And Karl makes it four ...

22/12/2008

A fine voice plus a sense of adventure have equated to a position at one of the world’s top 10 cathedral choirs for a Dunedin maths teacher.

Queen’s High School head of mathematics Karl Read (1988-92) has been accepted as a lay clerk for the Ely Cathedral Boys Choir in England.

Karl Read

The choir has been part of the English choral tradition since the mid 16th century, and in terms of monastic heritage, its history can be traced back to the time of King Canute in the 11th century.

It consists of 22 boy sopranos and six adult lay clerks who were paid to sing the lower alto, tenor and bass parts. As a counter tenor, he would sing alto parts.

‘‘It has always been an ambition to do the lay clerk thing in England. It’s nice to be paid for doing something you love,’’ he said.

Karl would perform with the choir five or six nights a week, as well as at the usual Sunday services. Alongside daily rehearsals and performances, the choir was in demand for radio and television broadcasts, recordings, concerts and tours.

Despite the hectic schedule, it was not a full-time job, he said. He would continue to teach maths, along with his wife Rebekah Mellor-Read, at the Soham Village College, which made headlines in 2002 when the school’s caretaker, Ian Huntley, was convicted of murdering 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

Karl has been a chorister since he was a boy and had been a member of the University of Otago Capping Sextet, the National Youth Choir and Voices NZ (the New Zealand chamber choir). He is also a member of the St Paul’s Cathedral Choir in Dunedin.

He auditioned for the Ely Cathedral Boys Choir in May because he had taught at Queen’s for eight years and felt it was time for change.

‘‘It’s time for an adventure. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m going to live the dream.’’

Karl is the fourth member of the St Paul’s Cathedral Choir to become a member of the Ely Cathedral Boys Choir, the previous three all being Old Boys - Peter de Blois (1980-84), Tony Sandle (1980-83) and Nick Madden (1995-99).