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 2024-2025
Rachel McLean
Soprano
Scottish soprano Rachel McLean is a Samling Artist and graduated in 2023 with a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland under Wilma MacDougall. She previously graduated with a First Class Honours Bachelors of Music degree under Margaret Izatt.
Operatic roles include Donna Anna Don Giovanni (Lyric Opera Studio Weimar), Youka in Chabrier’s L’Étoile (RCS Opera), Pamina Die Zauberflöte (LOSW). In spring 2024 she was cast to cover Donna Anna and was chorus in Hurn Court Opera’s production of Don Giovanni.
Operatic scenes include Fiordiligi Cosi fan Tutte, Arabella Arabella, Ilia Idomeneo, Rosalinde Die Fledermaus,Elettra Idomeneo, Vitellia La clemenza di Tito, and Anne Trulove The Rake’s Progress.
Concert highlights include Die Schöne Müllerin – An International Women’s Day concert with the RCS, soprano soloist in Haydn’s Nelson Mass with the Garleton Singers, Vivaldi’s Gloria with RCS Chorus and Orchestra, and Jenkins’ The Armed Man with the National Youth Choir of Scotland.
Future engagements include Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar.
Rachel’s MMus studies were generously supported by the ABRSM. Rachel is currently training as a Young Artist on the Global Talent Programme at the National Opera Studio (NOS), London.
Madeleine Perring
soprano
Madeleine Perring started her musical career as a chorister at Wells Cathedral where she discovered her love of music. This was developed as a vocal specialist at the school, and even more so at the Royal College of Music. After graduating from the RCM with first class honours, she is thrilled to be studying with Rosa Mannion and is grateful to continue her Masters studies as a Brooks-Anderson Award holder. Highlights from the past year include various opera scenes; performing as Susanna in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and as Josephine in Gilbert & Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore under the direction of Saffron van Zwanenberg, as well as Barbarina in Jonathan Dove’s Little Green Swallow under the direction of Stuart Barker and Despina in Mozart’s Cosí fan tutte. Madeleine has also enjoyed working as a soprano soloist with the Somerset and Plymouth choral societies, and most recently with the Civil Service Choir in St John’s Smith Square. Maddie looks forward to her final year of Masters with generous support from both Help Musicians and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.
alexandra cooper
soprano
Alexandra Cooper is the Stephen Catto Memorial Scholar at the Royal College music where she studies with Tim Evans-Jones. She completed her Bachelor of Music at RCM as the Douglas and Hilda Simmonds Scholar. Recent engagements include Ida in Die Fledermaus with Westminster Opera Company at the Chateau de Panloy, Charente MariJme, Ensemble in Jonathan Dove's Flight and Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with the RCM Opera Studio and RCM Opera scenes as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Serpina in La Serva padrona and Rosmene in Imeneo. She was also a finalist in the 2023 Charles Wood song compeJJon and previously a scholar at the Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where she was awarded the Peter Vernon Vocal Prize. Alexandra recently made her screen debut as Choral girl No.1 in Alan Benne2’s upcoming film The Choral directed by Nicholas Hytner.
niamh kearney
mezzo-soprano
Tim Burton
Tenor
Tim has recently graduated from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, studying with Christopher Turner. He is looking forward to continuing his studies with Tim Evans-Jones at the Royal College of Music on the MPerf programme in September 2024, generously supported by the college with a scholarship.
Whilst at RBC he has taken part in various opera productions, with roles including The Schoolmaster in The Cunning Little Vixen – Janáček, Mr Bobo in Coraline – Turnage, Moon and King of the East, The Enchanted Pig – Dove, and Le Doyen de la Faculté, Cendrillon – Massenet. Opera scenes productions at RBC include performances as: Vasek (Bartered Bride), Jaquino (Fidelio), Polidoro (La Finta Semplice), Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Max (Der Freischütz), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni). Tim was awarded first place in the Edward Brooks English Song Prize in 2023.
At the 2023 Grimeborn festival at Arcola Theatre, he played the tenor in the Trio of Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, directed by Finn Lacey. This production was awarded an Offie in February for Opera Production.
Tim started his musical career as a chorister at Gloucester Cathedral, and has since been a Lay Clerk at Gloucester, and Birmingham St Philip’s Cathedrals. He enjoys Oratorio work with repertoire including Messiah, Samson, Handel, St John Passion (solos), Bach, Petite Messe Solenelle, Rossini, Requiem, Saint-Saens. He was part of the 10th Cohort of Genesis Sixteen from 2020-21 and an Ex Cathedra Scholar from 2019-21 and has since sung with The Dunedin Consort, Ex Cathedra, and The Sixteen.
