Ruben Dales

Alto 2026 –

I am extremely excited to begin my year as a choral graduate here at St John’s, following two years as a choral scholar at Lincoln Cathedral, and four years as part of Royal Holloway Chapel Choir – where I studied music at undergraduate and postgraduate level. I began singing in my local parish church (St Mary’s Newark) before moving onto being a chorister at Lincoln Cathedral. As a child, I struggled with juggling schoolwork, and the amount of hours and concentration that choral singing demanded from me – this included being dragged to the car on occasion, and being nicknamed Bart Simpson amongst the lay clerks, as I used to pretend to skate on the choir stalls instead of rehearsing! However, I am beyond grateful that the investment I put in set the foundation for building a career doing what I now love. 

What is your favourite piece of choral music?

Whilst recording Matthew Coleridge’s Requiem, I fell in love with the beautiful strings and intense climax of the Rex Tremendae. It is undoubtedly one of my favourites, and floods me with memories every time I listen to it.

What do you love outside of singing?

When I have time, I spend as much of it as I can walking in nature. A favourite hobby of mine is exploring with no map to find perfect spots to view the sunset and making excuses to visit them again and again.