courses and the choir, and I continue making friends at each Rods event that I take part in.
What are you up to now?
I've just finished my gap year working as a gap year student at St. Paul's Cathedral School, and I'm about to start my first year at Trinity College, Cambridge, as a choral scholar and studying French and Spanish. I am also part of a new close harmony group called Stellina with two other Rodolfus members (our website is www.stellina.co.uk, our Instagram is @stellinavoices, and you can we’re on Facebook too!). We first came together in January 2020, and since COVID-19 has hit, we've made some virtual performances, and we got to sing (socially distanced) on BBC Songs of Praise!
If you had to pick only one song to sing for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
It would have to be 'Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen' from Brahms' Requiem. As well as being such an uplifting and glorious piece, it will always be special to me as it was the first anthem I sang when I was made a chorister in Salisbury Cathedral.
Who are your top three composers, musicians or bands from the past and present?
Bach - I love his runs and clever harmonies.
Pavarotti - all his high notes sound so effortless!
Cavetown - I've only come across him recently, but he is now one of my favourite artists! His lyrics are so imaginative and he uses lush harmonies!
Can anyone else in your family sing?
My sister Lingling is also in The Rodolfus Choir, and my brother was a chorister in Westminster Abbey. My mum also sings a lot - probably where we all get it from! Music has played a massive role in all of our childhoods.
Where would you like to be in 10 years time?
I would love to have a career in singing, either as a soloist or in consort groups, and touring the world! Voces8 and The Sixteen would be a dream!
Have you any advice to give to our junior singers?
Do as much singing as you can! Join all the choirs you can, make your own groups with your friends, and take all the opportunities you can get! The more experience you gain, the more of a well rounded musician you will become. Also listen to lots of musicians, even ones who aren't in the field of music you want to specialise in - you can learn so much from the way different musicians interpret and perform music which can massively enhance the way you come to performing something!
We have three office dogs at The Rodolfus Foundation. What's your favourite animal and why?
Giraffes! Fun fact: a group of giraffes is called a tower!
Thanks for taking the time to speak to us, Sumei! Don’t forget to sign up to our mailing list to keep up with the latest news, project information, and great content from Rodolfus HQ.