Paul Phoenix
Being one of the longest-serving members of the group is something I find hard to believe, given that it still feels like five minutes since I joined what I believe to be the world's finest vocal ensemble. I work every day with the most generous, inspiring and talented colleagues, visit interesting and often far-flung places to sing in the finest concert halls, Churches and Cathedrals. Yet nearly fifteen years on, there is much to look back on, in what has been an intensely rewarding journey. I have made innumerable friends along the way, and I am thankful for the worldwide recognition that the group receives, from China to Mexico and Canada to New Zealand, which incidentally are all places where donning running shoes and delaying my mid-life crisis is a 'must'! Looking even further back, I remember fondly my years as a chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral and the time I spent at the Royal Northern College of Music, both experiences which prepared me for life as a 'King's Singer'. My family's support enables me to continue to look forwards: Helena, William, Edward and my domestic running-partner Wiz (our energetic, characterful and much-loved Border Collie) always await the homecoming not of a 'King's Singer', but of a devoted husband and Father. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Name: Paul David Phoenix
Voice: Tenor (pushed-up baritone)
Birthday: 1st April
Joined The King's Singers: September 1997
Composer: Valery Gurdjieff
Concert venue: Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
City: San Francisco or Stockport, it depends….
Book: Survive the Savage Sea (Dougal Robinson)
Film: Back to the Future
Opera: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Benjamin Britten)
Musical: Oliver
Pop artist or band: Joni Mitchell or Rickie Lee Jones
Newspaper: The Independent
Magazine: Autocar
Three things you'd have on a desert island:
1. Is there anything unexpected you always take with you on tour?
Running shoes.
2. Do you have any special tour routines?
I always pack my suitcase the night before we leave, and I keep a torch by my bed.
3. Is there anything on British television that you miss particularly when you're on tour?
My Family, the BBC News, and Family Guy.
4. What's your favourite country for food?
Mexico.
5. Describe your perfect evening.
Good food, good company and cold beer.
6. What was your favourite subject at school?
Geography.
7. What was your least favourite subject at school?
Latin and Maths.
8. What do you do to clear your head on tour?
I go running (whatever the weather).
9. Tell us something about you that not many people know.
I'm a bit 'OCD' – I like things tidy….
10. Do you have any non-musical ambitions that you are looking to achieve in the near future?
To drive a new Porsche 991 on a track day, and to fly in a C-130 Hercules.
11. Do you have any phobias?
No.
12. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Time travel.
Tea or coffee? Tea
Rugby or football? Football
Curry or sushi? Sushi
Heatwave or snow? Neither
Blackberry or iPhone? Blackberry
Night out or night in? Night in
Starter or dessert? Starter
Renaissance or contemporary? Contemporary
Shower or bath? Shower
Early bird or night owl? Early Bird
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