The two founders of Festival of Choirs were steeped in Cambridge's extraordinary tradition of choral excellence from their youngest days.
Both Alex Trigg and Graham Walker were boy choristers and then choral & organ scholars in Cambridge, in the choirs of King's and St John's respectively. Their love for both the place and the music led them to found the Festival.
Born of a desire to share the remarkable privilege of being surrounded by choral singing of the highest level, Alex & Graham set out to offer to the world's choirs and choral singers the opportunity to experience something of the wonder of the UK's choral tradition.
Our first Festival, in our home town of Cambridge, explores our musical roots and shares them with choirs and singers from all corners of the globe.
Cambridge's amazing collection of College Chapels and Churches, beautiful candlelit panelled halls, the Backs with the River Cam meandering through, Grantchester and the Meadows: it's an amazing location for our very first Festival, and we are incredibly excited to be able to share our love for this place with new friends from around the world. We have partnered with the wonderful Cambridge Schola, so that our Festival guests will be able to witness Schola's brilliant, emotionally-charged singing for themselves, as well as having the chance to sing alongside them at the end of the Festival.
Our Festivals offer choirs and individuals from around the globe the chance to live and sing in the UK's most beautiful cities.
We are excited to be exploring Festivals for 2027 and beyond in Oxford, Bath, Edinburgh and other cities, so that, in association with elite local choirs, we can be part of the amazing singing heritage and life of these historic places.
Combining recitals and Evensong performances by visiting choirs with masterclasses, professional concerts and many other activities, as well as a grand gala performance given by all the choirs together, our Festivals offer an unparalleled musical experience alongside a unique opportunity to experience life in a landmark location.
Alex and Graham have built Cambridge Schola from the ground up, and this experience - among so many others - has led them to the strong belief that, by sharing our singing, we are able to learn so much from each other, and to create something of lasting beauty in the world.
Meet the Directors
Graham Walker
‘Little short of ideal, perfect in intonation... lively and delicate’ - Gramophone
‘Brilliantly handled’ - The Observer
‘Compelling’ - The Strad
Director of Cambridge University Schola Cantorum and of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Graham Walker has had a lifelong involvement in the Cambridge choral tradition.
Graham's earliest musical education was as a boy chorister, and later choral scholar, at St John's College. He was Musical Director of the Gentlemen of St John's, with whom he directed his first professional recording, of music by Jean Mouton, at the age of 21. Alongside a burgeoning career as a chamber and recital cellist on the world stage, Graham's choral direction developed through his work with St John's Voices and the choirs of Corpus Christi and Magdalene Colleges, and continues through his current roles at Emmanuel and Cambridge Schola. He recently led the BBC Singers in two projects, including a joint performance with Cambridge Schola of Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil.
Graham's cello-playing has resulted in a number of recordings with his two ensembles: Karolos, a string trio, released two discs of chamber music by Stephen Dodgson as well as of Mozart's epic E Flat Divertimento, while his most recent album with his Latin-American group Classico Latino (“Salsa Classics”) was warmly received by critics, concert-goers and salsa nightclub DJs alike. A recicipient of many prizes, he was awarded a plaque on live Colombian national television in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to Colombian Andean music".
Alexander Trigg enjoys a diverse freelance career as an organist, director and educator. He is in high demand across Europe, with forthcoming recitals including St George’s Hanover Square and St Paul’s Cathedral in London, as well as venues in Amsterdam, Berlin and Cologne.
As Assistant Director of Cambridge Schola, Alex was instrumental in the foundation of Cambridge’s most exciting new choir. He has conducted a wide range of repertoire in Schola’s candlelit evening services, including a number of world premieres. He is also Founder and Director of St Andrew’s Music School, a charity based in south Cambridge which delivers music outreach to local schools and offers free instrumental tuition and performing opportunities to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Although he originally hails from Kent, Alex spent much of his childhood in Cambridge, as a chorister at King’s College. He returned to Cambridge in 2021 as Organ Scholar at St John’s College. He has also worked at St George’s Chapel Windsor Castle, where he played for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on several occasions. Alex is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, and continues his professional development as an Advanced Postgraduate student at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, studying the organ with Daniel Moult, Nicholas Wearne and Nathan Laube.
Alexander Trigg
‘Clean, stylistic and virtuosic’
- Biennial Baroque 2025
‘A rising star… with flair, authority, and stylistic acuity’ - D Moult