Our Choral Scholars
The choral scholarship scheme here at St John’s is generously supported by the William Gibbs Religious & Educational Trust. Each year, eight scholarships are available to vocal students from London music colleges, many of whom go on to very successful careers in opera, oratorio and other singing work. We also welcome volunteer singers who would like to join us in song - please contact the Director of Music if you’re interested.
Choral Scholars 2026-2027
Sarah Thomas, soprano
Soprano Sarah Thomas studies a Masters of Performance at the Royal College of Music, where she is taught by Sarah Tynan and supported by The Boise Scholarship, The William Gibbs Trust and private sponsorship from Peter Snook.
Recent highlights include premiering two roles in collaboration with Tête à Tête Opera as part of the Royal College of Music’s Fantasy and Fairytales contemporary opera project. She looks forward to performing La Chauve-Souris and L’une d’Elles (Pastourelle) in the RCM’s production of Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges in December 2026.
Sarah enjoys a wide variety of song and opera repertoire, and explored the art songs of Rachmaninoff as a bursary holder this August at Grasmere Song, as well as singing in Masterclasses with Dame Ann Murray and Dame Josephine Barstow. In the 2025-2026 season, Sarah was a member of the National Opera Studio Academy, performing excerpts of Alcina, Donna Anna, and Fiordiligi and learning from expert artists Allyson Devenish and Eric Melear. Sarah is hugely grateful to be a choral scholar at St John’s Hyde Park, who are making her continued study in London an exciting reality.
Madeleine Perring, soprano
Madeleine joined the Royal Academy Opera Studio in September with generous support from both the Drake Calleja Musical Trust and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, as well as the Josephine Baker Trust. She studies with Susan Waters and Jonathan Papp. She started her musical career as a chorister and subsequently Head Chorister at Wells Cathedral before joining the Royal College of Music. She graduated from the RCM with first class honours in her Undergraduate degree and a distinction in her Masters while studying with Rosa Mannion. Recent highlights include role debuts such as ‘Female Chorus’ in Britten’s opera ‘The Rape of Lucretia’, Micaëla in Bizet’s opera ‘Carmen’, as well as a recital of Duparc songs at Wigmore Hall with RAM Song Circle. She is also the recent winner of the Chris Treglown Classical Award, RAM Flora Nielsen prize, the RCM Lieder competition, the Charles Wood Song competition and the ROSL Singers Final 2025. Madeleine was a member of the Wigmore Hall French Song Exchange, performing in Wigmore and Salle Cortot in Paris. She spent the summer as a Garsington Opera Emerging Artist and an Andrea Bocelli Foundation scholar, alongside competing in the Royal Over-Seas League Gold Medal Final. Madeleine also enjoys oratorio work; with recent solo performances including Handel’s Messiah in Wells Cathedral and Verdi’s Requiem in Petersfield Festival Hall. She has exciting upcoming opportunities such as working as a Britten-Pears Young Artist 26-27 and preparing for another role debut with RAO as ‘Gräfin’ in Strauss’ final opera; ‘Capriccio’.
William cox, countertenor
William Cox is a British-Australian composer and countertenor currently studying a Masters of Music in composition at the Royal College of Music in London. As a composer, William was awarded The Paul Mealor Award by the Welsh Music Guild for his symphonic tone poem, “It Rests Untarnished" (premiered by Jac van Steen and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in 2025).
As a soundtrack composer William is attached to the upcoming feature film “The Reformation of Sister Edith”, from production company, Intake Films (The Brutalist), and has composed for several theatre shows where his work has been described as “incredibly clear” and “excellently crafted” (Broadway Baby).
William’s singing career began under the direction of Edward Higginbottom in the prestigious Choir of New College, Oxford with whom he performed all over the world, appeared on several award-winning records, and was head chorister in his final year. Now, as a countertenor, his highlights include performing with viol ensemble Fretwork, premiering operas at the Atmospheres Festival, including the role of Gruffudd in Gwynedd Palalwyf‘s “Myfanwy”, and performing Pergolesi‘s "Stabat Mater" with orchestra in Cardiff
niamh kearney, mezzo-soprano
Niamh Kearney is an Irish mezzo-soprano currently undertaking Postgraduate study at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. She is a Guildhall Scholar and studies under the tutelage of Sarah Pring. Niamh is a choral scholar at St John’s Hyde Park and is generously supported by the William Gibbs’s Educational Trust.
Niamh is a current member of Genesis Sixteen, The Sixteen’s prestigious Young Artist Programme led by Harry Christophers. She was a member of the CCI Studio, Chamber Choir Ireland’s programme for emerging choral artists directed by Eamonn Dougan. Furthermore, she was a ‘Next Gen’ Young Artist with the vocal ensemble Vox Urbane, directed by Dan Ludford Thomas and Helen Mayerhoff. With the group she performed as a soloist in Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Purcell’s Funeral Sentences at St John’s Smith Square, and in Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 with the Hackney Singers and His Majesty’s Sagbutts & Cornetts.
