Patrick Dunachie

I was born in 1993 into a family of musicians and at the age of five started learning piano and singing in my local church choir, later becoming a chorister at Hereford Cathedral under Geraint Bowen. It was here that my love of singing and choral music really took hold - I developed a passion for early music in particular. In one Cathedral Choir concert, I remember hearing Robin Tyson (King's Singer 2001-2009) as a soloist, and being fascinated by the countertenor voice. When my voice changed a few years later, I decided to give singing countertenor a go and, sure enough, my falsetto voice worked and I stuck with it! After singing in Hereford Cathedral Choir again (this time as an alto) in my last years at school, I won a scholarship to King's College, Cambridge, to study Music and sing in King's College Choir under Stephen Cleobury. During three unforgettable years, I toured Asia, Australia, Europe and the USA, recorded numerous CDs, and sang in national radio and television broadcasts every year. I also enjoyed managing and directing The King's Men - the close harmony group formed of the choral scholars at King's. My main joy during that time, though, was to sing the daily services in one of the world's most beautiful buildings, with its wonderful acoustic and unique ambience. All of this encouraged me to pursue singing beyond university, and after graduating in 2015, I moved to Oxford, where I sang for a year as a Lay Clerk at Christ Church Cathedral. During this time, as well as singing in the choir, I taught at a local school, performed as a freelance soloist, and also sang in a number of groups, including Ex Cathedra, The King's Consort, Gesualdo Six and Westminster Cathedral Choir. I found time for my other interests too, with plenty of walking in the countryside, a lot of cooking, and a good deal of graphic design work to keep me out of trouble! I was appointed to The King's Singers in January 2016, after two tough rounds of auditions, and now feel like the luckiest chap alive. I look forward to meeting people at concerts all over the world!