Music has been a strong feature throughout most of Paul’s life, and was even instrumental in finding his life partner, but things could have been so different from what he agrees was not the most harmonious start.
Initially Paul started on the piano and it wasn’t until he heard his father playing the violin ‘badly’ when he was 10 that he thought “surely I can play that thing better than that” and started to study the violin.
Lessons continued when he went to public school but it was hard work with a teacher whose methods were inflexible and very much favoured the music scholars (Paul’s forté was Classics, a very different world). Suddenly, however, that changed with a new and inspirational teacher in Year 10, Hannah Jones. Paul credits this wonderful teacher and excellent musician, who believed in his abilities, for taking him from a mediocre grade 5 rapidly through the higher grades with top marks. In his final year at school, having all the exams under his belt, he went on to perform the first movement of Mozart’s A Major violin concerto with the school orchestra. Added to that he also had the privilege of playing on what had been Benjamin Britten’s brother’s violin, a beautiful instrument, which was gifted to the school at the start of the year.
Paul’s Classics studies took him to Robinson College, Cambridge, where music continued to play an important part in his non academic life. Despite earning a place in the first University orchestra, he chose to move ‘down’ to the second orchestra in his second year, thus freeing him up to concentrate more on singing.
Following a change in degree course to Law and a year at Chester Law School, Paul started working at one of the big legal companies in Birmingham. Whilst there, in 1990, he joined the CBSO Chorus as a 1st Tenor. He tells of some incredible concerts under Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Andrew Davies, Kurt Masur and other great conductors, getting to perform, often from memory, with the best orchestras in the world both in this country and the famous concert halls of Europe. It was through his singing that he also met Karen, now his wife, when he was invited to boost the tenors in a concert.
In 2001 the family moved to the Cayman Islands with Paul’s work and stayed for 4 years. They decided to come back to the UK soon after Storm Ivan hit leaving a trail of destruction not conducive to safely raising a young family.
Paul returned to Birmingham where he continues to develop his professional legal practice as a sought-after costs barrister.
Despite such a busy working life Paul continues to make time for his music, enjoying the friendly nature of this orchestra. He is also not averse to donning an apron and makes a pretty decent seasonal preserve. After the best part of 30 years he and Karen are still members of the Leamington based chamber choir Divertimento. They have passed their musical genes down to their daughter, a soprano, who also now sings with them.