Lives changed by music: Samuel Macdonald

Name: Samuel Macdonald

Age: 26

Career Path: Musical theatre composer/musical director

How long have I been in the choir? 3 years

What brought you to St Mary’s choir?

Having sung in a chapel choir whilst at Cambridge university, when I moved to Glasgow I

was looking for somewhere that would be musically fulfilling but also friendly, as well as a

church community which suited me spiritually. Within 24 hours of arriving in Glasgow, I

found St Mary’s!

How has membership of the choir/cathedral community benefitted you?

Singing regularly in a group is useful for any musician, especially when sight reading is

involved, as singing requires you to really listen to the sounds you’re making. At St Mary’s

we work through a wide range of repertoire, so it’s great to become familiar with the

different approaches needed for different music. As a musical director, I am often working

with actors less confident in singing in a group, and my experience at St Mary’s gives me

many of the tools I need to help them. Frikki and the choir have been very supportive of my

composition work and I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to write for the choir a few times!