A leading boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 12-18 in Perthshire, Scotland
Skrine's 2000-2004
I decided on Glenalmond almost as soon as I arrived to look round as a rather nervous twelve-year-old: the picturesque surroundings, outstanding facilities and spirit of academic achievement were all factors, but I think that most of all it was the palpable sense of community among both pupils and staff that attracted me.
Having been a boy chorister at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh, my education had been steeped in music and the excellence of the music department at Coll helped me to pursue this area of interest, under the watchful eye of Robert Gower. Robert was an enormous influence in his encouragement of my singing, my fledgling conducting of the College Chamber choir and in his sometimes acerbic (!) but always insightful comments in the classroom. I also enjoyed the opportunities for trips to opera productions, the theatre, and no less important, for 'House bowling', and on the boarding side, the sense of camaraderie in the House (I was Head of House in my final year) and being so close to the 'great outdoors'.
The school was an ideal preparation both for my time as an organ scholar at Oxford, and for the dual worlds of academia and music which I now inhabit: the encouragement of an inquisitive mind, self-belief and above all, consideration and respect for one's colleagues and peers are all traits learned from my time at Coll.
Rory is the director of the Marian Consort, a nationally recognised group of singers who perform music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods www.marianconsort.co.uk
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