Matthew Monaghan

Alto 2022 – , Musical Director 2024–26

I am a countertenor Choral Graduate at St John’s, having spent three years as a Choral Scholar whilst reading Music. I spent two years as Musical Director of the Gents, and directed the recent album recording, Urgent Business. I was a Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras Apprentice 25/26, and I enjoy performing in frequent solo and choral engagements, international tours, recordings and radio broadcasts. Recent highlights have included staged performances of Dido & Aeneas on the Cutty Sark and in Norway, and being featured as a soloist alongside Nicholas Mulroy for the London Mozart Players. I have participated in masterclasses with Dame Sarah Connolly, Mark Padmore, Iestyn Davies, and others, and hope to continue my vocal studies beyond Cambridge. Outside of my own singing, I am a keen choral conductor and am passionate about access to music education, leading singing workshops in state primary and secondary schools.

Favourite piece outside the choral world?

This changes regularly, but at the time of writing I would choose Elton John’s Indian Sunset from the album Madman Across the Water. It’s unjustly forgotten, and I just love the strings and percussion. It’s a masterclass in storytelling.

Most memorable experience singing with The Gents

Performing at the Nuit des Chœurs in Belgium in 2023. It was so special in the illuminated 12th-century ruins of the Villers Abbey in Villers-la-Ville. We were asked to perform the same twenty-minute set eight times across two nights. It is possibly the closest I will ever be to feeling like a pop star.