Niamh’s love of singing began at the age of ten when she joined her local church choir, sparking a passion that led her to London to pursue formal training. She graduated with First Class Honours from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, studying with Yolanda Grant Thompson and Helen Yorke. During her time there, she was a Choral Scholar at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel in Greenwich, performing in numerous large-scale orchestral concerts.
Performance highlights include alto solos in Bach St John Passion with Tiffin Boys’ Choir, Northampton Bach Choir and the Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban Chapel Choir, accompanied by the Brandenburg Baroque Soloists, and Purcell’s Come, ye sons of art with The Royal Hospital Chelsea. She has appeared in broadcasts for BBC Songs of Praise and BBC Radio 4 Choral Evensong, where she featured as cantor soloist.
Whilst she has a love of early music and Baroque, Niamh has a wide musical repertoire including opera, Lieder, contemporary and folk. She is particularly drawn to the centuries old melismatic Irish singing style of Sean-nos, and was the main soloist on a live broadcast Mass, sung in Irish for Irish National Radio.
Sam Britner, tenor
Sam Britner is a Welsh tenor and is a member of the Serena Fenwick Programme with British Youth Opera and Edinburgh International Festival Rising Star of Voice. In 2024, Sam made his operatic debut as Judge Danforth in The Crucible (Ward) with University College Opera and returned to the company in 2025 as Timothy Laughlin in the European premiere of Fellow Travelers (Spears).
Sam made his professional debut in the chorus of Eugene Onegin with Hampstead Garden Opera. He has since performed with Grange Park Opera as Dara in the world premiere of Taj Mahal (Khan), and appeared in the chorus of Simon Boccanegra and Mazeppa. In 2025, he made his international debut in the chorus of Le Trouvère (Verdi) with Wexford Festival Opera.
In 2026, he made his role debut as Alfredo in La traviata with Hurn Court Opera and joined Opera Cameratina’s production of The Seven Deadly Sins by Kurt Weill. In the summer, Sam sung with The Grange Festival as Parpignol in La bohème and in the chorus in Eugene Onegin. He is a finalist in the 2026 Dunraven Welsh Young Singer of the Year, 2025 recipient of the Charles Wood International Song Festival Song Prize and winner of the Luxon Amit Singing Bursary. Sam is currently pursuing a Master’s in Vocal Studies the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Kate Paterson.
Sam is generously supported by the Drake Calleja Trust, Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Ryan Davies Memorial Fund and The William Gibbs Educational Trust.
quito clothier, tenor
Quito Clothier is a 27 year old tenor from Hampshire. He is currently reading a Masters at the Royal Academy of Music. Previously he studied under Patricia Rozario OBE at the Royal College of Music, where he was generously supported by the St Matthias Trust, and at the University of Bristol, where he obtained a first in Music.
He covered the role of Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s ‘Eugene Onegin’ at the Grange Festival 2026 with the BSO/ Lidiya Yankovskaya, where he made his debut in 2025 covering Gastone in Verdi’s La Traviata with the BSO/Richard Farnes. He is one of the Rising Stars of Voice at the Edinburgh International Festival, and performed at Oxford Lieder’s Spring Song festival with his duo partner, Dida Condria.
He has won multiple awards and bursaries, and was the winner of the Sarah Harrison Prize at the HCO Singer of the Year Competition in 2025, and took home 2nd Prize in the AESS National English Song Competition.
Quito’s concert repertoire is increasingly vast, with performed works as a soloist varying from works like Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, and Bach’s B Minor Mass.
Sonny fielding, baritone
Sonny Fielding is a lyric baritone from Liverpool and a Young Artist at the National Opera Studio. He completed his postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama Opera School, where he studied with Robert Dean. He has a particular affinity for early music and a strong commitment to new and contemporary opera.
Recent highlights include performing the title role in Britten's Owen Wingrave at Guildhall. Sonny is also a Samling Artist, reflecting his commitment to art song and collaborative music-making. He regularly works with fellow musicians and composers to create and perform new work and is especially drawn to working with living composers.
His operatic credits include the Hausierer in Der Wald, Tito and Valerio in Lucrezia, Dr Blind in Die Fledermaus, Aristotle in Alexander and the Tree, and the Puppet Master in Strings of Rebellion. He has also performed scenes from Gloriana, Don Pasquale, Manon, Maria Stuarda, and L'elisir d'amore. In 2026, he joined the chorus of Glyndebourne Festival Opera for Britten's Billy Budd.
Alongside his studies and professional engagements, Sonny continues to develop a varied repertoire spanning early music, contemporary opera, and song, with a particular interest in collaborating with living composers to bring new works to the stage.
samuel lyne-hall, bass
Samuel Lyne-Hall is a bass-baritone at the Royal College of Music under the tutelage of Jonathan Lemalu, where he is currently the recipient of the Patrick and Helena Frost Foundation Award.
Prior to his undergraduate studies, Samuel was a Choral Scholar at Truro Cathedral, where he sang daily services on top of other privately booked performances. He is currently a member of Luceat Choir and has more recently sung with Figura Singers in both concerts and choral evensongs.
His operatic experience includes appearances with the Royal Ballet and Opera, where he performed the role of 2nd Knabe in Die Zauberflöte, the Prince of Persia in Turandot, as well as chorus work in Tosca and La Bohème.
