1 Jul 2024
Meet soprano Ali Ponsford-Hill: one of the longest serving members of the Monteverdi Choir.
How and when did you become involved with the Monteverdi Choir?
This July will mark 20 years since I first sang with the Monteverdi Choir. I was lucky to join the choir on its Pilgrimage to Santiago tour in 2004 after auditioning to John Eliot whilst in my first year at Cambridge. At that point the Apprentices Programme didn’t exist, but John Eliot was keen to bring along some young singers to teach them the ropes, and I was one of the lucky beneficiaries of that idea.
What do you think sets the Monteverdi Choir apart from other groups you work with?
There are many wonderful groups out there but for me what sets the Monteverdi Choir apart – and the thing that has kept me coming back for so long – is the collective communication of the emotional intention through the text and sound in every phrase, and the orchestral support of that same delivery. It makes for exceptionally connected and passionate music making that feels like nothing else. It has been the privilege of my life to learn to make music like this under the tuition and direction of John Eliot.
What was your first experience of choral music?
My parents are both heavily involved in choral music: my Dad as a conductor and my Mum as a singing teacher so my indoctrination began at the very earliest age! Some of my earliest memories are of running around in the organ loft gallery of Westminster Cathedral during evensong, listening to the choir below, when my Dad was director there. Then of course sitting in lessons whilst my Mum taught the boy choristers and watching what they were learning and sometimes joining in! Christmas time at Winchester Cathedral, where we were through much of my childhood, was always a special time and I loved to be a lantern girl in the carol service, listening to the choir up close. I was so lucky to be able to join Salisbury Cathedral Girl Choristers in 1993 – the first Cathedral to allow girls in the country – when I was 9, and to learn to sing under the amazing direction of the late Dr Richard Seal, incidentally a great friend of John Eliot’s.
How did you find yourself on this career journey?
As a first-year choral scholar at Trinity College in Cambridge, I was asked to come and audition to John Eliot for the Santiago Pilgrimage Tour. This led on to a number of professional engagements during my time at Trinity and I started to feel the appeal of working as a singer. I’m really endebted to Harry Christophers who took me along to Portugal (as an emergency step in for an ill soprano) during my finals at Cambridge, where he encouraged me to become a singer when I left university that September. He was then generous enough to fill my diary with work to get me started as a new freelancer and I’ve never looked back!
What is the best thing about being part of the MCO?
The music-making is second to none – there is nothing else that gets me so engaged and giving of myself and my entire musical, emotional and vocal capabilities. Great music-making requires great trust and that has led to many wonderful friendships over the years, carved out through incredible experiences together as a group.
Tell us about your favourite MCO tour or concert.
Performing Carmen at the Opéra Comique in Paris was a real highlight for me. The costume and make up process began hours before the performance and I was unrecognisable at the end of it! There was a lot for the chorus to do on stage so it was a lot of fun and it was incredible to watch Anna Caterina Antonacci performing as Carmen. We were in Paris for about two months so we got to know the city really well and made some great memories.
Do you have any pre-concert rituals?
I’m a snoozer so if there’s an opportunity for a nap I often take it.
Must listens – if you had to recommend one composer, who would it be and why?
Bach, of course! His music is amazing to sing and incredible to listen to; he creates beautiful and complex harmonies even with solo lines such as in the cello suites or solo violin sonatas, which we listen to a lot at home. At the heart of Bach’s music is a deep connection to the emotional states of being a human, which make these extraordinary works timeless.
If you could work with any artist on a performance or project, who would you choose?
John Eliot and my colleagues in the Monteverdi Choir! I was also amazed by Isabelle Faust when working with her recently in Leipzig. It felt like she had a sustain pedal on her violin from the way the notes connected to each other and I was desperate to do a whole run of concerts so I could hear her play more and learn from what she does.
Away from music, tell us about your favourite hobbies and why they strike such a chord.
I’m quite adventurous and I love to travel. I went with two singer friends to Iceland and trekked up a large volcano, carrying all of our things with us over four days. The isolation, peace and breathtaking landscapes will remain with me for ever alongside the connections built with those two brilliant friends.
Finally, what projects have you enjoyed this season with MCO?
I loved the recent Bach project with Johnny Sells; he really understood how to draw the best out of us and the music was glorious.
