Distinguished Performer Tristram Cooke, Sedgwick 2008-2009
After graduating from King’s College London, Tristram Cooke was awarded a scholarship on the MA in Performance at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Glenville Hargreaves and Michael Chance, graduating with Distinction in 2016. His solo repertoire includes a wide variety of oratorio and concert works, and he has a regular engagement performing cantatas with the City Bach Collective for Lutheran Vespers at St Mary at Hill. He is involved with Musica Antica Rotherhithe, specialising in lesser-known Baroque music, and has performed for the Lute Society. As well as his duties as a Lay Vicar at Westminster Abbey which range from daily evensongs to State events, Tristram performs with ensembles including the Tallis Scholars, The Sixteen, Choir of the Age of Enlightenment, Arcangelo, and Gabrieli Consort, and has been on some of the most prestigious concert platforms in the world. He was at Sedbergh from 2008-9.
What role did Sedbergh School play in shaping your passion for music and performance?
Music was already my main passion, and I chose to come to Sedbergh because of the strong music department. All the musicians were keenly supported by the Headmaster, Mr Hirst, who made it a point to attend as many events as possible. His placing such a public value on Sedbergh’s musicians gave us huge pride in what we did, and this, combined with the broad spectrum of opportunities offered by the staff gave me a wonderful starting point to be a professional musician. It felt like there was a concert or performance every week, not just as a soloist, but with the choral society, chapel choir, orchestras, quartets and chamber groups, and there were many more groups that I just didn’t have the time to be part of. Playing in front of the assembled school in Powell Hall was terrifying, but in the context of my career it was fantastic to be building up the confidence to stand in front of a large audience at a young age. That confidence is heard-earned and stays with you.
Touring with various choirs is now a regular and wonderful part of my career, but I will always remember the choir tour to France in Summer 2009, singing in Orléans cathedral with friends and getting the opportunity to play some of the most famous organs in the world. The music department made a good team and was very welcoming; friendships were easily made with people in different houses and year groups, all unified in the goal of reminding everyone that Sedbergh’s musical prowess could rival its fame on the rugby pitch! That spirit of collaboration is a gift that Sedbergh gave me and is vital now when it comes to working with people from all around the world to bring a work of art to life.
How does it feel to contribute to an event that celebrates 500 years of history and legacy at Sedbergh?
I was delighted to be asked by Mr Seymour to add my voice to Sedbergh’s celebrations, and to be performing in such a prestigious venue alongside musicians whose achievements were already impressive when I was at school is a real pleasure. I hope that our contributions today will help encourage current Sedberghians to keep playing an instrument or take up a new one even after leaving the school, or maybe even look at a career in music or the arts.
What advice would you give to current Sedbergh pupils who aspire to follow in your footsteps in the arts?
Try everything that comes your way if you can. There’s plenty of chance to specialise later, but the broad opportunities that your school years offer will be harder to come by later, and you never know where you will find something that arouses your interest or reveals a hitherto hidden talent. Join in with groups, take up a new instrument, jump at the chance to stand in front of a crowd as a soloist. Challenge yourself with your repertoire and your goals so that you’re always mastering your craft. And take that keen spirit with you into as much of your life as you can. You will have experiences, meet people and see places most people couldn’t dream of.