Meet the Group
COllin SHay
Collin Shay is a French-American countertenor based in London. Shay is currently studying at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama on the Opera Course, where he has sung Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Cupid in John Blow’s Venus and Adonis in June; he will appear in the world premiere of Lliam Paterson’s The Angel Esmerelda next year. 2018 saw his debut for the Royal Opera in Na’ama Zisser’s new opera, Mamzer Bastard. He will appear at the Royal Opera’s Linbury Theatre in December to sing Jules Maxwell’s The Lost Thing. Shay appears on ‘Magic Lantern Tales’, an album of works by Cheryl Frances Hoad for Champs Hill Records, and a disc of Tunder cantatas with Musica Poetica for the Veterum Musica label. His other hobbies include beekeeping and pretending to play the theorbo.
Nathan Mercieca
Nathan studied Cambridge University and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. With the Royal Opera House, he has covered Peisander (Monteverdi The Return of Ulysses), and workshopped the role of Yoël in Na’ama Zisser’s Mamzer Bastard. Other roles include Sorceress/Spirit (Purcell Dido and Aeneas) with the Armonico Consort and Players, Arsamene (Cavalli Xerse) for the Grimeborn Festival, and all the male roles in Clare Elton’s promenade opera These Wondering Stones for the Barbican Centre/Museum of London. He can be heard on disc as the alto soloist in Stuart MacRae’s “Cantata” on Delphian Records. On the concert stage he has appeared as a soloist at LSO St. Luke’s, St. John’s Smith Square, and Wigmore Hall. Much in demand as a consort singer, he has performed with le Concert d’Astrée, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Siglo de Oro, and the Southbank Sinfonia.
Clara Hyder
Hailing from Edinburgh, Clara started her musical journey as a chorister. She went on to graduate from Guildhall with a first-class Honours in trumpet and received a Concert Recital Diploma for her final recital performance. With a love for community and collaborative performance, Clara enjoys working in a variety of settings and was honoured to be awarded the Sheriff’s Prize upon graduating. In her spare time, Clara enjoys cooking, walking, and yoga.
Ian Sankey
Ian graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a first-class Honours degree and a Concert Recital diploma. He won 2nd prize in the Ian Bousfield Tenor Trombone Competition, and runner-up in the International Trombone Association Alto Trombone Competition. Ian joined His Majesties Sagbutts and Cornetts for their 35th Birthday concert in St Johns Smith Square; he has also performed with the orchestra of the Royal Opera House, the Oxford Philharmonic, and Symphonic Brass of London. Ian is a keen chamber musician, and is a member of Aeris Brass and Elysium Brass.
Elinor Chambers
Elinor studied trombone and sackbut at Guildhall, and acting at LAMDA. While still studying she played alongside the LSO, Academy of Ancient Music and Superbrass, and has gone on to work with groups such as the London Mozart Players, Cuban-European Youth Academy, and Quintetta. She has performed at venues as diverse as Shakespeare’s Globe and the Latitude Festival, as well as appearing as an actor-musician in numerous theatrical productions.
peter thornton
Peter studied modern and historic trombone at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the HKU Utrechts Conservatorium. As a keen pursuer of HIP, he strives to unearth buried and forgotten music from across history whilst enjoying a fruitful freelance career, paired with an obsessive interest in coffee. Currently signed by Wee Studio Records, Peter is currently recording his second studio album with his band Causeway Trio, pushing new and original music stemming from Scottish tradition.
Sam Barber
Since graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Sam has been active across a wide range of music as both a trombonist and keyboard player. His playing has been recorded on the Naxos and Signum Classics labels, and broadcast on BBC Television and Radio, notably on ‘Songs of Praise’, ‘In Tune’, and as part of the tea-time marching band at a televised England Test Match at Lords.
stephen williams
Stephen began playing the trombone at his local Salvation Army church in Wrexham, North Wales. He was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, where he received the Goronwy Evans Memorial Award; he is currently studying a Master's degree in bass trombone at the Royal Academy of Music. He has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, the Barbican, and the O2 Arena, as well as across Europe, China, and Australia. During his spare time away from music he enjoys playing video games, cycling, and being beaten by his friends at squash.
adam Crighton
Originally from Aberdeen, Adam studied bass trombone and bass sackbut at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. He has worked in various settings, including the at the BBC Proms with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and in London’s West End in Lion King and Fiddler on the Roof. He enjoys books, whisky, and travelling.