Shimona Thevastan

Soprano Scholar

Singaporean soprano Shimona Rose has just completed a Master of Performance Royal College of Music with a Distinction under the tutelage of Amanda Roocroft. The 2018 Opera Scholar of the Year and 37th Annual Australian National Liederfest winner, she completed a Bachelor of Music at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music before making the move to London. An accomplished performer and recitalist, Shimona began her musical studies with the piano at age 5, achieving an ABRSM Diploma in Music Performance in 2014. Shimona also grew up singing in Wesley Methodist Church in Singapore where she is still welcome to sing every time she returns home. However, her passion lies on the operatic stage and that is where she is determined to pursue her dream. 

Wei Ying Sim

Soprano Scholar

Singaporean soprano Weiying Sim is currently pursuing a Master of Music at the Royal College of Music, under the tutelage of Veronica Veysey-Campbell. Back home, she completed a Bachelor of Music with First class honours at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and also had her operatic debut in 2019 as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with Singapore Lyric Opera’s Young Artist Programme. As a performer, Weiying hopes to share her love for opera and art songs alike with her audience.

Olivia Carstairs

Mezzo-Soprano Scholar

Olivia Carstairs is a third year undergraduate mezzo-soprano studying with Veronica Veysey Campbell at the Royal College of Music. Olivia grew up in Dorset where she won Adult Singer of the Year 2017 and was a pupil at Junior Guildhall for 4 years studying with Marilyn Rees. She received first place in the Junior Guildhall singing competition as well as receiving the Singers Prize 2018. Olivia completed a year working as a music gap student at St. John’s College School Cambridge where she worked with the choristers and assisted the music classes. Olivia has also been involved with Hurn Court Opera, National Youth Training Choir and the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus which included performances at the Royal Albert Hall, Winchester Cathedral, Truro Cathedral and The Lighthouse Poole. 

James Cobb

Tenor Scholar

British Tenor James Cobb studies at the Royal College of Music London, under the tutelage of Dinah Harris, where he is a Scholar. Before taking a Gap Year working at St Paul’s Cathedral, James studied at the Royal College of Music’s Junior Department between 2015-17. Here he began working with Veronica Veysey-Campbell with whom he worked very successfully with for 5 years, and attributes much of his success to. James has performed in Recitals at The Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room, Steinway Hall and at Soirées at Breinton.

Jonathan Hedley

Bass Scholar

Jonathan is currently pursuing a PhD in DNA Biophysics at Imperial College London, and he takes an active role in the music scene there. From singing bass in the award winning A Cappella group, The Techtonics, to performing lead roles in operas (recently Papageno in Die Zauberflöte and Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia), you’re certain to find him singing whenever he has free time. He achieved his LTCL Diploma in Singing at the age of 17, and currently has lessons under Roderick Earle at the Royal College of Music.

Joseph Wang

Bass Scholar

Currently studying for a Masters in Experimental Physics at Imperial College London, Joseph has dedicated a large portion of his waking hours to music, singing in the award-winning a cappella group, The Techtonics, and choir at the university. A capable musician, he has many years’ experience singing choral music, an ATCL in flute performance at 18 and many hours of listening to music under his belt, with hopes to achieve many more.

Catherine Hooper

Soprano Cantor

Catherine Hooper is a soprano studying for a master’s at the Royal College of Music, under Rosa Mannion. Catherine had her professional concert debut in 2016, singing Judit (Bluebeard’s Castle, Bartók) with the Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra. During her undergraduate degree at St Andrews, she performed widely as an operatic and concert soloist. She sang regularly with Byre Opera, including as the titular role in Handel’s Xerxes, Vixen Sharp-Ears (The Cunning Little Vixen, Janáček), and Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw, Britten). She also founded and led the university Opera Society, with whom she sang Lieschen (Coffee Cantata, Bach) in an innovative production inside a local coffee shop, Juno (Orpheus in the Underworld, Offenbach) and Belinda (Dido and Aeneas, Purcell). Catherine is an experienced concert soloist and in 2019, she premiered Emily Doolittle’s ‘Conversation’ with the St Andrews New Music Ensemble. Since arriving at the Royal College, she has sung Alcina (Handel) in the RCM Opera Scenes and performed in two concerts for Black History Month, featuring songs by Errollyn Wallen and Coleridge-Taylor. Catherine looks forward to returning to the stage as the Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart) and Phyllis (Iolanthe, Gilbert and Sullivan) in RCM’s Spring Opera Scenes. Alongside her solo work, she is a regular choral and consort singer, having previously held choral scholarships at St Andrews and Cambridge, and is long-standing member of the National Youth Choir and Chamber Choir.

Matthew Price

Tenor Cantor

Matthew started singing in choirs and attending choral courses from a young age.  He was educated at the Judd School in Tonbridge, also learning piano and viola during these years, and went on to read Music at Trinity College Cambridge.  At university, he sang regularly with the chapel choirs of Queens’ and Emmanuel colleges, where he benefited from fantastic training which included regular chapel services, tours and professional recordings.  These all contributed towards his love of the repertoire, especially sacred music.

His main professional role is as Director of Music of a boys’ grammar school in south-east London.  He has continued to sing since qualifying as a teacher of Music, in addition to developing proficiency as a director of choirs and instrumental groups.  As a member of the Sine Nomine Singers (Bromley) since 2008, his experience of choral repertory has broadened immeasurably and he has also taken on responsibilities as one of the locum tenens rehearsal directors.

Joining the Schola Cantorum of St John’s Church Fulham in 2009 as the tenor, under the then director Benjamin Woodward, Matthew is pleased to contribute to the musical life of the church to the present day.  Having become competent as an organist in recent years, he has also been called upon to accompany services and direct the other singers.