Tom reckons he started acting only slightly after he started walking, initially at Sunday School, where his critically acclaimed role of King Herod is still talked about in Manchester’s artistic circles. At University, Tom spent his time acting, organising student entertainment and chasing women (his words not ours), while studying chemistry in his spare time. But the singing bug had already started to bite in the sixth form, when he joined the school barbershop chorus, and after moving to Ealing in 2009 he found Capital Chorus on his doorstep. Having looked around for a fulfilling and rewarding career, Tom decided against it and instead joined the Civil Service as a trainee accountant. All that excitement – but at least he’s got an index-linked pension to look forward to. You may scoff, but Tom points out that the UK had moved out of recession within three months of him starting to walk the corridors of power: hardly a coincidence.

According to his family, David could sing before he could talk. As a youngster he attended the music school CYM based in Waterloo, London, where his highlight was being picked to sing the theme tune to Mooby the Cow in the international smash film “Dogma”. For some reason David says this resulted in him being mocked mercilessly by his friends, though we really can’t see why, honestly. The trauma seems to have prompted a hiatus in his singing career, and David only started singing again a couple of years ago, initially with the Chiswick Choir and now with Capital Chorus. As a geography teacher in a secondary school, David claims he’s so busy that it leaves no time for anything other than singing, watching lots of films, spending inordinate amounts of time on the computer, going to the pub and spending weeks and weeks away during those long holidays that teachers say they don’t get. And yes, you bet we’re jealous……          

Hamzah is the only person we’ve ever met who comes from Eastbourne and doesn’t actually use a zimmer frame. His musical talents (?) became apparent very early: aged only 5, he reckons he used to sing at the top of his voice in Tesco, embarrassing his Mum and terrifying elderly local residents. He subsequently appeared in several musicals while studying medicine at University – including Little Shop of Horrors and the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas - with much the same traumatic effect on audiences. He now claims to be big in drugs, though disappointingly for the more unsavoury members of the chorus we understand he’s actually a medical adviser to a large pharmaceutical company. Hamzah says he’d often talked with friends about singing barbershop and had been actively considering taking singing lessons. The advert for the Learn to Sing course thus came at exactly the right time…..and with the added benefit of being free!

                                                               
 “Barbershop singing? Elementary my dear fellow!” Having been brought up in Crowborough, East Sussex, the home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for many years, it’s not surprising that some of the Great Detective’s traits have rubbed off on Rob. Having studied all the evidence, Rob decided to make a career in TV post-production, though he says the jury is still out as to whether it was the right choice. But it was through working in TV that he met Capital Chorus member Greg Nixon who hounded Rob into trying the Learn-to-Sing course, and subsequently into joining Capital. After taking guitar lessons for a few years and studying music theory, Rob has also started to write his own songs. However, he says he’s only inspired when depressed, so the songs are not the happiest. Perhaps more Leonard Cohen than Sherlock Holmes…….           

Born and bred in Scotland, Ian developed an interest in singing through the church choir. As a teenager he joined a local amateur light operatic society and played comedy lead in shows such as Calamity Jane and Country Girl. He left his beloved Scotland in 1966 to attend drama school in London, after which he joined the Birmingham Repertory Company, working alongside many famous actors, including Sir Michael Gambon, Timothy Dalton and “Benny” from Crossroads. After leaving Birmingham Rep he appeared in pantomime with Vince Hill and in several TV programmes, notably Z Cars, Dr Who and the Morecambe and Wise Show. Ian says the thespian genes run deep: he continues to provide entertainment for his local Rotary Club and still appears in pantomime. He’d not sung barbershop before, but came to Capital Chorus via the summer 2009 Learn to Sing course.

Brought up in Twickenham, and with a kiwi father, it’s not surprising that Tom’s first love was rugby. Sadly, a nasty injury a couple of years ago ruined his chances of making the British Lions, and nowadays he confines himself to being an armchair pundit, something he reckons he does pretty effectively. He’s always been involved in music, and has played bass guitar in a few rock bands over the years. But he’s a relative newcomer to singing. His prior experience consisted of an abortive attempt to join the school choir aged 11 (he went to the wrong room for the first rehearsal) and many an ill-advised sing-song on a rugby team night out. He says he’d always enjoyed listening to barbershop but hadn’t a clue how to get involved – until he discovered the Learn to Sing course and Capital Chorus. Tom’s other interests include sports in general, art, architecture and history, but he says he’s most happy with a pint of ale in his hand. We can confirm that this is true.

Phil’s main interests are musical. He plays guitar, harmonica and sings, performing solo under the name of Harmonica Lewinsky, as well as in a country honkytonk band, called O Brother Where’s Hank. The band sings three-part harmony, and it was this growing interest in singing harmony that led him into barbershop. However, Phil reckons that neither wife Mary nor his two kids can stand any of his music, so Monday-night rehearsals with Capital Chorus are a welcome escape! Phil is also the treasurer of something improbably called the National Harmonica League, which sounds like an enthusiastic outreach section of the Ku Klux Klan, but is in fact the UK harmonica society (Phil claims this is fairly harmless, but we’re still investigating). He also co-runs the London Harmonica Group. Asked if he’s done anything especially funny in his life, Phil says he’s an accountant, so his life is full of hilarity.