From TPC scholar to soloist: welcoming Allyn Wu back for Bach's Christmas Oratorio

As a TPC scholar, Allyn Wu sang with a confidence that seemed to fill the room, producing a remarkably big sound and performing with a focused determination. Since leaving TPC, Allyn has gone on to build a career as a soloist and ensemble singer, performing across the UK and Europe. It's therefore no surprise to see him return to us this December, not as a scholar, but as a soloist in Bach's much-loved Christmas Oratorio for our Christmas concert. 

Enjoy our conversation with Allyn as he reflects on returning to the "TPC family", working once again with "the maestro that is Harry Bradford", and performing Bach's Christmas Oratorio in the beautiful surroundings of Holy Trinity Sloane Square. You can follow Allyn's ongoing musical journey on his website: www.allynwu.com

Sinem - Head of TPC MarComms 

Allyn, after your time as a TPC Scholar, what have you been up to musically?

I’ve completed both my undergraduate and Master’s degrees at the Royal Academy of Music, and I’m now very fortunate to be working freelance as both a soloist and ensemble singer in the UK and across Europe. Most recently, I toured Normandy with the French early music ensemble Le Poème Harmonique in a programme centred around French and English Baroque lute songs. I’ll actually be bringing that programme back to the UK later this year, as part of the National Centre for Early Music’s Christmas Festival in York. On the choral side, one of the most exciting things I’ve done recently was singing with the BBC Singers at the Last Night of the Proms – definitely a pretty special experience!

How does it feel to come back to TPC, this time as a soloist rather than a scholar?

It’s a real joy to come back and perform alongside the TPC family, especially as I’m still in touch with so many people from my time as a scholar. There’s something very reassuring about walking into a rehearsal and recognising so many familiar faces! And, of course, it’s always a pleasure to sing for the maestro that is Harry Bradford. Coming back as a soloist feels like a lovely full-circle moment, and I’m really grateful to be able to return in a different capacity.

We’re performing Parts 1, 2, 3 and 6 of Christmas Oratorio this year – do you have a favourite among them, and why?

Definitely Part 6! The opening and final choruses both have these wonderfully virtuosic trumpet parts, and the whole thing has such an infectious energy that you can’t help but want to dance along with it. It just screams Christmas joy.

I also love the chorale 'Ich steh an deinen Krippen hier’. It’s often sung very quietly and tenderly, almost as though you’re speaking to the baby Jesus at his crib and don’t want to wake him. That intimacy makes it such a special moment in the piece.

And then there’s the tenor aria with the two oboes d’amore. I love the way Bach exploits the slightly unusual character of the instrument – it has a much more nasal sound than the warmer, mellower Baroque oboe. The two instruments weave around each other in these intertwining lines, sometimes incredibly lyrical and sometimes almost bell-like. It’s a wonderfully inventive bit of writing.

Described as the Cathedral of the Arts and Crafts movement, Holy Trinity Sloane Square has remarkable acoustics and a unique atmosphere – do the venues you sing in influence the performance, and in what ways?

The acoustic can have a huge influence on how you approach a performance. Holy Trinity Sloane Square has such a beautiful high ceiling, which gives the sound space to bloom and creates a lovely rounded quality to the music. But you don’t necessarily want an acoustic that’s too reverberant, because it can become difficult to hear the detail and the words clearly. As a singer, you’re constantly making little adjustments to how you sing depending on the space – how much you can allow the sound to carry, how clearly you need to articulate, and how intimate or expansive you can afford to be.

Are there particular moments from your scholar year with us that shaped you as a musician?

I particularly appreciated the opportunities we had to sing as soloists. I remember singing the Messiah solos for the Christmas concert in Kingston, which was a really important experience for me. It was reassuring to be able to perform my first proper Messiah solos in an environment where I already felt supported and comfortable. Those opportunities gave me a lot of confidence as a young singer, and I think having that combination of responsibility and support was hugely valuable in shaping me as a musician.

What’s next for you after this performance?

Well, Christmas is just around the corner, so for me that means midnight Mass and Christmas Day services! Beyond that, I’m continuing to build my freelance career, both as a soloist and an ensemble singer, with plenty of early music coming up – so there’s lots to look forward to. And if you’d like to keep up with what I’m getting up to, you can always find my upcoming engagements on my website: www.allynwu.com

Tickets for our Christmas concert are on sale on our website – look forward to seeing you there.